Allan Vester To Travel The World!

08.04 - Former European and World title challenger Allan Vester, 22-3-1 (4), is no stranger to fighting on his opponents home turf. The 25 year old Danish light welterweight has already done that four times in his career, which is something most Danish fighters can´t claim. And Vester´s fights abroad has not been so called "set up´s" against .500 journeymen opponents, but against local fighters with good records and reputations.

Vester is now scheduled for two more apperances abroad. First in South Africa on April 25, and then in Den Haag, Holland on May 16.

In his fight number eight, Vester fought on the undercard of the Keith Mullings vs. Javier Castillejo WBC super welterweight world title fight in Madrid, Spain, and took on local hero Victor Baute in front of 16.000 screeming fans. The Spaniard was basically carried through the fight, only to see Vester win a clear unanimous decision. Most observers thought Baute should have been stopped several times during the bout.

After beating then IBF # 4 Emanuel Augustus (AKA Burton), to lift the IBF Intercontinental 140 lb. title in June of 1999, Vester travelled to Switzerland 3 ½ months later, and beat another home-man, when he outpointed the undefeated Giuseppe Lauri in a defence of his newly won title. A couple more defenses, not all impressive, and a beautifull win over fellow top-rated contender George Scott, put Vester in the mandatory position for Zab Judah´s IBF world title.

Vester was, like so many others, stopped by the hard-punshing Judah (3rd round), but he loved the experience of fighting in America:

"It was a great thrill to experience the big-fight atmosphere in Uncasville. Both on fightnight and before the fight. It was a great show, with Kostya Tszyu also being on the card, and Vince Phillips on the undercard. I love fighting abroad" says Vester.

After loosing on a tenth round TKO to then European champion, and current WBC # 1; Gianluca Branco in Italy, Vester experienced some bad luck when he was stopped on a cut by former European king Manuel Fernandez. Vester was leading on the cards, and since the fight was halted by the doctor in round three, normal procedure would have been to call it a technical draw. For some reason that didn´t happen.

"You learn from everything that happens. Hopefully! And I have put the losses behind me now, and I am only looking ahead" explains Vester, who regained his IBF Intercontinental title in his last fight, outpointing South African perrenial contender Lawrence Ngobeni, 28-3-1 (17), in Denmark.

"And I feel more equipped for big challenges now, than I was before the Judah and Branco fights".

The fight on April 25 in Johannesburg, South Africa, will be a six round tune-up fight, against a local fighter yet to be determined. If successfull, and injury free, Vester will then defend his IBF I/C title in Holland three weeks later (May 16). Vester has scored three straight wins since loosing to Branco last year, and he now has his sight firmly locked on getting back to where he once was:

"I want to fight for a European or world title again" says the technically skilled Dane. "That is definitely my goal, and I will hopefully win the next time!"