A Scandinavian showdown is set for September 19 when undefeated Swedish fighter Sven Fornling (7-0, 5 KOs) squares off against Norwegian rival Simen Smaadal (10-1, 4 KOs) at the Rosvalla Stora Ishallen at the Nyköpings Arenor in Nyköping, Sweden.
Full of confidence, Smaadal, from Langhus, Norway, issued a social media challenge to Fornling, which the Malmo-boxer happily accepted, paving the way for a fascinating match up between the two 26 year-old fighters.
‘’I respect Smaadal for choosing to challenge me,’’ said Fornling, ‘’I think that the Nordic fighters should put their neck out a bit more and fight each other.
‘’If you look at his ranking you could argue that he will be my toughest opponent so far, but to judge the fighting skills of a boxer you must look at more than just their ranking on Boxrec. I think he will give me a good fight but if it will be my hardest so far is difficult to predict.
‘’What I can predict is that it will be six rounds of war and chaos. Smaadal is a bit taller than me and in the opening rounds he might be able to keep me at a distance, but as the fight goes on I will get to him and fight at the pace and distance I prefer – close and hard.
‘’I know I have the tools to stop him, and if I do my thing he will have massive problems avoiding my devastating shots. I expect a late KO victory for me.’’
‘’Fornling looks like a good athlete and I expect him to come in good shape and full of self-confidence,’’ said Smaadal. ‘’However, he has never fought anyone like me!
‘’He may be undefeated but he has only ever fought journeymen. I’ve been through some hard fights against much better opposition and that will give me a big advantage. This is his first fight against a real professional, and I’m going to be bringing my A-game to Sweden. It was a brave move for him to accept my challenge but not a smart one. This fight is mine!
‘’He may be the home fighter but I’m sure that after the fight I will have 5,000 new Swedish supporters. I know the fans will be loud and I love fighting when the atmosphere is blowing through the roof.
‘’I’m more than ready for this fight. My training has been going well and I feel stronger everyday. For the next two weeks I’ll be in Denmark sparring with WBA Intercontinental Champion Patrick Nielsen, and that will give me the sharpness and focus I need to win.’’
Said promoter Nisse Sauerland: ‘’This could well be the fight of the night! We have two, young hungry fighters facing off and neither will want to budge an inch. They can both box and they can both punch, and the Sweden vs. Norway rivalry will give it an extra spice. This is what the Nordic Fight Night is all about!’’
Fornling and Smaadal’s Scandinavian showdown is the latest addition to a stacked Nordic Fight Night card on September 19 in Nyköping featuring Erik Skoglund’s IBF Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Championship fight with Oleskandr Cherviak, Klara Svensson’s IBF Female World Light Welterweight Championship challenge against Marisa Gabriela Nunez, Anthony Yigit’s crunch light welterweight clash versus Chaquib Fadli, Otto Wallin’s heavyweight showdown with Vladimir Goncharov and Swedish amateur star Hampus Henriksson’s professional debut. Tickets are available via biljettforum.se.
Agron Dzila (22-1, 17 KOs) is a name that promises excitement! On September 5, the boxer nicknamed ‘Godzilla’ brings his entertaining style of boxing to the EnergieVerbund Arena in Dresden, Germany where he defends his GBU World Cruiserweight title against Grigol Abuladze (21-9, 12 KOs).
Ahead of his first defence of the GBU title he claimed with a unanimous points victory over Bernard Adie, the 27 year-old has been bolstered by a new addition to his training team, the legendary German fighter Graciano ‘Rocky’ Rocchigiani. ‘’Rocky is a true legend,’’ said Dzila. ‘’On September 5, he will lead me to glory!’’
Rocchigiani, a former five-time world title challenger, sees great potential in his new pupil. ‘’The boy has great ability,’’ said ‘Rocky’. ‘’He hits hard and rarely takes a step back. We saw that in his last fight against Bernard Adie in Rostock. That fight was so exciting it would have woken anyone up from even the deepest sleep!’’
With ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Rocky’ both coming to Dresden fans can look forward a blockbuster night of boxing. Juergen Braehmer tops the bill with a defence of WBA World Light Heavyweight title against Konni Konrad. Tickets are available by calling (+49) 01806-570044, and online via www.tickethall.de.