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Kessler
pulls out of Miranda fight!
March 26, 2008
Apparently, it was
too good to be true - a super middleweight showdown between a former world
champion, Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler, and one of the sport’s brightest young
stars, Edison Miranda, to be held on May 24th and aired on Showtime. But
it’s not to be after Kessler pulled out of the bout today, giving no reason
for his withdrawal.
Miranda, a former middleweight title challenger who is unbeaten with two
knockouts in his first two super middleweight bouts, isn’t surprised.
“I didn’t get my hopes up because I know Kessler is afraid of me,” said
Miranda. “We gave him everything he wanted to make this fight and he still
wouldn’t take it. In fact, the only thing we didn’t give him is the opportunity
to tie my hands around my back while we fought, but at this point I’m
willing to even give him that because I know if I yelled ‘boo’ at him
in the ring he’d turn and run. I said it before and I’ll say it again
– he should be ashamed to call himself a Viking Warrior.”
Among the concessions Miranda and his promoter made to Kessler were that
the bout would not be held on any Native American owned property, including
the Seminole Hard Rock Live Arena in Florida or any other Hard Rock property,
and that it wouldn’t even be held anywhere in the state of Florida. Financially,
Kessler’s demands kept rising throughout negotiations, but due to a substantial
offer by Showtime, all these demands would have been met if the fight
came to fruition. Unfortunately, at this point it won’t.
“I am outraged by the behavior of the Kessler camp,” said Leon Margules,
Executive Director of Seminole Warriors Boxing. “We sent them a contract
with everything they asked for and then told Showtime we changed things.
Please read their written deal point memo sent to us by them. We gave
them everything they wanted. Showtime even moved the date form May 10th
to May 24th to accommodate them. And then I did not receive the courtesy
of a phone call but I had to hear from Showtime the fight was off. It
is hard to believe that any person would do business this way. I guess
the Kessler is really afraid of Miranda and they are covering for him.
They must believe the only place they can win a fight against a real fighter
is in Denmark.”
“If Kessler isn’t man enough to fight me, that’s okay because now the
world knows that we gave him everything he asked for and still wouldn’t
take the fight,” said Miranda. “I know that there has to be someone out
there willing to fight me, and sooner or later, we’ll find him.”
The search for a high-profile opponent for Miranda continues. Stay tuned.
Team Kessler's Deal Point Memo:
1--DATE OF BOUT TO BE MAY 24, 2008.
2--SCHEDULED FOR TEN ROUNDS.
3--KESSLER PURSE: FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND EUROS (400,000) UNDER A PROVISION
OF SERVICES AGREEMENT IN WHICH PROMOTER PAYS THIS TOTAL AMOUNT TO INTERNATIONAL
ENTERTAINMENT OF DENMARK. FULL PAYMENT MADE THROUGH IRREVOCABLE LETTER
OF CREDIT TO IE'S DESIGNATED BANK BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS LOCAL TIME (AT
BANK LOCATION) FOURTEEN DAYS BEFORE THE BOUT.
4--KESSLER TRAINING EXPENSES; $50,000 FIFTY THOUSAND US DOLLARS TO BE
PAID UPON SIGNING OF CONTRACT TO IE BY BANK WIRE TO IE DESIGNATED BANK.
KESSLER WILL TRAIN IN UNITED STATES FOR ONE MONTH PRIOR TO BOUT.
5--FIGHT MUST TAKE PLACE IN ANY OF THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT FOR FLORIDA.
FIGHT VENUE CANNOT BE AT ANY VENUE OR PROPERTY OWNED IN PART OR IN FULL
OR OPERATED IN PART OR IN FULL BY THE SEMINOLE TRIBE OF FLORIDA OR SEMINOLE
WARRIORS BOXING. FIGHT CANNOT TAKE PLACE ON ANY TRIBAL LAND OR AT ANY
TRIBAL OWNED HOTEL OR CASINO WITHOUT PRIOR APPROVAL OF KESSLER.
6--BOTH BOXERS MAY
CHOOSE ANY BRAND OF GLOVES ACCEPTABLE TO LOCAL COMMISSION.
7--KESSLER TO WEIGH
IN SECOND, TO ENTER THE RING SECOND AS HIGHER RANKED FIGHTER.
8--WEIGHT FOR FIGHT
IS 168 POUNDS LIMIT.
9--FIGHT TO BE TELEVISED
ON SHOWTIME.
10--AIR TRAVEL: IE
TO RECEIVE EQUIVALENT AMOUNT TO PAY ROUNDTRIP THREE BUSINESS CLASS AIR
TICKETS FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES AND THREE ROUNDTRIP COACH TICKETS
FROM DENMARK TO UNITED STATES. PROMOTER PAYS THIS AMOUNT TO IE, IE WILL
PURCHASE AIR TICKETS ON ITS OWN. PROMOTER TO SUPPLY THREE BUSINESS CLASS
TICKETS, THREE ROUND TRIP TICKETS FROM KESSLER USA TRAINING SITE TO VENUE.
11--PROMOTER TO PROVIDE
FIRST CLASS GROUND TRANSPORTATION UPON ARRIVAL OF KESSLER TEAM IN UNITED
STATES AND UPON ARRIVAL AND FOR EVERY DAY REQUIRED TO BE AT VENUE.
12--FIRST CLASS QUALITY
HOTEL: ONE SUITE, FIVE REGULAR ROOMS FOR KESSLER TEAM FOR EACH DAY REQUIRED
TO BE AT VENUE.
13--FOOD PER DIEM:
ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS PER DAY FOR EACH DAY AT VENUE FOR TWO PEOPLE, AND
SEVENTY FIVE DOLLARS PER DAY FOR EACH DAY AT VENUE FOR FOUR PEOPLE.
14--BOUT TICKETS/CREDENTIALS:
TEN ALL ACCESS, INCLUDING IN THE RING ACCESS CREDENTIALS TO BE GIVEN TO
IE PRIOR TO FINAL PRE FIGHT PRESS CONFERENCE. TWENTY RINGSIDE TICKETS,
10 IN FIRST ROW AND 10 IN SECOND ROW OF RINGSIDE, ALL IN CLOSE PROXIMITY
TO KESSLER'S CORNER.
15--TV/RADIO/INTERNET
RIGHTS: EXCLUSIVE LIVE RIGHTS PLUS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS IN PERPETUITY FOR
IE FOR NORDIC COUNTRIES OF DENMARK, SWEDEN, NORWAY, FINLAND AND ALSO FOR
GERMANY, SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA AND LUXEMBOURG.
16--BOUT TO BE CONDUCTED,
NO MATTER THE VENUE, UNDER UNIFIED RULES OF THE ABC.
MICHAEL L. MARLEY
CC: BETTINA PALLE
MOGENS PALLE
For more information
on Seminole Warrior’s Boxing, visit www.warriorsboxing.com
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