The eagerly anticipated Super Middleweight rematch between Carl Froch and Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler on May 25th has sold out the O2 Arena in London, just three hours after tickets went on sale.
Fans logged on to the O2 website at midday on 4th February only to be hit by problems with the server due to the sheer weight of traffic. Those who rang the arena direct were greeted with an automated message informing customers that the call centre was experiencing ‘an unusual number of calls’, with many asked to call back later in the day.
By 3pm, all of the 17,000 tickets had been snapped up by fight fans, despite the bout scheduled for the same night as the Champions League Final at Wembley, and without an official undercard being announced, leaving many to question why the fight wasn’t held in an outdoor stadium
‘Outside wasn’t really a possibility’ Carl Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports News. ‘We looked at it but I’ve been involved in outdoor shows before and they can be a right pain in the arse.’
‘They sound terrific, and then you get there and it’s raining, or the flooring costs an extra £50k, then you can’t have seats here or there because it’s a fire exit. And then you lose the atmosphere because it’s not enclosed.’
‘The bottom line is you need the security, and the O2 is the perfect stage’ he said.
With the date and venue now set in stone, the build up to the fight can begin.
Fans will remember the pair’s violent clash back in 2010 when the ‘Viking Warrior’ handed Froch his first professional defeat in Herning, Demark, in a Fight of the Year contender. Both Froch and Kessler traded spiteful leather down the home stretch, with the hometown Kessler taking a deserved unanimous decision. But Froch is now eager for revenge.
“This is the fight that I want more than anything in the world,” said a jubilant Froch. “I put Mikkel up there as one of the great warriors in boxing and I am so excited about this fight and the chance to set the record straight against him.”
“I promised Carl we would meet again and here we are, getting ready to leave it all in the ring for a second time,” added WBA champion Kessler.
Daniel Vano
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