Markussen stops Karagoz, Braekhus adds WBO Female Welterweight Title to her collection

Rudy Markussen (34-2, 21 KOs) celebrated a successful ring return on Saturday night in Herning when he stopped Christophe Karagoz in the sixth round of the newly-created TV 2 Fight Night series. The “Hardhitter” was off to a flying start, knocking his opponent down in the first round with a body shot. He was in control throughout, cleverly firing in power punches to body and head. In the sixth, he dusted his opponent with a right and then again with a one-two combination. When Karagoz was in trouble again, the referee waved the bout off. “It is great to be back,” Markussen said. “I had a lot to prove and I am very happy about the outcome. It felt great to be boxing again.” Promoter Nisse Sauerland congratulated Markussen on a strong performance. He said: “Rudy did very well in his comeback. There was a lot of pressure on him but he dealt with it very well and left Karagoz without a chance. We have big plans for him in the next couple of months.”

On the undercard, WBA/WBC Female Welterweight Champion Cecilila Braekhus added the WBO Title to her collection as she outclassed Victoria Cisneros. The “First Lady” dominated from start to finish, outboxing her opponent with quick hands as well as power shots to body and head. Braekhus landed strong uppercuts in the middle of the fight but the brave challenger refused to give up. The Norwegian beauty was ahead 100-90 on all three scorecards. “I am very happy with my performance,” she said. “Cisneros was tough but I stuck to our game pan and took her apart. I am so happy to have the belts of the three big federations now.”

Also on the undercard, Danish middleweight sensation Patrick Nielsen clinched the fifth victory in as many fights, stopping Janos Varga in the fourth round. The 19-year-old Dane hurt Varga with his power punches in the fifth and knocked him down, but he scrambled back to his feet at the count of nine. He would not survive the next furious assault, with the referee calling the bout off after Nielsen had trapped Varga in the corner. “Patrick once again showed his tremendous potential tonight,” Nisse Sauerland said. “He is very skilled and very powerful. He has a great future ahead – just like our other Danish fighters. It was a very successful evening with exciting boxing action.”

Lightweight Kim Poulsen cruised to a clear points victory over Zsolt Nagy (80-72, 80-72, 80-72), while Kaspar Bruun pleased his fans with strong performance against Ferenc Zold. He badly cut his opponent in his face on his way to a points victory (60-54, 60-54, 59-55). Vinni Skovgaard did well to hold off a strong challenge from tough Loli Munoz, winning a majority decision (77-75, 77-75, 76-76). Swedish talent Erik Skoglund scored his second win in as many fights, knocking out Sladko Cizics in the second round.