Kessler proves to be too powerful for Magee

Kessler was just too strong and fast for Magee, but the Lisburn southpaw can still hold his head high after what has been a wonderful career.

What’s left in the tank can only be answered by Magee himself but he admitted that Kessler was just the better man on the night.

“I came to fight. The first shot he hit me to the body really stung me badly.

“I just couldn’t recover. It took all my might to get up from that shot.

“Mikkel is a great champion and all through the fight and the build-up he’s treated me with respect, as have the people of Denmark.

“I always knew he was a champion. I trained like a champion, I gave it my all but a body shot like that is hard to recover from.

“I tried my best but couldn’t beat him. Congratulations to him,” he added.

The first round saw little in the way of action as the pair sized each other up, with Magee finding it difficult to land his shots.

However, the second session was totally different as Kessler put his foot on the gas - as he landed a rapier-like right-hand to Magee’s torso - which immediately crumpled him to the canvas.

Magee hung on bravely to the end of the round as Kessler threw further body shots, while Magee also took a slew of head shots as Kessler piled on the pressure.

Another right to the body clearly hurt Magee and he turned his back as if to say ‘no more’. And to Kessler’s credit he did not attempt to punish the clearly hurt Magee.

The referee administered a standing count before the bell sounded and Magee had survived - but for how long?

And as the third round started Kessler zoned in on Magee’s body and after another heavy shot Magee went down and the referee waved the fight off.

The win took Kessler’s record to 46-2 with 35 knockouts and he said: “It feels great to be champion again.

“We planned to go to the body and it worked very well.

“I am back at the very top, I am ready for everybody out there at super-middleweight and that includes Carl Froch,” he added.