An eye injury sustained in sparring has forced WBA, WBC & WBO Female Welterweight Champion Cecilia Braekhus (23-0, 7 KOs) to postpone her January 18 title defence for two weeks. The pound-for-pound number one will now face Myriam Lamare (22-3, 10 KOs) at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn on February 1.
“When it comes down to a fighter´s health, we cannot take any risks,” said promoter Nisse Sauerland. “The doctors have ordered Cecilia to sit out practice for ten days, which made it impossible for her to be in top shape on January 18. At the highest level, losing two weeks in the middle of your preparation is a nightmare. Against a world-class opponent like Lamare, Cecilia needs to be at 100 percent, not 90, 80 or 70. We want to apologise to the fans who have already bought tickets and hope that they will be able to join us on the new date. All fights will remain the same.”
Said Braekhus: “I am very sorry about the postponement but there is nothing I could do about it. I was gutted when I picked up the injury in sparring. I´ve been forced to postpone fights before, like against Anne Sophie Mathis due to my tonsillitis. Believe me, it is the worst feeling in the world. You feel like you let down your fans. So I was very disappointed at first but I am relieved that the postponement is for only two weeks and that my team has been able to set the new date quickly. I hope that all my fans will still come over to Frederikshavn and support me. Lamare is a very tough opponent, I couldn´t fight her without a proper preparation. My fitness and my hard training have always given me an edge over my opponents. I´ll now take a little break and then return to practice to get in shape for Lamare.”
In further news, there has also been a change in the First Lady´s coaching staff. Due to the ongoing commitments of Ulli Wegner and Georg Bramowski, who are training WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco Huck and Arthur Abraham for their upcoming world title fights, the First Lady has opted join up with Otto Ramin. The renowned German coach has worked with Braekhus before, overseeing her 2011 victory over Chavelle Hallback in Copenhagen. He currently trains world heavyweight contender Kubrat Pulev.
“I am forever indebted to Ulli Wegner and Georg Bramowski,” Braekhus said. “They made me who I am today. But they have a lot of other commitments. They train a lot of fighters for a lot of big fights in Germany. I have big plans for my career, and with the prospect of fighting in Norway one day, I decided I need a coach who can fully focus on me. Otto Ramin is very renowned, he has a brilliant reputation and he has been in my corner in the past when I fought in Copenhagen in May 2011. On that night, Ulli Wegner was in America with Arthur Abraham, and Georg Bramowski was at a show in Germany. At this stage of my career, with a lot of big fights coming up, I need somebody who is there for me around the clock.”
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: “We want to give Cecilia the best possible support. Ulli Wegner and Georg Bramowski have done a hell of a job to turn her into the world´s best female fighter. They train a lot of champions, like Abraham, Huck and Hernandez. But we understand Cecilia´s wish to have a coach who can dedicate his full attention to her. As Europe´s biggest boxing promoters, we´re lucky to have several world-class coaches on our staff. I´m sure that Otto Ramin, who knows Cecilia well, will add many more chapters to Cecilia´s incredible success story.”
The Nordic Fight Night will be broadcast live on Viasat 4 in Norway. Tickets are available at http://www.arenanord.dk. Tickets for the January 18 date can be refunded until January 10.
