Rising Danish middleweight star Patrick Nielsen (13-0, 7 KOs) has vowed to make Gaston Vega (17-4, 6 KOs) pay for presenting a “disgusting” shirt at Wednesday´s pre-fight press conference. Facing the media in Denmark´s capital Copenhagen, the 28-year-old wore a jersey of the Argentinian national team, with the number 11 and the words “The Nielsen Slayer” on his back. “I am proud to be Argentinian and I will take home the World Boxing Association (WBA) Intercontinental Middleweight Title on Saturday night,” Vega said. “This is a big title. To get it, I will defeat Nielsen in the 11th round. I am wearing this shirt to state my intentions. I will knock him out.”
Nielsen is fired up to get his hands on his opponent. “I don´t think he should be wearing something like that,” Nielsen said. “I find it very inappropriate and disgusting. I can´t wait to get in the ring with him and make him pay. I am in great shape and I will give him a hell of a beating.”
Promoter Nisse Sauerland is expecting a spectacular evening at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn. “We are moving Patrick Nielsen fast but we believe in him,” he said. “Winning the WBA Intercontinental Middleweight Title at the age of just 21 would be huge. But Vega is a tough opponent. It will be a great fight and I am confident that Patrick will win.”
In the Nordic Fight Night´s co-featured main event, European Super-Middleweight Champion James DeGale (11-1, 8 KOs) defends his title against Christian Sanavia (45-5, 13 KOs), while Andreas Evensen (15-2, 6 KOs) faces Willie “Big Bang” Casey (13-1, 9 KOs) for the WBA International Featherweight Title.
IABA UPDATE (BARNES QUALIFIES FOR THE 2012 OLYMPICS)
April 18th
IRISH AMATEUR BOXING ASSOCIATION
Paddy Barnes qualified for his second Olympic Games following a comfortable 17-9 quarter-final victory over Stefan Caslarov of Romania at the AIBA European Olympic qualifiers in Trabzon, Turkey today.
The Belfast man, a bronze medal winner at the 2008 Olympics, never looked back from opening up a 5-3 lead in the first round of this contest.
Barnes extended that advantage to 12-6 going into the third and added another five points to his total to make the 49kg semi-final which is enough to qualify for London 2012.
“I was always confident that I would reach the Olympic Games. There was never any doubt in my mind that I would get there; it was just a matter of getting the job done, ” said the up-beat 2012 European light-flyweight champion after his win.
Adam Nolan also claimed victory today, but David Oliver Joyce, despite a brave performance, lost out in his attempt to book a ticket for the 30th Olympiad following a 19-10 reversal to Lithuanian lightweight Evaldas Petrauskas.
Nolan, a Gardai. advanced to the 69kg semi-final courtesy of a 17-13 decision over Azeri welterweight Tamerlan Abdullayev.
Nolan was 6-3 ahead after the first, but Abdullayev reduced the deficit to 11-12 by the end of the second.
However, the Irish Elite champion put his foot on the gas to take the last frame and is now just one win – there are just two Olympic places available in the welterweight class – away from joining Barnes, Darren O’Neill,John Joe Nevin and Michael Conlan at London 2012.
O’Neill, Nevin, who like Barnes has also qualified for his second Olympics, and Conlan qualified for London 2012 at the 2011 AIBA World Championships in Baku.
“I knew coming back after the second that I hadn’t a good run. Billy (Irish head coach) told me I was only one up. So, I had to kick on. It was either do or die,” said Nolan.
The Bray BC welter will now meet Romania’s Ionut Gheorghe, who beat John Joe Joyce at the 2008 Olympic qualifiers in Pescara, Italy in 2008, for a place at the 2012 Olympics on Friday.
Belfast’s Tommy McCarthy recorded Ireland’s third win of the day over Josepf Darmos, who received a public warning for slapping in the second round, in the heavyweight category.
There is just one Olympic quota place left in the heavyweight class for Europe. Likewise, McCarthy has no room for error and must win gold to qualify for London 2012.
McCarthy said: “As the opponents get better my performances get better. It was a tough fight but I won by a good margin. Every fight for me is make or break for the Olympics.”
Barnes, meantime, will go into Friday’s semi-final with Turkey’s Ferhat Pehlivan having won at least a bronze medal in Trabzon – Nolan and McCarthy are also guaranteed at least bronze.
Thursday’s is a rest day at the Trabzon tournament, which is the last qualifier for European male boxers for the London Olympics.
AIBA European Olympic Qualifiers Trabzon, Turkey
April 15th (Evening) (last 32)
60kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) beat Joe Cordina (Wales) RET3
81kg: Joe Ward (Ireland) beat Kennedy Katende (Sweden) 16-6
April 16th (Afternoon) (last 16)
64kg: Ross Hickey (Ireland) lost to Dimitri Galagot (Moldova) 11-24
69kg: Adam Nolan (Ireland) beat Thomasz Kot (Poland) 14-9
April 16th (Evening) (last 16)
81kg: Joe Ward (Ireland) lost to Bahran Muzaffer (Turkey) 15-18 (result was the subject of a protest by IABA)
91kg: Tommy McCarthy (Ireland) beat Copla Alem (Bosnia & Herzegovina) 12-3
91+kg: Con Sheehan (Ireland) lost to Muhammet Erkan Aci (Turkey) 12-17
April 18th (Afternoon) Quarter-finals
49kg: Paddy Barnes (Ireland) beat Stefan Caslarov (Romania) 17-9
60kg: David Oliver Joyce (Ireland) lost to Evaldas Petrauskas (Lithuania)10-19
69kg: Adam Nolan (Ireland) beat Tamerlan Abdullayev (Azerbaijan) 17-13
91kg: Tommy McCarthy (Ireland) beat Josepf Darmos (Hungary) 16-7
April 20th (Semi-finals)
49kg: Paddy Barnes (Ireland) v Ferhat Pehlivan (Turkey)
69kg: Adam Nolan (Ireland) v Ionut Gheorghe (Romania)
91kg: Tommy McCarthy (Ireland) v Vladimir Cheles (Moldova)
Irish squad
49kg: Paddy Barnes (Holy Family GG)
60kg; David Oliver Joyce (St Michael’s Athy)
64kg: Ross Hickey (Grangecon)
69kg: Adam Nolan (Bray)
81kg: Joe Ward (Moate)
91kg: Tommy McCarthy (Oliver Plunkett)
Molina: Forget Politics and Tricks. Fight Me Because You’re True Champions
Tired of all the undeserved setbacks, controversial outcomes and political maneuvering he’s suffered through in his career, top junior middleweight contender Carlos Molina says he wishes to appeal directly to other old-school boxers like himself.
“Everyone knows I’m the number-one contender in this division. I haven’t legitimately lost, or even had a draw, in a fight since 2006. And the list of guys I beat in that time is the most impressive of any other contender in the top 10. What I want to say to the world champions at 154 lbs is this: don’t hide behind rankings to avoid me. Fight me because I’m the true #1 contender and that’s what an old-school champion would do.”
Molina (19-5-2, 6 KOs) maintains the boxing world is well aware of his victory over former world champion Kermit Cintron, the victories stolen from him over top contenders Erislandy Lara (controversial draw) and Eric Kirkland (mystifyingly illegal disqualification), as well as his highly controversial draw and rematch decision loss earlier in his career to current middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
“I’ve beaten all these top guys. Everybody knows that. So let’s see if one of these champions at 154 will step around people I should be rated above and fight me, just because they want to know if they’re the best in the world. Can you imagine Joe Louis stepping past someone because of boxing politics? Or Rocky Marciano?”
Molina hopes that inside one of today’s champions or top contenders such as, Saul Alvarez (WBC), Austin Trout (WBA), Cornelius Bundrage (IBF), Zaurbek Baysangurov (WBO), Paul Williams, Lara (again), and Kirkland (again) beats the heart of a true fighter.
“I fight anybody, any time because I want to beat the best. Do any of these guys want to know if they can beat the true #1 contender at 154 lbs in the world? Join me in the old school, where champions are champions because they fight and beat the best. Let’s make it happen.”