Calzaghe a pound lighter

Date: Saturday, 3 November
Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Coverage: Setanta, BBC Radio 5 Live, Radio Wales, Radio Cymru & the BBC Sport website

Joe Calzaghe came in just over a pound light of the 12-stone limit at the public weigh-in, but Mikkel Kessler had to strip naked to make the weight.

Calzaghe weighed 11st 12lb 7oz ahead of their super-middleweight unification bout in the early hours of Sunday.

But Kessler was initiallly two ounces over before shedding his underwear to weigh-in at exactly 12-stone.

The pair were pulled apart when their head-to-head threatened to get heated as they rubbed foreheads together.

Inside Sport: In the gym with Calzaghe Interview: Kessler's agent Mike Marley News conference: Joe Calzaghe

For all Calzaghe's supposed problems with making the weight, the Newbridge fighter looked comfortable on the scales.

With the limit made, the 35-year-old can now build towards the Saturday night-Sunday morning cracker at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.

"Forget about the fight. All I care about is my fridge," Calzaghe joked.

"Cakes, chocolates, sweets, pies - at this stage the only thing that matters is what you can eat out of your fridge!"

Kessler's US agent, Mike Marley, believes his fighter will herald the dawn of a new era in the super middleweight division when he faces Calzaghe.

"A Great Dane always beats a Welsh terrier," said the colourful Marley.

"It's Kessler's time. How do you get to be a superstar in boxing? You beat one. Calzaghe won't hurt Kessler, but I know that Kessler will hurt Calzaghe.

"Calzaghe was a great champion, but Tony Blair was a great PM and he's gone, everyone's time has to end."

Speaking at the head-to-head media session before Saturday's unification bout at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, promoter Frank Warren hailed the event as one of the best he has ever been involved in.

But Warren's comment that undefeated WBA and WBC champion Kessler was similar to two-time Calzaghe victim Mario Veit prompted an angry response from the Dane's camp.

"Mikkel is nothing like Veit, but it's good to know that's what they think," said Kessler's promoter Mogens Palle, who hopes to see her fighter end Calzaghe's 10-year reign as WBO champion.

Marley - who got involved in boxing with Muhammad Ali at the age of 13, was on Don King's pay-roll for over a decade, and worked with Mike Tyson - then took over.

"Mikkel is not a Tocker Pudwill, Kabary Salem or a one-dimensional robot like Jeff Lacy," said Marley.

"It's a shame that Joe never fought the great Roy Jones Jr or Bernard Hopkins. Whether that's because 'stay-at-home Joe' wanted to stay in Wales, I don't know.

"We wanted this fight in Copenhagen, but had to come here. Mikkel said 'get the contract signed' and I thought we'd have to fight in Joe's kitchen.

"It's a great fight. To borrow a phrase from my old employer Don King 'they're white, but they can fight' and this will catch the imagination of the US public when it goes out on primetime TV.

"I respect Joe, but Mikkel's younger, stronger and hits harder. There's no way he can lose."

Calzaghe, who has won all his 43 fights and will be making the 21st defence of his title, remained cool throughout Marley's oral bombardment.

"They're banking on my age, but the fighter I am today would kick the backside of the one I was five years ago," said Calzaghe.

"We're both injury free and have prepared well, so there'll be no excuses come fight night."

Source: BBC Sport