It’s fight week in Copenhagen,
Denmark. This Saturday IBF featherweight champion Brenda
Carabajal (16-4-1, 9 KO) takes on IBF’s mandatory challenger
Sarah Mahfoud for the IBF featherweight world championship in
Frederiksberg Hallerne.
Brenda Carabajal from San
Salvador de Jujuy in Argentina arrived in Copenhagen one week
before the fight and is set to defend her title for the first
time since capturing the interim title by outpointing the
previously undefeated Russian Elena Gradinar last year in
Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, USA.
The 28-year old Argentinean is accompanied by a delegation which
includes her trainer Ramon Chaparro and her main
training/sparring partner Marcela Eliana Acuna, who is the
current IBF super bantamweight champion.
Carabajal is well prepared after numerous of sparring rounds
with Acuna, and she has studied her Danish opponent very well
too.
“We know that Sarah Mahfoud is a great boxer with a nice style,
a complete fighter, and she is undefeated. But I have the
experience and with the great physical shape I bring with me,
this will definitely be a great fight. I have come here to win,
and I will do all I can to bring my belt back home again,” says
Brenda Carabajal.
Sarah Mahfoud (9-0, 3 KO), born in Faroe Islands and the first
ever professional fighter from the North Atlantic island group,
is based in Denmark, and this is her first world title bout. She
qualified for the fight by beating top-ranked Stephanie Ducastel
of France and South African Bukiwe Nonina to capture IBF’s
intercontinental title in January 2018.
30-year-old Mahfoud has a solid amateur background and won both
the Danish and Nordic championships and competed in the world
championships too before turning pro. She became a household
name in Denmark by winning the Danish version of “Dancing with
the Stars” in 2016.
Mahfoud is currently trained by heavyweight fighter Sherman “The
Tank” Williams, and her main sparring partner leading up to this
fight has been Elena Gradinar, who fought Brenda Carabajal for
the title last year.
“It has gone really well. There are a lot of things, that is
beginning to work well too. My coach Sherman Williams is
inspiring. I'm really happy with him and what he comes up with.
I have completed a lot of sparring rounds with Elena Gradinar
too. She is strong. It’s give and take all the way, and I don’t
think I've ever completed so many rounds before. I have been
pressured, but it's cool, because I can do this,” says Sarah
Mahfoud, who feels ready and strong enough to conquer the title
Saturday night.
Denmark has had world champions in all governing bodies except
IBF, which means Sarah Mahfoud can write history by becoming the
first Dane to pick up the IBF belt, if she beats Brenda
Carabajal.
The card also includes the 20-year-old undefeated super talent
Oliver Meng (7-0), who defends his IBF world (Youth) super
welterweight title for the first time, when he takes on Vasyl
Kurasov (11-3) from Ukraine.
The clever Danish southpaw, who is a European Youth bronze
medalist as an amateur, is undefeated in his first 7 bouts as a
professional and has never lost a round. He is considered one of
the very best Danish boxing talents in recent years.
Danish light heavyweight Jeppe Morell (10-2) is in a tough
contest, when he takes on experienced world title contender
Nicola Sjekloca (35-5-1) from Montenegro. Sjekloca drew with
then EBU light heavy king Robert Stieglitz in 2017. He also
challenged for the WBO title, but lost to Arhur Abraham in a
close decision. Jeppe Morell is the current IBF Baltic champion,
while Sjekloca, who is 7-1-1 in his last 9 bouts, holds wins
over Hadillah Mohoumadi, Khoren Gevor and Roman Shkarupa among
others.
Danish cruiserweight sensation Ditlev Rossing (13-0, 8 KO),
ranked 28 by WBC, returns to the ring after a hand operation and
takes on Sviatoslav Svyryd (5-2, 4 KO and 1 ND) from Ukraine.
Rossing is also trained by heavyweight fighter Sherman “The
Tank” Williams, and the Danish cruiserweight fighter is known
for his explosive style in the boxing ring.
In a battle of undefeated fighters Heva Sharif (3-0) from
Copenhagen, Denmark is tested against David Munoz (5-0) of Spain
in a super lightweight contest.
Russian featherweight Elena Gradinar (9-1), ranked 6 by IBF, is
also on the card and takes on Nina Pavlovic (5-2-1) from Serbia
in a featherweight contest.
The show also includes a super lightweight contest between
20-year-old Danish prospect Victor Ramon (1-0) and Ezequiel
Gregores (1-1) from Argentina.
Adel Younes from Aarhus, Denmark makes his professional debut,
when he takes on Guillaume La Selva of France in the
middleweight division.
The event will be broadcast/live streamed in Denmark, Faroe
Islands and Greenland exclusively by Ekstra Bladet,
www.ekstrabladet.dk; in Argentina exclusively by Tyc Sports and
in USA and the rest of the world (except Denmark, Faroe Islands,
Greenland and Argentina) exclusively by FITE, www.fite.tv.
The show is promoted by Mogens Palle. Together with his daughter
Bettina and popular Danish former heavyweight star Brian Nielsen
the 85-year old matchmaker/promotor, who was inducted into the
International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 2008, now runs the
Danish Fight Night boxing shows and is once again the leading
boxing promotor in Denmark.
Based in a country with less than 6 million people Palle has
produced an impressive number of European champions (26) plus
world champions like Mikkel Kessler, Ayub Kalule, Johnny Bredahl,
Jimmi Bredahl, Gert Bo Jacobsen, Magne Havnaa, Anita Christensen
etc.
Over the years he has also promoted shows with the likes of Mike
Tyson, Larry Holmes, Sonny Liston, Carlos Monzon, Emile
Griffith, Victor Galindez, Sandro Mazzinghi, Bruno Arcari, Eddie
Perkins, John Conteh, Ken Buchanan, Joe Calzaghe and developed
champions and stars in Scandinavia like Tom Bogs, Borge Krogh,
Hans Henrik Palm, Jorgen Hansen, Svein-Erik Paulsen, Mustafa
Wassajja, John Odhiambo, Bo Hogberg, Chris Christensen, Anders
Eklund, Steffen Tangstad, Brian Nielsen, Ole Klemetsen, Mads
Larsen, Soren Sondergaard, Thomas Damgaard and many more.
Venue/time:
Frederiksberg Hallerne, Copenhagen, Denmark. Saturday February
1st, show starts at 7:00 PM CET
Television/live streaming:
USA and the rest of the world (except Denmark, Faroe Islands,
Greenland and Argentina):
FITE, www.fite.tv
Direct link: https://www.fite.tv/watch/danish-fight-night-wc-boxing-gala/2p5td/
Denmark, Faroe Islands and Greenland:
Ekstra Bladet, www.ekstrabladet.dk
Argentina: Tyc Sports, www.tycsports.com
Tickets for arena:
www.ticketmaster.dk
