Viking Warrior heading for greener pastures

Mikkel Kessler earned the chance at a championship bout after knocking out Allan Green in Parken on Saturday night

Despite struggling early on, Kessler showed the boxing world that he is still a force by knocking out Allan Green with a devastating left hook in the fourth round in Parken stadium on Saturday night.

Kessler's dreams of a professional comeback weren't looking good in the first round. The Dane, who had been out of the ring for an extended period of time due to a series of injuries, was caught on the chin by a strong right hand from Green that sent Kessler to canvass for the first time in his career.

But although Kessler was clearly shaken, he quickly regained his composure and took control of the bout early in the third round, dispatching Green a round later with a left hook that will likely be a contender for 'KO of the year'.

Green didn’t see the punch coming and his head spun around before he crashed to the canvass like a sack of potatoes.

Kessler, who had put on the pounds to fight up a weight class, immediately raised his gloves in the air in triumph as the Parken crowd went ballistic.

Boxing trainer and pundit Brian Mathiasen said that a loss for Kessler would have spelled the end of his illustrious career.

“I am very surprised that Kessler could finish Green with one spectacular punch like that,” Mathiasen told MetroXpress newspaper. “I thought that he would slowly dismantle Green, but a punch like that gives Kessler a completely new dimension.”

The fierce knockout puts Kessler in prime position for a big money title fight, likely to be slated for some time in the autumn.

Speculators are already frothing at the mouth over a potential matchup against the current top boxers in his natural super middleweight division, such as Lucien Bute, Carl Froch, Brian Magee or a rematch against Andre Ward, whom Kessler lost to in the Super Six competition.

But not everyone was impressed with the victory and Scott Guilfoid of Boxing News 24 thought Kessler's win was hollow and that his opponent was too weak.

“This win leaves a lot of questions about what Kessler can do against better opposition,” Guilfoid wrote on the Boxing News 24 website. “If he’s getting dropped by the likes of Green, then what will happen when Kessler faces someone good like Lucian Bute or Chad Dawson?”

The Viking Warrior himself didn’t seem to lack confidence when asked about a prospective fight against one of the big guns.

“They can just come!" he bellowed.

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