‘KING’ KAI ROBIN HAVNAA CLAIMS IBO TITLE – ‘King’ Kai Robin Havnaa (14-0, 12 KOs) claimed the IBO International Cruiserweight title with a third-round stoppage victory over Rad ‘Thunder’ Rashid (16-5, 13 KOs) last night at the SØR Amfi in Arendal, Norway.
In front of a capacity crowd at his hometown arena, the undefeated Norwegian star recorded his fourteenth professional win and took home his first major title with two crunching body shots sending Germany’s Rashid to the canvas.
Havnaa, the son of former WBO World Champion Magne Havnaa, becomes the first Norwegian boxer to win an international title on home soil for over forty years, and continues his quest to follow in his father’s footsteps.
“It’s a dream to win my first title, which I will place next to my father’s belt,” said Havnaa. “I know it is not as big a title as his, but it’s a good step for my career, and one day, I hope to win my father’s old belt and become World Champion.
“It was amazing to fight in front of my home fans in Arendal again. I would like to thank everybody who came to support me and I would also like to thank my promoter Nisse Sauerland for making all this possible.
“Rashid was a tough boxer and I knew I had to be at my best to beat him. We trained hard and I had a good game plan. I’m very happy with how the fight went. It was absolutely crazy to win my first title at home in Arendal!”
Promoter Nisse Sauerland said: “That was a great night for Kai. The only way is up for him now. The crowd was amazing, which shows he is becoming a real star in Norway. There’s going to be a lot of exciting options for him to explore.”
Former European and WBC International Champion Katharina Thanderz earned a majority decision win over Rachel Ball on the undercard despite breaking her right hand in the fourth round of their eight-round contest.
Deniz Ilbay lost a split decision to Argentina’s Jonathan Jose Eniz for the IBO Intercontinental Welterweight belt, Hadi Srour outpointed Zoltan Szabo for his third paid win, Jamshid Nazari scored a third-round TKO victory over Reyhan Todorov and Kent Erik Badstad beat Istvan Orsos via second-round knockout.