BoxRec

An open letter has sprung up on the current scene via boxingmonger (http://www.boxingmonger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=582)

An open letter from WBA Champ Mikkel Kessler to IBF Champ Jeff Lacy

15.09.05 - Hello Mr. Lacy: Although we have never met, we have much in common. For starters, you are an undefeated world super middleweight boxing champion (IBF) and so am I (WBA). Like me, you are not afraid to take your gloves on the road if it means facing the toughest competition you can find. For example, I recently went Down Under to defend my world title against Anthony Mundine and you are willing to go to the United Kingdom to fight WBO 168-pound champion Joe Calzaghe..

I share your frustration in dealing with Mr. Calzaghe and his promoter, Fearless allegedly. My manager-promoter, Bettina Palle along with her father, Danish legend Mogens Palle, were this close, or so we thought, to making a deal for me to do a title unification match against Calzaghe. Like you, I was also prepared to go to the UK to face the oft-injured Calzaghe.

I am in agreement with you and your promoter, Big Gary Shaw, that it was idiotic for Calzaghe to do that fight with a virtual midget Evans Ashira. This was not even a true "tune up" in preparation for a showdown with you. In fact, it may have turned into a "tune out" bout by wrecking your title unifier against Calzaghe.

Another thing we have in common right now is that we both need an attractive opponent for our next fight. My dance card looks limited and so does yours. So I think you know where I am going with this.

Lacy vs. Kessler. Kessler vs. Lacy. Tampa-St. Petersburg or Copenhagen. The location does not matter much. But you must admit our two names linked together does have a sweet ring to it.

You bring your world title belt and I will bring mine. My people have made it clear to Big Gary Shaw and to Showtime that I am ready, willing and available for this super showdown assuming that proper conditions and terms can be agreed to by the parties.

No one has ever accused you of ducking or dodging opponents. The same can be said for me. Let the duckers and the dodgers sit on the sidelines where they belong.

There can be only true ruler of the super middleweight division.

Is the real king of the 168-pounders you or is it me? I am ready to find out.


Sincerely,

UNDEFEATED WBA SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMP MIKKEL KESSLER

That letter is so not written by Kessler himself.

And you believe that is really from Kessler :P :P

Unless Team Palle got a new publicist I doubt its even made by them.

Having just read it properly, you may well be right Sounds very American.

"my dance card"

"sweet"

"Big" Gary Shaw

Oh well, anything for a bit of sensationalism

Let the duckers and the dodgers sit on the sidelines where they belong.

Who cares who wrote it it's funny The bit about Evans Ashira was a bit of a give away as Kessler himself was supposed to be fighting Ashira next anyway.

The letter is written by Team Palle's american lawyer Mike Marley.

He would be a nice alternative to Sicknote Joe in November.

I have said all along that i think Kessler will come out as the No. 1 of the division after all is said and done so i had better stick to my statement and back him to beat Lacy

Hallelujah! Thats two supermiddleweights looking to make big fights. They should forget about Sicknote and get it on! At least we know they will both turn up on fight night.

Calzaghe should look and learn. Not long left for joey now, i doubt anyone decent name could be bothered to make a fight with loser joey these days.

Lacy vs Kessler would be great, the 2 best fighters in that division imo

that's great, looks like kessler has got, umm, palle.

Looks like a good fight, lets hope lacy responds favourably. needless to say, F**k Calzaghe.

Expect this fight to happen, Lacy is willing to take on allcomers it seems.

When i suggested the other SM champions should bypass Calzaghe and fight each other one poster asked me how you could decide the number one without having the number one involved.

This is the only way it can be resolved in my opinion, with Calzaghe's claim to being the divisions ruler becoming ever more tenuous by the day it must surely come down to the point where the others have to move past Joe and sort it themselves. How can you beat the man to become the man when the man won't fight you?

steve689 wrote:When i suggested the other SM champions should bypass Calzaghe and fight each other one poster asked me how you could decide the number one without having the number one involved.

This is the only way it can be resolved in my opinion, with Calzaghe's claim to being the divisions ruler becoming ever more tenuous by the day it must surely come down to the point where the others have to move past Joe and sort it themselves. How can you beat the man to become the man when the man won't fight you?

fornicate Calzaghe he missed the boat years ago! If it comes off the winner of Lacy v Kessler is the number 1 supermiddleweight beyond doubt.

I think so too mate but some people still rate him the undisputed Number One in the division, none more so than himself. A while ago he was telling a daily paper that he was moving to Light Heavyweight because he has ruled SM for so many years he has run out of challenges!!

You Calzaghe haters are being so narrow-minded it's making me fornicating mad

Whilst Kessler and Lacy pussy about thinking about fighting each other, Joe is doing it. And he's not just stopping at being a one-weight all time champion. Oh no. In fact just last weekend he became a two-weight world champion by beating one of the middleweights finest.

And he will prove himself the #1 great of all time when he fights Winky Wright.

Calzaghe I think will be the only champ of the world to actually move down weight divisions on his way to boxing glory. It takes a stroke of genius and the heart of a lion to take on a light middleweight when your barely a stone heavier and have had absolutely no experience at LM.

But have any of you recognised this? NO

That would be comedy, a fighter comes along, wins a belt and progressively moves down in weights winning titles at each. The anti DLH, who ends up a ridiculous stick thin tall character with a big frame knocking out relative dwarves.

jomothepure wrote:You Calzaghe haters are being so narrow-minded it's making me fornicating mad

Whilst Kessler and Lacy pussy about thinking about fighting each other, Joe is doing it. And he's not just stopping at being a one-weight all time champion. Oh no. In fact just last weekend he became a two-weight world champion by beating one of the middleweights finest.

And he will prove himself the #1 great of all time when he fights Winky Wright.

Calzaghe I think will be the only champ of the world to actually move down weight divisions on his way to boxing glory. It takes a stroke of genius and the heart of a lion to take on a light middleweight when your barely a stone heavier and have had absolutely no experience at LM.

But have any of you recognised this? NO

fornicate Joe"chicken" Calzaghe
Kessler and Lacy are nr.1+2 in the supermiddleweight divisions,let us see that fight,not Joe"chicken" Calzaghe

This is not to be underestimated, this to me is Huge!

If they can put this baby together then regardless of the outcome respect is due to both men for being willing to put their title and ever so precious unbeaten record on the line in pursuit of glory.

Should be a great fight too.

Some very valid points on this thread: And I'd like to add my voice to all of those who cry 'fornicate Calzaghe!!!!'. I would also say that I distrust anything that comes from 'Boxingmonger.com', their representatives
on the current scene are hardly the best, in my honest opinion.

Lacy - Kessler is the fight that matters now. Joe has absolutely no claim to be the division's best anymore. He's looked awful for a fair while now.

Edit: Jomo, have you thought about going into PR? I reckon you've got one hell of a career ahead of you. Your 'Steven Hawking' comment cracked me up the other day.

leave calzaghe to fight super flyweights. just make sure alonzo is not the ref when he fights lacy or kessler will lose.

Freiheit wrote:That letter is so not written by Kessler himself.

Yes I thought that as soon as I saw the phrase 'down under.' Would someone from Denmark say that?

I'll take a wild stab in the dark and say Calzaghe wrote that letter a in a feeble attempt to get Lacy of his back

I think that be a ggod fight.

Calzaghe should have try to unify years ago,him and his slimey promoter took the easy route.