The great Dane robbery: Mikkel Kessler nicks WBC title off Britain's Carl Froch on points

MIKKEL Kessler won a marvellous Super Six super-middleweight fight in the giant MCH Arena in Merning, Denmark, last night to regain the WBC title at the expense of Britain's Carl Froch.

After 12 enthralling rounds the judges scored it 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112 in favour of Kessler but the fight was much closer than the first judge's figures suggested.

Kessler, former victim of Joe Calzaghe, was in the last chance saloon, knowing that defeat to Froch would end his Super Six challenge and possibly his career, and the partisan 10,000-strong Danish crowd cheered their hero all the way into the ring.

The first round saw Kessler attack from the start, but Froch landed a couple of body shots that winged him.

The Dane certainly took the second round and though Froch was jabbing well with his left, it was clear he had problems with his right.

Yet he dominated Kessler in the last minute of the third before he caught the challenger with a serious right in the fourth. Kessler pressed Froch in the fifth, though the Englishman stung him with two excellent counterpunches and then caught the Dane to put his knee on the canvas.

Kessler staggered Froch with a right in the seventh, and all of a sudden, the champion was not coping.

Yet Froch loves a scrap, and went after Kessler. The Dane, however, responded magnificently, smashing Froch's prominent nose and seeing the champion reel bloodily.

It was Froch's turn to cut Kessler in the ninth, but the tenth was inconsequential until the Dane cut loose late in the round. The challenger kept it up in the 11th and Froch looked tired, but did enough to make it a decision-necessary fight.

The crowd was on its feet, baying for Kessler, and the two men traded punches into the final minute when they gave a grandstand finish.