WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco “Captain” Huck (32-1, 23 KOs) made his sixth successful title defence on Saturday night in Halle, Germany when he defeated brave challenger Ran Nakash on points.
Fighting in front of 5,300 fans at the Gerry Weber Stadion, Huck was ahead 118-110, 118-110 and 116-112 after twelve hard-fought rounds. An aggressive Nakash moved forward from the first bell on, with Huck trying to get off his powerful combinations. From the fifth round onwards, Huck stamped his authority on the fight, landing hard uppercuts that bruised the face of his opponent. The crowd roared every time Huck launched one of his trademark assaults, but Nakash remained active and refused to go down. “He was a very dangerous opponent and I had to be on alert until the very end,” Huck said. “My uppercuts did the damage tonight. It was great to be in the ring in front of my home fans and give them an exciting fight.”
Huck handed Nakash (25-1, 18 KOs) the first loss of his career. “Huck is a strong guy, but I came here to win the title, so I am very disappointed,” he stated. Coach Ulli Wegner lauded both man for putting on “a Teutonic battle” in which “Huck held the upper hand.”
In the co-featured main event, Robert Helenius clinched his 15th victory in as many fights (15-0, 10 KOs), claiming the scalp of former world champion Sam Peter (34-5, 27 KOs). The “Nordic Nightmare” knocked his opponent down in the ninth with a huge left to the head. Peter got back up but went down again when Helenius connected with another huge left hook for the referee to wave the bout off. “I was convinced I would beat him,” Helenius said. “I needed some time to get going but then I found my rhythm. Peter was a tough opponent. This is a very big win for me.” Said Peter: “He hit me with two big shots that I did not see coming. He has a great future ahead.”
Nielsen outclasses Boulden, impresses Hoyfield
Patrick Nielsen (9-0, 5 KOs) clinched the next victory on his way up the rankings on Saturday night when he outclassed Gary Boulden (4-2-2) at the TV2 Fight Night in Herning. Against his aggressive opponent, the 20-year-old Dane was in full control throughout as he won every single round on the judges´ scorecards.
In the last round, Nielsen was on verge of stopping a badly-cut Boulden, who went down from a body shot but scrambled back to his feet. The scores were 80-71, 80-71, 80-71. “This was a big step up for me against a tough opponent,” Nielsen said. “He was very aggressive and came to fight so I am happy I gave my fans a good victory. It was the first time I fought eight rounds at three minutes so I am pleased.”
Both Brian Nielsen and Evander Holyfield, who clash on May 7 in Copenhagen, were ringside to watch the TV2 Fight Night. “Nielsen is a very good fighter,” the Real Deal lauded. “He is very intelligent and he has the potential to be champion if he trains hard and gets the right sparring.” After the fight, Holyfield met Nielsen backstage to give him some valuable advice. “He told me to improve my short combinations and use my legs more when throwing punches,” Nielsen said. “It was great to have him ringside.”
Holyfield said he “enjoyed the atmosphere and the fights” at Kongrescenter where the four Danish fighters clinched spectacular victories. Kasper Bruun knocked out Janos Vass in the first round with brutal body shots, while Kim Poulsen destroyed Ferenc Szabo in three rounds. Christian Bladt also clinched an exciting victory over Cliff Soukka, with WBA, WBC and WBO Female Welterweight Champion Cecilia Braekhus outpointing top-ranked challenger Jill Emery to defend her titles. German heavyweight Francesco Pianeta also continued his unbeaten run, stopping Ivica Perkovic in the second round.”