(Sept. 17, 2009) — It was a day of many answered questions as World Boxing Association (WBA) super middleweight champion Mikkel “Viking Warrior” Kessler and hometown undefeated hero Andre “S.O.G” Ward met face-to-face and then with Bay Area media followed by a national conference call on Thursday.

Kessler and Ward will take part in the first Super Six World Boxing Classic match in the United States on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif. live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast). The scheduled 12-rounder will be for Kessler’s WBA 168-pound title and is a first-round matchup in Group Stage 1.

“The favorite in this tournament is Kessler,” Ward’s promoter Dan Goossen, President of Goossen Tutor Promotions said on the media conference call. “There’s no doubt about it. As a matter of fact, the experts have already made their picks: Kessler, (Arthur) Abraham, (Carl) Froch, Jermain Taylor, and then it’s Ward and (Andre) Dirrell, the two young pups. So it’s a big challenge for America right now. But Ward’s going to be up to the task and I think at the end of the day there will be two Americans left standing in that inaugural World Boxing Classic Championship bout.”

Kessler’s promoter Kaller Sauerland of Sauerland Events wouldn’t tab his fighter as the favorite. “I don’t think there’s any favorite in this tournament,” he said. “You’ve got six of the best super middleweights. Mikkel’s got to travel to California which speaks volumes about the kind of boxer Mikkel is. For him to travel into this guy’s backyard with a chance to take away his title … Again, it just speaks volumes to what this tournament means to the guys involved.”

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MIkkel Kessler vs Librado Andrade:
Reza: Kessler KO 5th
Korosh: Kessler KO 6th
Farz B.: Kessler KO 9th
Jeff Soklin: Kessler By Decision

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With thirty-eight straight victories at the young age of 28, Kessler has been seemingly unstoppable and looks to add to his impressive record against Andrade. Kessler (38-0, 29 KO’s) and fellow European champion Joe Calzaghe have been competing for domination of the Super Middleweight division for last three years. Kessler has been calling out Calzaghe for the last year, but Calzaghe’s refusal to accept has left Kessler without a big fight for the last year. This fight on HBO could force Calzaghe to finally step into the ring and fight the “Viking Warrior”.
Andrade (24-0, 18 KO’s) is a young, dangerous fight who can spoil Kessler’s big plans. With his last five fights ending in knockout, Andrade has the strength to end Kessler’s night early. The biggest factor will be whether or not he can handle the pressure of a big time championship fight in foreign territory. Andrade will definitely be focused, because a win could set him up for a big payday fight against WBO Champion Joe Calzaghe later this summer.
Make sure to tune into HBO tonight live at 9:45 ET/PT for this “Boxing After Dark” event. As mentioned above, the Barrera-Marquez championship fight will be shown before the Kessler-Andrade fight.

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