12.02.04 – On Saturday Luan Krasniqi is facing the make or break fight of his career when he takes on European heavyweight champion Sinan Samil Sam at Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart. Krasniqi, a German of Albanian origin, has no illusions what the upcoming fight against Sam means to him.
“My whole career is at stake next Saturday. I will give everything inside the ring in Stuttgart”, Krasniqi, 25-1 (13), promised. “An important point will be that I use my intellect and my boxing skills. I believe I’ll be able to do that. I want to win this fight step by step. Every round counts.”
After turning professional Luan Krasniqi was considered a highly promising heavyweight contender when he ran 20-0 and captured the European crown in January 2002. But when he lost the title in his first defense to Przemyslaw Saleta his future was suddenly looking all but bright. But Krasniqi rebounded from his single loss and proved that he performs at his best when a lot is at stake. Like on April 26, 2003 when he took revenge on Saleta, brutally stopped him in the first round and ended the career of his Polish conqueror.
“This chapter is closed to me. I did what I had to do by searching for the rematch. It was a great risk because if I would have lost to Saleta for a second time my career would have been over”, Krasniqi admits. “But my revenge was as grandiose as my defeat was bad. My victory couldn’t have been better. I’m sure all that had a meaning. To lose my title was bad. But it will be even better to regain it against Sinan.”
Krasniqi is 5-0 since giving away the European title that his stable mate Sinan Samil Sam, 18-1 (11), later won from Saleta. The Turk made two successful defenses meanwhile with knockout victories over Englishmen Danny Williams and Julius Francis.
When Krasniqi and Sam face each other on February 14 it won’t be the first time the two met in a boxing ring. They fought against each other two times in the amateurs. Both times (1995 and 1996) Krasniqi won on points. Sam, however, thinks those amateur results don’t matter now.
“We’re professional boxers now. That’s why things are looking different”, the reigning European heavyweight champion said who became amateur world champion three years after losing to Krasniqi. “In the amateurs you go only three rounds. It’s a matter of who is quicker. In the professionals you fight ten or twelve rounds. This is an entirely different sport and a question of talent and toughness. There’s a lot more physical contact in a professional fight. Real hard contact.”
“Every defeat counts no matter when and against who”, Krasniqi disagreed. “It stays in your mind. I don’t think that my two amateur wins don’t matter. They do matter to a certain degree. However, it’s not the only decisive point.”
After fighting each other in the amateurs and after sharing the same gym in Hamburg in the past couple of years they both two know each other so well that neither Sam nor Krasniqi studied the other one on video.
Both reported they had very effective and tough sparring with different partners in the past weeks. Samil Sam sparred with US boys Sedrick Fields and Fernely Feliz whereas Krasniqi worked out together with British Julius Francis, American Garing Lane and Swedish prospect Aldo Colliander.
With Fields and Francis each of the two competitors for the European title enjoyed the help of a man who earlier fought the other guy in a professional fight (Krasniqi W8 Fields, Sam KO7 Francis).
Despite their long history of mutual competition there is no bad blood between 32-year-old Krasniqi and 29-year-old Sam.
“I like Sinan personally. He’s a great guy, a nice buddy”, Krasniqi said who prepared together with his new coach Torsten Schmitz in the seclusion of his small hometown Rottweil in the Black Forrest. “There is nothing I could say to Sinan’s disadvantage. But still, this is no fight between brothers. We are competitors since the amateur days. But after February 14 we will probably like each other even more.”
In the attractive co-main event in Stuttgart German light heavyweight prospect Thomas Ulrich, 25-1 (18), will defend his WBC international title against American Michael Rush, 25-6-1 (13).
The event in Stuttgart begins 18:30 German time. ZDF is broadcasting live from 23:00.
As always Boxing.de will run the popular live punchstat during the main event. (approx 23:15 German time)