GRUDGE MATCH SEES HERSISIA CLASH WITH ELOVAARA!

Photo: Elovaara weighs up his chances in the long-awaited clash with WBF heavyweight champion Richel Hersisia

11.07 - After months of secret negotiations, it is finally signed and sealed – and it is guaranteed to receive huge attention in Scandinavia, to which new World Boxing Foundation heavyweight champion Richel Hersisia, who will risk his fringe world crown against Finland’s No. 1 heavyweight Sami Elovaara, is linked through many appearances in Denmark. Oddly, though, the long awaited clash between the men nicknamed ‘The Dutch Sonny Liston’ respectively ‘The Bull’ will take place in the history-rich city of Salzburg, Austria, surely a neutral site for both boxers, on Saturday, August 9.

Managers Olaf Schroeder, of Germany’s Fight Production, for Hersisia and Jaakko Helminen for the Helsinki man, admitted to have been in discussions about this fight long before the undefeated Dutchman got hold of the WBF title last May. However, the fact that it took that long to put this puncher-vs.-puncher meeting together seems to have only increased the meaning of it, what with Hersisia now in a position to put a portion of the heavyweight title on the line, no matter how minor it may be. “We are friends and therefore have looked out to only do it when all conditions make sense for both of us. Now the time is right, we are all happy and look forward to it,” said Schroeder enthusiastically, to which Helminen smilingly remarked: “Only thing: For the sake of it, we can’t agree on the outsome!”.

While no one can be sure about that, Hersisia versus Elovaara promises to be electrifying – while it lasts, because both are known for their hunger to experience the thrill of knocking the other man out. This is certainly proven by the record of the Dutchman, who is trained by former European champion-turned-excellent coach Mourad Louati, which stands at 19 straight wins with 15 of them by knockout, plus he is on record having once said: “I’m not happy when they quit on me, I always want to see them on the floor.” Elovaara, one year older than the champion at 30 years, also has excellent statistics with 9 knockouts from 14 wins with only one injury loss from 15 starts, and that starts to look more freaky with every subsequent beating that his one-time conqueror endures. Hersisia will be the taller of the two, much like in his title-winning effort against Sandro ‘Tyson’ Vazquez in May in Den Haag – where he suffered his first geniue knockdown as a boxer in the second round! Of course, Richel got up and proceeded to overwhelm Vazquez in nine rounds, but if this was not an accident and instead a vulnerability possible to best be exposed by small punchers, Elovaara could have a real chance to score an upset.

It surely would be an upset, simply because Hersisia had a more steady development, never being out of the ring for long, and has defeated the better set of opponents. After Schroeder and Louati teamed up to guide Hersisia’s career and signed with Danish promoter Anders Vester, the Den Haag favourite reeled off 16 straight wins in two years and six countries, which culminated with a two-round blow out of Argentina’s Eduardo Sandivares for his first title, the WBA Central American belt. That fight took place on the beachside of one of the Caribbean’s nicests spots, Curacao, part of the Netherland Antilles, where Hersisia was born and thusly eligible to wear that crown. This year, he added the vacant Dutch national title with a two-round dismissal of Patriche Costel before struggling to win an 8-round decision against Pole Wojciech Bartnik, a difficult southpaw with world-class amateur experience. That fight nevertheless received huge attention, as it was featured as a prelim to the Ottke vs Mitchell supermiddleweight unification in Berlin. Then came the big chance for the WBF title on home soil against the above mentioned Vazquez and Hersisia made sure to fulfill his dream and become champion.

But while Richel was still wearing the vest during a rather brief amateur career, Sami The Bull already established himself as Finland’s premier heavyweight. Turning pro towards the end of 1998, he cooly took on 19-3 countryman Jukka Jarvinen in only his second paid appearance – and prevailed via a third round blasting! His winning streak came to an end when getting cut and stopped by Mindaugas Kulikauskis in February ’02, but Sami has since come back strongly with three KO wins switched around a decision over African champion Joseph Akhasamba. There are two opponents that Elovaara and Hersisia have in common and the cross comparision of their respective results possibly reveals the Finn to be the bigger puncher of the rivals. In his eighth and final fight of 2001, Hersisia stopped Thierry Guezouli in three rounds, which looks better on paper than Sami’s six-round decision win over the Frenchman, but it was only Elovaara’s sixth pro fight and came after almost a year’s ring absence. More importantly, in his very next fight, Elovaara blasted Poland’s Piotr Jurczyk in just two rounds, while only five months later, Hersisia could not stop the same man, despite being credited with severals 8-counts, and had to be satisfied with his disliked points verdict. Sure enough, punching power will be a great factor in this fight and Elovaara seems as good a match in that department as anyone.

True to form, the two rivals are already getting in verbal shape for their 12-round shootout. “Last spring, I publicly challenged every Scandinavian heavyweight including Hersisia. The first two guys that ran scared were Rune Lillebuen and Johan Thorbjornsson, but I’m glad that Richel proves to have the balls to meet The Bull,” Elovaara said after signing the contract, “For that, I give Richel all respect, however, I’m hungry, eager, self-confident and become the new WBF champion before the 12 rounds are over.” The man who will attempt to hold onto his belt, Hersisia, got the news that the fight is finally on just before going out for a run, when trainer Mourad Louati rang his cell phone and told him about the challenger’s remarks. “Richel said ‘Sami better brings everything he has, because this is my title and it will take a lot for him to take the belt off me’,” reported the respected trainer.

The build-up to Hersisia vs Elovaara promises to be as much fun as the explosive clash that will follow it…