WBC Super Middleweight Champion Carl Froch does not care whether the old or the new Mikkel Kessler shows up to their upcoming Super Six World Boxing Classic bout on Saturday, April 24, on SHOWTIME® (9 p.m. ET/PT, same-day tape delay) - he plans to knock out either one.
That's what "The Cobra" told a crowded press conference in the Robin Hood Suite at Nottingham Forest's football stadium on Wednesday. "They say styles make fights and our fight will be an exciting one," he stated. "I am curious to see whether it will be the old or the new Kessler in the ring. It does not matter to me. I am planning to knock him out anyway."
The Viking Warrior was quick to respond: "Well, Carl, you don't know the new Mikkel Kessler yet. You will be in for a very explosive surprise when we meet. You are a nice guy, but business is business, and I want to win my old WBC belt back. I had a very bad night in the office against Ward, but champions bounce back even stronger. I did that once after the Calzaghe fight and I will do it again when we get in the ring on the 24th of April."
The two superstars concluded their international media tour this afternoon after flying from Billund to England on Tuesday evening. Froch admitted he has changed his mind about the city of Herning following yesterday's press conference at the MCH. "We were impressed by the venue," he said. "The people have been great. It is a nice town and a superb arena. There are also two nice pubs out there so my fans will like it in Herning."
Mick Hennessy was also impressed by Georg Soerensen and the hospitality at MCH. "It was a great trip and we were very pleased about everything. They treated us very well. It is the best possible venue for the fight and it can easily be reached for the Froch Army of Fans. Carl will be getting a lot of support on April 24. To me Froch vs. Kessler is a definite fight of the year candidate."
Chris Meyer, General Manager of Team Sauerland, is convinced that Kessler will bounce back stronger than ever before. "Carl is a good fighter, but there is no way he can beat Mikkel with the Danish fans behind him," he said. "It will be too much for Carl. Mikkel is stronger and the better fighter. He has a great coach, Jimmy Montoya, and they will come up with a brilliant plan to kill the Cobra."
Montoya stated that Kessler was getting better and better every day. "Training camp has been going very well," he said. "Mikkel keeps telling me that he not only wants to become world champion again but win the whole tournament. That is exactly how he needs to look at things. He will definitely defeat Froch."
SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC SCOREBOARD
Record || Fighter || Points
1-0 || Arthur Abraham || 3
1-0 || Carl Froch || 2
1-0 || Andre Ward || 2
0-1 || Andre Dirrell || 0
0-1 || Mikkel Kessler || 0
For information on all SHOWTIME Sports telecasts, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries from its events and complete information on the Super Six World Boxing Classic, please visit the website at http://www.sports.sho.com