Mikkel Kessler has managed to retain his WBA super-middleweight title following an impressive victory over Danilo Haussler.

Kessler was dominant throughout the match, inflicting damage to his German opponent’s left eye in the second round with a stinging jab to the face. Victory came following a third-round stoppage at the Weser-Ems-Halle Arena in Germany, which was preceded by a magnificent left hook from Kessler.

Although the German boxer tried to put up a strong defence, holding up both his gloves in a desperate attempt to deflect the power of Kessler’s strikes, he was knocked off balance by a straight right-hand and fell to the ground following the subsequent left hook. Haussler did manage to get back on his feet but only after the referee had counted to ten and ended the match.

Kessler had originally rejected this fight, stating that he should not have to defend his title against the German. However, he will be glad to have accepted the match following his impressive victory.

The Dane was devastated to lose both his WBA and WBC titles last year against an impressive Joe Calzaghe. Although Kessler started the fight well, coming into the match with a 39-fight unbeaten record, Calzaghe gradually improved during the middle rounds.

He managed to overcome a tough performance from the Dane during the eighth round and completed his victory with impressive hooks from both hands. Calzaghe was happy with the win but conceded that Kessler is a “fantastic fighter in his prime”.

However, Kessler managed to win back the WBA belt in June of this year following a victory over Dimitri Sartison.