When boxing experts are talking about worthy upcoming challengers in the limit up to 160 pounds, Austrian Marcos Nader has his name coming up with increasing frequency. The 21-year old has beaten everyone who stepped in his way to date as he won all of his 14 bouts, with two coming by way of knockout.
His next challenge is calling on February 25 when the protégé of Otto Ramin is going to face Baker Barakat from Euskirchen, Germany. “I have watched some of his fights on video. Baker is a ring veteran, who just knows how to get it done inside the ropes. He has some good defensive moves and is very aggressive in his approach”, the Reichersberg-native says.
That is why Nader expects a tough fight to lie ahead of him. “It’s going to be my first 10-rounder, and though I have sparred over the distance a few times in training camp, I have to look out for my stamina and not over overspend it in the first stanzas. At the same time I have to be active and impose my strength and athletic to win – but my whole entourage shows me that I am ready for it”, states the prospect from his camp at the Sauerland Event facilities in Berlin.
After his last win against Farouk Daku on January 14 at Baden-Arena, Offenburg (Germany), Nader has not missed a beat. “My coach Otto Ramin called me the week right after my last fight and told me that the next one is already set. At first, I did some basics in my homeland of Austria and since late January, I worked with Mr. Ramin in Berlin. Now I just have to conserve my energy and get ready for February 25 in Stuttgart.“
Given that Nader beats Barakat on the undercard of Povetkin vs. Huck, his first bout for a regional title is in reach as the European Union (EBU) already ranks him 13. “I am really satisfied with my progress over the last few months – when a fight for a title is knocking at my door, I am going to grab it that is for sure”, the young middleweight talent says.
