On May 19, Mikkel Kessler will move up in weight, clashing with Allan Green for the WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship (Silver). Today the Viking Warrior opened his gym during a media workout in Copenhagen. Here is what the three-time world champion had to say about his preparation for a historic night of entertainment at Denmark´s most famous football stadium, which also features the live screening of the UEFA Champions League Final and a top undercard.
Q: For the first time of your career, you will be fighting at light heavyweight. How has the training been going?
MK: “Brilliant. I have put on some pounds and I am hitting harder than ever. And I must say I haven´t lost any of my speed either. Going up to light heavyweight has given me much more one-punch KO power.”
Q: You haven´t fought since last June. You must be thrilled to be back.
MK: “Absolutely. It has been so hard to be away from the ring. At the moment I am taking it out everyday on my sparring partners. My coach Jimmy Montoya had to ask me to calm down and take things easy. I am really fired up and can´t wait to get it on with Allan Green.”
Q: What do you think of him?
MK: “I have actually been thinking a lot about him. He is always on my mind, when I go to sleep and when I wake up. We have analyzed his every move, so there will be no surprises on May 19. He is fast and he is strong, but I am going to teach him a lesson when we meet at PARKEN.”
Q: What kind of lesson?
MK: “Well, he will get the first taste of my new KO power. He is going to be the first person I hit without head guard and sparring gloves. It will be an unpleasant experience for him. He is a big puncher with a lot of power, but punchers usually don´t like to get hit. They have a big punch but not a good chin. I don´t think Green will last for 12 rounds in the same ring with me, but he will ultimately find out on May 19.”
***Kessler-Green media work-out***
Mikkel Kessler (44-2, 33 KOs) and Allan Green (31-3, 21 KOs) worked out in front of the Danish media in Copenhagen today. “It´s chilly here but I will heat it up on 
Saturday,” Allan Green stated ahead of the WBC Light Heavyweight World Championship (Silver) showdown. “I feel strong, I feel fast, I feel fit. I am full of energy and I am here to bring the belt home. Kessler is going down.”
It will be a special evening at PARKEN, Denmark´s national football stadium, with the Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea FC being shown on giant TV screens between the bouts. “It´s going to be a great night for sports fans,” Kessler stated. “I will make sure it´s a night to remember. I look forward to fighting at light heavyweight for the first time. I have been sparring with some big guys, so I´m ready for Green. He´s a good puncher but I am the much better boxer and with my fans behind me I will win the title on Saturday night.”
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
