Pound-for-pound queen Cecilia Brækhus (25-0, 7 KOs) will attempt to make history on September 13 by becoming the first female boxer in any weight category to unify a division by holding all four major titles. The WBC, WBA & WBO Female World Welterweight Champion will take on IBF Champion Ivana Habazin (13-1, 5 KOs) at TAP1 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Victory in Copenhagen would not only make Brækhus the first female boxer to hold all four titles simultaneously but also just the third boxer in history to have achieved this feat following Bernard Hopkins’ and Jermain Taylor’s middleweight reigns.
‘’This is a massive opportunity for me to cement my legacy as the best female boxer of all time,’’ said Brækhus. ‘’To hold all four titles and become the first woman to unify a division would be a huge achievement and something I have always wanted to do. Habazin will be a tough opponent and as a fellow champion she has my full respect, but I have a chance to go down in the record books and I won’t let anyone stand in my way.’’
’’Cecilia is possibly the greatest female boxer of all time but it is time for her to experience what it feels like to lose,’’ said Ivana Habazin, who defeated Sabrina Giuliani in March to claim the IBF title. ‘’I will not reveal how I am preparing for this fight. I will only speak about that after I win. Unifying the division would be the crowning moment of my career and it gives me all the motivation I need to make sure I am victorious on September 13.’’
In another historic meeting, Tim-Robin Lihaug (7-1, 5 KOs) and Simen Smaadal (8-0, 3 KOs) will battle for super middleweight supremacy in the first all-Norwegian professional bout since 2001.
‘’This is a good fight for the Norwegian fans and a good fight for me,’’ said Lihaug. ‘’I have always known that this fight would come, I have always been ready and now it is finally here. I will not be underestimating Simen but I will not be overestimating him either. He is good fighter with a good record but I truly believe that I am better.’’
‘’People have been talking about this fight for a long time,’’ said Smaadal. ‘’I lost to Tim on a bad day in the amateurs but this is going to be a totally different fight. I am still undefeated as a professional but Tim has lost a fight. I know he has been having a hard time since the Ahlin loss and since that fight he doesn’t like to get hit on the chin. When I hit him he is going to remember exactly how it felt during the Ahlin fight. I am out for revenge!’’
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: ‘’This is history in the making – a victory for Cecilia would make her the first female boxer in any weight category to unify a division and become the undisputed champion. To top that off we have the all-Norwegian contest between Tim-Robin Lihaug and Simen Smaadal, which is sure to produce fireworks. This will truly be a historic night for Norwegian boxing and definitely not one to miss.’’
Alongside the Norwegian main events the Nordic Fight Night show will feature a full undercard showcasing Scandinavia’s top boxing talents including the WBC Interim Female World Light Welterweight showdown between ‘’The Swedish Princess’’ Klara Svensson (13-0, 5 KOs) and Marie Riederer (15-1-1, 10 KOs), Erik Skoglund’s (20-0, 11 KOs) European (EU) Light Heavyweight title defence and IBF Intercontinental challenge against Stefano ‘’The Hammer’’ Abatangelo (18-3-1, 6 KOs), rising Danish stars Micki Nielsen (14-0, 11 KOs), Torben Keller (10-0-1, 3 KOs) and Abdul Khattab (7-0, 3 KOs) and Norwegian prospect Alexander Hagen (4-0, 1 KO).
Tickets are on sale now and available via http://www.billetnet.dk.
