By Per Ake Persson
The Swedish Martial Arts Delegation have said YES, by granting a special permit for Erik Skoglund to defend the IBF I/C light heavyweight title against Oleksandr Cherviak on September 19 in Nykoping, Skoglund´s hometown.
The decision came today and it´s the first time male professional fighters can fight over full distance. The standard distance this far has been 12 minute fights with special permission given for fights over 6x3 and in one case 10x2.
However, this is not a general permission but only for Skoglund vs Cherviak. Should there be a need for a change of opponent the whole procedure will have to be worked through again.
If Sauerland Promotion wants to do a full a Nordic Fight Night on September 19 with fights over the standard 6x3, 8x3 and 10x3 fights, well, then there´s a lot of work ahead.
Still, it´s a big day for professional boxing in Sweden. Skoglund vs Cherviak will be the first full distance fight in Sweden since December 26 1969 when there was a “Farewell show” and pro boxing was then prohibited until 2007 when it returned with “pro boxing light” - ten ounce gloves in all weight divisions and a max distance over 12 minutes.