Joe Calzaghe, the undefeated boxing legend, has named Mikkel Kessler as his toughest opponent. The Welsh fighter, who won all 46 of his professional bouts, faced many big names in the ring but says Kessler gave him the hardest test.
Calzaghe held onto his world super-middleweight title for over a decade, defending it 21 times. He beat some of boxing's biggest stars like Roy Jones Jr, Chris Eubank, and Bernard Hopkins. But it's the Danish fighter Kessler who stands out in his memory.
In a recent chat with Boxing News, Calzaghe opened up about his toughest fight:
"My hardest fight was Eubank, but Kessler was my toughest opponent. He was at his peak, was younger and undefeated. Not to mention, there was a lot of pressure for me to fight in my home stadium."
The fight took place in 2007 at Calzaghe's home stadium. He started off too aggressively, and in the fourth round, Kessler caught him with some nasty uppercuts. Calzaghe had to change his game plan.
He switched to boxing smarter, using his jab and feints, and staying calmer. This strategy worked, and Calzaghe outboxed Kessler in the second half of the fight to secure the win.
Kessler went on to have a great career himself. He fought Carl Froch twice, winning once and losing once, before hanging up his gloves in 2013. The Dane was known for his tough fights against top super-middleweights.
Calzaghe's career wasn't without controversy. Carl Froch once questioned his win over Robin Reid. But with 46 wins and no losses, Calzaghe's record speaks for itself. He'll go down as one of boxing's greats, and his tough fight with Kessler will be remembered as a highlight of his impressive career.
