Erik Skoglund (22-0, 11 KOs) took another step towards a world title challenge with a unanimous points victory over Jamaican veteran Glen Johnson (54-20-2, 37 KOs) on Saturday night at the Albertslund MusikTeatret in Copenhagen.
The rising Swedish star proved too much for the former IBF World Light Heavyweight Champion, and after ten rounds of action the judges scored the fight 98-92, 97-93 and 97-93.
‘I was pleased with my performance,’’ said Skoglund. ‘It might sound cocky to say, but I felt I was the better boxer on the night. I was one step ahead of him in everything I did. I’ve proved I’m ready for a world level opposition. I want to challenge for a world title in 2015!’’
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: ‘’This was another fantastic performance by Erik. It was a great fight, in which Glen more than played his part. We now look to the future, and for Erik that is a shot at one of the division’s champions next year.’’
Danish middleweight Patrick Nielsen (23-1, 11 KOs) returned to winning ways in front of his home fans in the Copenhagen suburb. Nielsen outpointed Polish contender Lukasz Wawrzyczek (20-4-2, 3 KOs) to claim his twenty-third professional victory.
‘’This fight was all about rebuilding,’’ said Nielsen. ‘’Mentally, it’s been difficult to get back on track following my loss in Moscow, but I did it and I’m very happy to get the win.
‘’Wawrzyczek was a tricky opponent. It was hard to get close to him, so I didn’t get the knockout that I was looking for. But the important thing is I’m back, and back with a victory. 2014 was not the best year for me, but 2015 will definitely be my year.’’
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: ‘’There was a lot of pressure on Patrick tonight. Not only was he coming back from a loss, he was fighting in his hometown. He did what he needed to do. He got the win against a tough opponent. We can move on from here and start looking at bigger fights next year.’’
Younger brother Micki Nielsen (16-0, 12 KOs) put in a career best performance to dominate former world title challenger Gusmyr Perdomo (21-5, 14 KOs). After ten entertaining rounds the judges scored the fight 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91 in favour of the Danish cruiserweight.
‘’I would have like to have knocked him out, but it wasn’t to be,’’ said Nielsen. ‘’Perdomo is an experienced fighter. He knew what he had to do to survive. We had a plan to push forward and break him down, and the plan worked. It was the biggest fight of my career and this was a very good win for me.’’
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: ‘’Micki showed a real maturity in his performance tonight. He proved he is more than just a knock out artist. He outboxed Perdomo from the first bell to the last. At 21 years old, he has only just started to show his true potential, He is an extremely talented boxer with a very bright future ahead of him.’’
