Brian Nielsen (Boxer)

Brian Nielsen ( born April 1, 1965 in Korsør ) is a Danish heavyweight boxer with a very unconventional career.

Amateur

Nielsen was from 1988 to 1992 five times in a row Danish champion in the super heavyweight division.

At the European Championships in 1989 Nielsen retired in the quarterfinals against Giorgios Tsahakis, Greece ( RSC 2 ). In 1990 he won the Nordic Championships and 1991 he was at the European Championships in Gothenburg third, he lost there in the semi-final against the German representative Andreas Schnieders. At the world championships in the same year in Sydney he left, however, in the preliminary round against Henryk Zatyka, Poland ( 19:13 ).

After Nielsen had won again in 1992, the Nordic Championships, he qualified by winning the European Olympic Qualification Tournament in Copenhagen for the Olympic Games in Barcelona, ​​where he claimed victories over Seung Won Jung, South Korea ( 16:2 ), and Peter Hrivnak, Czech Republic ( 14:4 ), the semi-final, which he compared Roberto Balado, Cuba ( 1:15 ), lost and thus won the Olympic bronze medal.

Professional

The professional career began in 1992 in the Nielsen's relatively advanced age of 27 years. After he was able to defeat his first seven opponents only on points, get him in the wake not only a visually impressive record, but also early victories against known opponents. However, these were usually their best time for a long time behind. The strengths of Nielsen were a slightly above-average power and good buyer skills that weakness its relative slowness, which is against the seniors of boxing but did not do so noticeable in his struggles.

So he defeated in 1994 and 1995, among others Ross Puritty and the ex- cruiserweight champion Jeff Lampkin and Carlos de Leon. The heavyweight title holder of the 1980s Tony Tubbs, James " Bonecrusher " Smith and Tim Witherspoon he suggested respectively by technical knockout. He also defeated the former world title challenger Phil Jackson, Mike Hunter, Andrew Maynard, former cruiserweight world champion James Pritchard, Crawford Grimsley, Lionel Butler and Jeremy Williams. The 47 -year-old former world champion Larry Holmes, who had previously boxed but at least two years yet for the WBC title and only narrowly lost, he proposed in January 1997 by split decision, but the decision was controversial.

Typical of Nielsen's opposition were also boxers who were unbeaten, but no amateur career behind him as a professional and had no success against well-known opponents. So he broke 1997 Damon Reed (balance sheet 17-0 ) and Don Steele ( 41-0 with 40 KOs) and 1998 Joe Guy ( 16-0 ).

This category also includes the American Dicky Ryan, against whom he was referring the first defeat in his fiftieth professional fight on June 18, 1999 fell. Ryan, who scored visually despite considerable balance no achievements of 47-4 and later against all major opponents, including Vitali Klitschko and Nikolay Valuev, was knocked kurzrundig, won in round 10 by demolition. However, Nielsen had gone slightly ill in the fight. In December 2000 he entered again to Ryan and was able to defeat him this time, but only on points.

After a further point victory over Orlin Norris, he then entered his career peak on 13 October 2001 at the Parken Stadium against Mike Tyson. Although this had already passed its zenith and went with obesity in the fight, he dominated this battle completely and beat Nielsen in the third round for the second time in his career to the ground. At the beginning of the seventh round Nielsen finally gave up after a hard impact hits.

In his last fight to date Nielsen defeated in April 2002 Uriah Grant, another former World Champion in the cruiserweight division.

Nielsen started after 8 years of abstinence ring on May 7, 2011, a comeback against the former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield and Boxveteran. Holyfield, itself already 48 years old, Nielsen defeated before 2000 spectators in Copenhagen after a technical knockout in the tenth round. Nielsen had gone in the third round heavily to the ground, but unable to save in the following rounds. The referee stopped the fight in the tenth round on the basis of unambiguous superiority Holyfield.

Fight manipulations

Thomas Williams, one of his opponents in 2000, said in 2005 (the one with Nielsen is not directly connected ), not only the fight against Melito, but also against Nielsen in connection with the manipulated career of the American artist Rich Melito behest of his, standing in close association with promoter Mogens Palle Nielsen, manager Robert Mittleman voluntarily to have lost. He was convicted of the United States. Palle Nielsen and denied the allegations.