Calzaghe: Undisputed champion

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Joe Calzaghe became the undisputed king of the super-middleweight division with a unanimous points win over Mikkel Kessler in Cardiff.

Cheered on by a crowd of 50,000 at the Millennium Stadium, the 35-year-old Welshman got the better of the Dane after 12 gruelling rounds.

The judges gave the home favourite the verdict 117-111, 116-112 (twice) on the scorecards, meaning Calzaghe adds the WBC and WBA titles to the WBO belt he already owned.

It was also a 44th straight victory for the British boxer who may now look to move up in weight after confirming his domination of the division.

Kessler was the last real stumbling block at super-middleweight, and the Dane certainly lived up to his billing.

Just like Calzaghe he was unbeaten in his professional career, arriving in the Welsh capital with an unblemished 39-fight record.

Possible upset

The early rounds suggested he could cause an upset as he controlled the pace of the fight, keeping his rival on the back foot with some crisp shots.

A trademark right in the fourth certainly found the target, while Calzaghe's head was jolted back by an upper cut in a superb spell of boxing by Kessler in the fifth.

However, like a true champion Calzaghe dug deep to turn the fight in his favour with the type of precision punching that has defined his career.

Not even a warning from referee Mike Ortega towards the end of round eight for hitting round the back of Kessler's head could slow him down in the second half of the bout.

The 12th saw him come on strong in a bid to convince the judges, landing heavy hooks with both hands that had Kessler in trouble.

In the end Calzaghe won comfortably on the three judges scorecards to continue his stellar career that could next see a clash with the legendary Bernard Hopkins.