Mikkel Kessler is one of the few men to have fought both Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch.
Kessler was a multiple-time super-middleweight world champion after competing 49 times in his career, winning 46 fights and losing on just three occasions.
His first defeat came in November 2007 when he went up against Calzaghe in a world title unification, with the Welshman coming out on top after a back-and-forth 12-round battle.
The Danish great then shared the ring with Froch on two occasions, winning the first bout by unanimous decision in April 2010, before ‘The Cobra’ gained revenge and earned a points win of his own in May 2013, in what would prove to be Kessler’s last fight.
Calzaghe retired undefeated with a perfect 46-0 record in 2009, having also beaten the likes of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr, while Froch hung up his gloves in 2015, with his final fight coming when he famously knocked out George Groves at Wembley Stadium.
Despite their careers overlapping, a fight between Calzaghe and Froch never came to fruition, but a fantasy match-up between the two former world champions is regularly debated.
Kessler has shared his thoughts on that matter after facing both men, telling the Daily Mail that he would back Calzaghe to come out on top.
“It is difficult to say who is best. Joe was not a puncher – he was fast but he was hitting with the inside of his glove but he got the points when they landed. He was mentally strong. He was in very good shape all the time.
“Carl is more of a fighter and throws lots of punches one after the other. He wants to trade punches. If Carl was in there throwing his big punches and his uppercuts then he would have hurt Joe. Who would win out of those two? I would think Calzaghe. Maybe.”
Despite a fight never taking place, Calzaghe and Froch’s rivalry has seen them become bitter enemies, and ‘The Cobra’ recently revealed he would still be open to the bout taking place now.
