Mikkel Kessler arrived in San Francisco in the early hours of Sunday morning prior to his November 21 showdown with local fighter Andre Ward in their first bout of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.
The WBA super middleweight champion left Sacramento after watching Manny Pacquiao secure his legacy with a 12th round TKO of Miguel Cotto.
“That was a great fight,” he said. “I have the utmost of respect for both fighters. They really put on a great show.”
Kessler, however, is focussed on his own fight against Oakland hero Ward in the highly anticipated Super Six bout, but did have time to take in an NFL game between Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs.
“The atmosphere was great,” Kessler said. “It was the first time I watched an NFL game live and I really enjoyed it. The fans were very passionate and enthusiastic – I was really impressed.
“To us Europeans, American Football is a complex sport because we are not so much into the rules, but as soon as you get the idea, it is really entertaining.
“Speaking of entertainment, you could once again see that the Americans are great when it comes down to organising events. They know how to entertain the fans. I am sure my fight with Andre Ward will also be very entertaining.”
On Monday, Kessler and Andre Ward will hold an open training session in Oakland and the Viking Warrior maintained he was in great shape.
“Things have been going great in practice,” Kessler added. “My physical shape could not be better. Now it is just about keeping up the form until I enter the ring on Saturday.”
