Mikkel Kessler vows he will beat Brian Magee in WBA title bout

Mikkel Kessler spoke of his respect for Brian Magee but has insisted that he will not lose to the Belfast fighter in the WBA world super-middleweight contest in Denmark on 8 December.

Magee, 37, has recorded two victories in Denmark in recent years but Kessler says the Northern Irishman's Danish winning run will end.

"He will not beat me," said former WBA and WBC champion Kessler.

"I'm looking forward to a hard fight. Magee will come at me with everything."

For his part, Magee made clear his admiration for the 33-year-old.

"It's the biggest fight of my career. He's the best champion I will ever have faced," said Magee in Belfast on Wednesday.

"He's a true warrior in the division and you can't help but respect what he's done.

"It's a fantastic fight for myself and an honour to fight someone like that."

Victory for Kessler in Herning could put him in line to land a rematch with the WBA's 'super' champion Andre Ward who defeated the Dane in November 2009.

Kessler regrouped brilliantly five months later to hand Britain's Carl Froch his first defeat in a WBC world title bout but problems with his vision then forced the Dane to give up that belt.

Earler this year, Kessler briefly moved up to light-heavyweight but he is back at super-middle for his contest with Magee.

Kessler insists that possible rematches with Ward and Froch are far from his mind as he totally focuses on the Magee contest.

"I'm not thinking about fights after that. I'm just concentrating on Brian Magee."

In his previous bouts in Denmark, southpaw Magee defeated Mads Larsen in 2010 and his fellow Dane Rudy Markussen in February of this year.

However, in between those contests Magee was stopped by Lucian Bute in an IBF world title challenge 18 months ago.