Photo by Wende – It was Patrick Nielsen who came out on top in his domestic mega-fight with Rudy Markussen last night at the Brondby Hallen in Copenhagen. The Albertslund-boxer scored a third-round technical knockout victory over the former European Champion and World title challenger.
The atmosphere was electric as both fighters made their way to ring. The sold out crowd, which was divided between Nielsen and Markussen supporters, reached fever pitch when the opening bell rang and the bitter rivals began to exchange.
The first two rounds were fought at a frantic pace. Markussen was aggressive, throwing big hooks and haymakers, but it was Nielsen who enjoyed the most success, repeatedly finding the target with a straight left behind his southpaw jab.
Markussen was down in the second, but the referee ruled it a push. In the third round, Nielsen began to assert his dominance and Markussen looked in trouble. With 1 minute and 24 seconds gone, Nielsen floored Markussen and the ‘Hard Hitter’ was unable to find his feet as the referee counted him out.
‘’I knew I had to be clever and avoid Rudy’s power shots in the early rounds. I stuck to the game plan and felt I was always in control of the fight. I’m very happy with my performance. It was a great win for me,’’ said Nielsen.
Promoter Nisse Sauerland was pleased with what he saw from the 24 year-old fighter and says he will aim to deliver Nielsen a World title fight in 2016.
‘’Patrick impressed me tonight. He fought a great fight and was the deserved winner,’’ said Sauerland. ‘’The sky is the limit with Patrick. He is still young and has loads of potential. We believe he is World beater and we want to deliver him a World title shot next year.’’
Patrick Nielsen TKO 3 Rudy Markussen
Dennis Ceylan KO 2 Walter Estrada
Tim Robin Lihaug W 8 Jozsef Racz
Abdul Khattab W 8 Francisco Cordero
Deion Jumah W 6 Vasyl Kondor
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Nielsen and Markussen weigh-in bust up!
Tempers flared at today’s weigh-in ahead of Patrick Nielsen (27-1, 13 KOs) and Rudy Markussen’s (39-3, 26 KOs) sold-out grudge match on Saturday night at the Brondby Hallen in Copenhagen.
After taking to the scales, the bitter rivals had to be restrained when a shoving match threatened to escalate.
Patrick Nielsen: 77.3 kg
Rudy Markussen: 76.8 kg
The stage is now set for one of the biggest domestic fights in Danish boxing history.
Video Footage:
Video footage of Nielsen’s and Markussen’s weigh-in bust up can be downloaded here.
Here is a full list of undercard weights for the Nordic Fight Night on Saturday night:
Cruiserweight – 8 Rounds:
Micki Nielsen: 90.7 kg
Konstantin Semerdjiev: 90.7 kg
Featherweight – 8 Rounds:
Dennis Ceylan: 57.3 kg
Walter Estrada: 57 kg
Super Middleweight – 8 Rounds:
Tim Robin Lihaug: 76.4 kg
Joszef Racz: 76 kg
Cruiserweight – 4 Rounds:
Kai Robin Havnaa: 89.4 kg
Lukasz Zygmunt: 90.7 kg
Middleweight – 8 Rounds:
Abdul Khattab: 72.5 kg
Francisco Cordero: 72.6 kg
Super Middleweight – 4 Rounds:
Landry Kore: 72.5 kg
Valentin Stoychev: 72 kg
Female Super Bantamweight – 6 Rounds:
Dina Thorslund: 54.7 kg
Jasmina Nadj: 54 kg
Light Heavyweight – 6 Rounds:
Deion Jumah: 81.8 kg
Vasyl Kondor: 80 kg
Ondt Blod: Patrick Nielsen vs. Rudy Markussen will be shown live and exclusive on Pay-Per-View in Denmark. For more information on how to order please visit www.boksekampen.dk.
Patrick Nielsen and Rudy Markussen’s ‘Bad Blood’ feud reached boiling point today at the final pre-fight press conference ahead of their Danish mega-fight on Saturday night at the sold-out Brondby Hallen in Copenhagen.
The bitter rivals have been exchanging insults in the build up to their blockbuster clash, and their hostilities showed no signs of stopping as they met with the nation’s press at the Hotel D’Anglaterre.
‘’Rudy is a nobody. If I can’t beat him, my career is over,’’ said Nielsen, who believes he has his opponent beat in every department. ‘’I know I’m the better boxer. I have the better technique and faster hands and feet. Rudy is not going to stand a chance.
“It will not be fun for him on Saturday night. I think he will be scared when he steps into the ring with me. When the bell rings, it will be time for me to send him back into retirement.’’
Markussen, a former European Champion and World title challenger, hit back at his young opponent, by claiming he has the support of the Danish fans.
‘’The whole of Denmark is behind me,’’ said Markussen. ‘’I have people stopping me in the street saying please, please, please knock this guy out!
‘’On Saturday night, I will do everyone in Denmark a favour by silencing Nielsen once and for all. I have the experience and I have the power to win this fight convincingly.’’
Promoters Kalle and Nisse Sauerland are looking forward to a fascinating encounter on Saturday night and have urged fans not to miss what they describe as the biggest fight in Danish boxing history.
‘’This is the most highly anticipated fight in Danish boxing history,’’ said promoter Nisse Saueraland. ‘’Rudy has the experienced, he has challenged for World titles and has fought against some of the best fighters of his generation, while Patrick has youth on his side along with the boxing skills and adaptability to compete at the highest level.’’
‘’This is more than a boxing match, this is a real grudge match between two fighters who don’t’ like each other,’’ said Kalle Sauerland. ‘’There is a lot on the line for both men, with pride, bragging rights and a potential World title shot in the offering for the winner.’’
Ondt Blod: Patrick Nielsen vs. Rudy Markussen will be shown live and exclusive on Pay-Per-View in Denmark. For more information on how to order please visit www.boksekampen.dk.
Nielsen’s coach Gamache crashes Markussen’s workout
Patrick Nielsen’s coach Joey Gamache went behind enemy lines today in an attempt to unsettle Rudy Markussen ahead of his ‘Bad Blood’ battle with Nielsen on Saturday night at the Brondby Hallen in Copenhagen.
The former two-time World Champion surprised Markussen by showing up unannounced at his media workout at the Bokseinstituttet in Valby.
‘’I wanted to get inside his head,’’ said Gamache. ‘’I wanted him to know that we’re here and we’re serious about what we’re doing.
‘’Mentally Rudy is vulnerable and we want to exploit that any way we can. You can tell that he’s already feeling the pressure and that is going to build more and more as fight night approaches.
‘’He knew I was there and he didn’t want to give too much away but I’ve already seen enough to know what we need to do on Saturday night.’’
However, Markussen believes the American coach had a shock of his own when he got to witness the Hard Hitter’s power first hand.
‘’I could see the look in his eyes when I was hitting the heavy bag and he was scared,’’ said the former European Champion. ‘’He knows that when I land one of those punches on Saturday night, Patrick is in trouble!’’
Ondt Blod: Patrick Nielsen vs. Rudy Markussen will be shown live and exclusive on Pay-Per-View in Denmark. For more information on how to order please visit www.boksekampen.dk.