Mikkel Kessler

Mikkel Kessler, also known as the Viking Warrior, is a former Danish professional boxer who competed from 1998 to 2013. Standing at 6ft1in with a reach of 74in, Kessler fought in both the Super-middleweight and Light-heavyweight weight classes. With a record of 46-3, including 35 knockout wins and five title wins, his career spanned over 15 years.

Kessler started his professional boxing career at the age of 19, with his debut against Kelly Mays ending in a 1st round KO win. He went on to win 38 more consecutive fights after his debut, which included 28 wins via stoppage. His first world title fight came at the age of 25, after 34 professional fights, against Manny Siaca for the super-middleweight WBA title, which he won after a 7th round RTD.

Throughout his career, Kessler won a total of five world titles at super-middleweight, defending them all five times. He also won the WBC title twice between 2006 and 2010. Kessler is best known for his fights against Hall-of-Famer Carl Froch, Brian Magee, Gusmyr Perdomo, Danilo Haussler, Anthony Mundine, Manny Siaca, and Librado Andrade.

Kessler's toughest fight came against fellow undefeated champion, Joe Calzaghe, in a bout that would unify his WBA and WBC super-middleweight championships with Calzaghe's WBO and The Ring titles. The bout took place at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in front of over 50,000 fans, then the largest indoor boxing event in European history, and Kessler lost the unification bout via unanimous decision.

Kessler retired from professional boxing with his last fight being a super-middleweight title unification bout against Carl Froch, which he lost via 12 round unanimous decision, and lost his WBA (Regular) title.

The Viking Warrior was known for his hard-hitting style, especially early on in his career. After 22 fights as a Light-middleweight and Middleweight, Kessler settled into the Super-middleweight division, continuing his hard-hitting streak, dispatching 6 of his first 7 opponents by KO, thereby improving his record to 29–0 with 22 KO.

Kessler's first championship fight came on 29 November 2002, where he defeated former WBC Super Middleweight Champion Dingaan Thobela over twelve rounds to become the International Boxing Association Champion. He later defended his WBA and WBC titles before finally hitting it big on 12 November 2004, when his stablemate, Mads Larsen, his fellow Danish World Class fighter, was set to challenge Manny Siaca for the WBA Championship in Copenhagen. Larsen was injured in training and Kessler took the fight on short notice, winning the WBA Super Middleweight title.

Kessler's most notable fight after his title win was against Anthony Mundine in Sydney in June 2005, which he won via 12 round unanimous decision. In January 2006, he defeated Eric Lucas for his second title defense. He was elevated to WBA Super Champion status after winning the WBC title in a unification battle against WBC World Champion Markus Beyer at the Parken Stadium. On 24 March 2007, he defended his WBA (Super) and WBC titles at the Parken Stadium against WBC mandatory challenger Librado Andrade, winning the fight via 12 round unanimous decision.

Kessler's loss against Joe Calzaghe was his first defeat and ended his 39-fight win streak. He has never been stopped, all his losses came via decision. After Calzaghe vacated the WBA title to move up to Light heavyweight, Kessler was put in a match with Dimitri Sartison on 21 June 2008, for the vacant belt, which he won by knocking out Sartison in the final round to regain his title.

Kessler successfully defended his title several times against Danilo Häussler and Gusmyl Perdomo, and won the WBA Super Middleweight Championship in the Super Six World Boxing Classic against Andre Ward. However, he eventually lost the title in a rematch with Carl Froch on 25 August 2013, after defending it against Brian Magee late in 2012.

Kessler's fighting style was characterized by his hard-hitting power, boxing IQ, and excellent conditioning. During a time when the super-middleweight division was one of the hottest in boxing, Kessler established himself as one of the biggest names in the sport.

Despite his retirement, Kessler remains a legend in Danish boxing, with several individuals attributing their interest in the sport to the Viking Warrior.

Mikkel Kessler Fight Record