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Carl Froch’s trash talk ‘shows he has cracked’ believes Mikkel KesslerBy: Niall Hickman CARL FROCH has apologised for his Mikkel Kessler outburst, but the outrageous threats have not even troubled the Viking Warrior.
“Now is the time for the talking to stop,” said Kessler. “It’s just trash talk. I’ve seen it all before and as long as Carl thinks he can beat me, which he can’t, then everything is fine with me. “I don’t do that kind of rubbish talk. I do all my talking in the ring and will do so on Saturday.” But those three words – “which he can’t” – raised the tempo even more for what should be a spectacular world super-middleweight showdown at London’s O2 Arena tomorrow. Froch believes he can, and however pumped up he was when insisting he would “kill” Kessler, there is no doubt he is primed to produce the performance of his life. Kessler was actually pleased that the whole occasion had got the better of Froch because such a vitriolic tirade convinced the Dane his opponent cannot handle the pressure. Now Kessler will hope Froch follows the lead of his close friend David Haye, who wore a ridiculous T-shirt depicting a decapitated Wladimir Klitschko prior to their world heavyweight title clash two years ago, then barely threw a punch all night and was widely lampooned afterwards for complaining he had a severe injury, namely a fractured little toe. “We were a bit surprised when we read Carl’s comments because there has been no trash talking in this fight and they have both been respectful of each other,” said Kessler’s promoter Kalle Sauerland. “Mikkel is not bothered by what Carl said about him and he is well used to this sort of thing. “What Mikkel thinks is that this shows Carl is cracking up under the pressure. “This is the biggest fight Carl has ever been involved in, with 100million people watching around the world. “He is the favourite and his fans expect him to win. He is feeling the pressure of all of that, which is great for us.” Froch will still be in trouble with the British Boxing Board of Control, who are likely to fine him a portion of his purse for his comments. BBBC general secretary Robert Smith readily acknowledged Froch’s hitherto exemplary record “as a decent young man” but added: “He is well aware that he shouldn’t have said it. “His comments are inappropriate and we are disappointed. We will be speaking to him about them after the fight, not before.” Froch said: “I apologise if my comments offended anyone. This fight means so much to me and emotions are running high. See you at the weigh-in.” That weigh-in is today at the O2 Arena and there is a real sense of tension in the air between two of the best 12st fighters in the world: Froch, with the IBF belt, and Kessler, the holder of the WBA version of the crown. Until Wednesday’s out-of-character outburst, the boxers had been rocking along famously. Outside the ring they are friends, but something snapped in the Nottingham fighter, who in 10 years as a professional has always been hugely respectful of his opponents. It will be fascinating to see how this fast and furious match-up goes. Froch is clearly fired up and on the back of his barnstorming win over previously unbeaten Lucian Bute last summer. As for Kessler, he was coolness personified at Wednesday’s press conference, merely promising to underline his superiority over a fighter he beat via a unanimous points decision three years ago in Denmark. Froch is playing a high-stakes game. By midnight tomorrow, we should know if it worked. Froch v Kessler is live and exclusive on Sky Box Office Carl Froch sorry for threat to ‘kill’ KesslerCarl Froch has apologised for threatening to “kill” Mikkel Kessler in their IBF super-middleweight fight in London tomorrow night – but will still face
an investigation by the British Boxing Board of Control. Froch took to Twitter yesterday to say: “I’m sorry if my comments yesterday offended anyone. This fight means so much to me & emotions are running high. See you at the weigh-in.” The Board’s general secretary Robert Smith said the governing body would look into the comments, saying: “Carl’s comments are inappropriate and we are disappointed in them.” Froch and Kessler have been friends since their first bout three years ago, which Kessler won on points in Denmark, but Froch’s desire for a revenge win led him to change tune and launch a vicious attack. Froch told reporters: “On Saturday night, if I have to, I will kill this f****r. Sorry about the language, but I will kill him. It sounds brutal, it sounds horrible, but this is what it means
to me. “I’m going to leave it in the ring. And when I’m smashing his face in, I am going to go for the kill. I am going to go for the finish.” Smith said of Froch’s remarks: “They are very uncharacteristic from Carl, who is usually a very well-behaved and measured young man.”
Carl Froch: I will put Mikkel Kessler out of the game for goodTHE question posed was fairly innocuous; but the answer changed the tone, temperament and mood of a fight that hardly needed extra hype.By: Niall Hickman
Away from the main high-profile press conference ahead of the world unification clash between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler, the Nottingham super-middleweight champion was asked his thoughts about his Danish rival as he sat with a chosen few discussing the biggest night of his life. Until then, at the O2 Arena yesterday, it had all been sweetness and light between two men who had shown each other mutual respect, even though Kessler has beaten Froch in the past. But suddenly Froch, a man who prides himself on being guarded and well-mannered, launched into an astonishing tirade of abuse. “I have never really felt like this before,” said Froch. “I don’t know what it is? There is something about this guy that winds me up. It is pure anger and I have to channel it. “I am in there not just to win this fight but to put him out of the game. I don’t want to see him anymore. I am sick of him, I am sick of the fact that he has beaten me and I want to put the record straight and if that means I have to do him some serious damage, then I will do. “On Saturday night, if I have to, I will kill him. It sounds brutal, it sounds horrible, but that’s what this means to me. “I am going to leave it in the ring and when I am smashing his face in, I am going to go for the kill. I am going to go for the finish. I want to do him some damage.” But from the look in Froch’s eyes – which were burning with anger – this outburst was no publicity stunt for a fight where all 20,000 tickets for the O2 were sold out in just two hours. Froch and Kessler are good friends out of the ring, but you would not have known that yesterday. I have known Froch for 10 years, I spent countless hours with him while researching his autobiography which I ghosted for him and I have never seen him so pumped up when talking about an opponent. The Englishman has a well-earned reputation in the sport for respecting his opponents and in his 10-year professional career, he has never before resorted to the kind of mindless trash-talk which has blighted boxing for so long. But for Froch to serve up this kind of vitriolic anger was a stunning surprise, underlining the enormous pressure surrounding a fight of this stature. Perhaps the huge pressure has got to him because defeat to Kessler would probably signal the end of his career. Believe it or not, Froch, 35, and ‘Viking Warrior’ Kessler, 34, enjoy a friendship and the ‘Cobra’ even telephoned the Dane before his last fight against Brian Magee with tips on how to beat the Ulsterman. Froch’s fury is based around his close points-decision loss to Kessler three years ago in Denmark – what was then the first defeat of his career. The hurt from Herning in 2010 exploded yesterday, with Froch adamant he will gain revenge. “I had to watch him strap my belt around his waist,” said Froch. “I had to watch his promoter Kalle Sauerland shaking his head like a lunatic with his hair falling all over the place and salivating around his mouth, hugging him. “I have seen all of that on the television and it makes my blood boil. It makes me feel sick. It does something to me. “He had better be ******* ready. I am sorry for swearing but that’s how much this means to me. After I lost to him the first time I felt angry as well. It is now personal. He’s all right, Kessler, but he is quite cheeky coming over here to England to fight me, thinking he can come to my home turf and beat me after everything I have done in boxing. “He has been a little bit disrespectful. I listen to him talk and I think to myself ‘Who do you think you are?’ “I will have those little gloves on and I will smash him right in the face. I will hit him hard and often. People talk about us being friends, but he wants something I have, the IBF belt. There is no way he is getting it.” Froch will not even have his partner Rachael Cordingley in his corner because she will be at home caring for their new-born daughter Natalia. “I don’t want to be around people I love on Saturday night because of the mood I’m in,” said Froch. FROCH v Kessler on May 25 is live on Sky Sports HD Box Office. Visit skysports.com/froch or call 08442 410888 for booking information. Source: www.express.co.uk/sport/boxing/401815/Carl-Froch-I-will-put-Mikkel-Kessler-out-of-the-game-for-good
Mikkel Kessler: I'll make Carl Froch a loser againMIKKEL KESSLER may be the most celebrated sportsman in Denmark, but he is not even be the most famous person in his family.By: Niall Hickman
The boxing superstar is consistently overshadowed by his elder sister Linse, who boasts the largest silicon-enhanced breasts in Scandinavia – a Danish equivalent of Katie Price. She is also an actress and glamour model, but she will take time out to be ringside for Saturday’s world-title showdown between her brother and Carl Froch. “She rang me the other day and said she needed a ticket. I told her to get in the queue like everyone else,” said Kessler with a broad smile. “No, she’ll be coming. I messed up on the tickets because by the time the Danish public got the chance to buy them, they had already gone, so I will need all the support I can get.” This fight would sell out Wembley stadium this weekend, but it’s already being used for the Champions League final. All 20,000 tickets at London’s O2 Arena were sold out in two hours and a pair will set you back nearly £1,000 on the exchange market. “It is a great fight and boxing fans will always come to see great fights,” said Kessler. “It’s a bit of a shame there aren’t more people there to watch it, like the 50,000 who came to the Calzaghe bout, but there will be a different ending this time to that one, I’m certain of it.” Kessler, whose mother Ann was born in Salisbury, talks a good game and he can back it up with his credentials. Forty-six wins out of 48 fights, 35 by knock-out, the fi ve-times world champion will go down as one of the all-time great 12-stone operators, regardless of what happens on Saturday evening. Victories over Julio Cesar Green, Anthony Mundine, Markus Beyer, Eric Lucas and Froch underline his vast talent, with the only blemishes on his record defeats to Joe Calzaghe in 2007 and Andre Ward four years ago. Kessler, 34, is a heavily-tattooed bull of a man, all teak-toned muscle and twitching fibres. He doesn’t have a weakness. He can take a shot as well as throw them with devilish intent and if their first clash three years ago in Herning is anything to go by, Saturday night will be all right for fighting. “That win was me at my best and I believe it was Carl at his best. He may believe he can improve, but I got the better of him once and I will do it again,” said the WBA champion. “I don’t do threats, what is the point? They are just useless words. This fight will be about actions and in Denmark I showed I can take his best and come back for more. “I have a lot of respect for Carl. He fights the way I like to fight, not like Andre Ward who is boring, boring, boring. That’s why 20,000 people will be at this one, whereas Ward fought last year in Atlantic City and there were empty seats everywhere. “The public isn’t stupid. It wants to see boxers mix it up, not throw a few shots then run and run. That’s what Ward does, not Carl.” The pair will trade incendiary blows on Saturday, possibly for the right to face Ward sometime next year, but outside the ring they are on first-name terms. Kesslerr said: “I’ve nothing against Carl as a person, he is a terrific man and a great boxer. But it will be dynamite in there.” Their first meeting was a classic as it ebbed and flowed before Kessler marginally came out on top, and this promises to be more of the same. Whatever happens, it will be emotional. Source: www.express.co.uk/sport/boxing/401476/Mikkel-Kessler-I-ll-make-Carl-Froch-a-loser-again |
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