Calzaghe triumphs over Kessler

Boxing: Welshman Joe Calzaghe produced a masterful display to beat Denmark's Mikkel Kessler on points in an absorbing world …

Boxing:Welshman Joe Calzaghe produced a masterful display to beat Denmark's Mikkel Kessler on points in an absorbing world super-middleweight unification fight in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The 35-year-old Welshman, roared on by a huge crowd in the Millennium Stadium, was taken the distance but was the better fighter and took a unanimous points decision.

In defending his WBO title for the 21st time, spanning 10 years, Calzaghe also inflicted a first defeat on Kessler and walked off with the 28-year-old's WBA and WBC belts.

Calzaghe, who took his record to 44 wins and no defeats, relinquished his IBF title last year but there is no question now that he is the undisputed king of the 12 stone division.

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The heavily tattooed Kessler, fighting outside Denmark for only the third time as a professional, won the respect of a partisan Cardiff crowd, and his opponent, but eventually ran out of ideas against the Welsh wizard.

Earlier, Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli retained his WBO cruiserweight title with a fourth-round stoppage of New Zealand-based Algerian Mohamed Azzaoui.