Photos: Cecilia Braekhus Press Conference in Oslo

Today in Norway, WBA, WBC & WBO Female Welterweight Champion Cecilia Braekhus kicked off fight week with a crowded press conference at the Viasat offices in Oslo. The pound-for-pound number one faces Myriam Lamare on Saturday night at the Nordic Fight Night in Frederikshavn.

”I’m really looking forward to this fight,” said Braekhus. ”I haven’t been in the ring for a while so I’m excited to be back and facing such a quality opponent. It will be a great way to start the year!     ”Since my last fight I have been working with a new trainer Otto Ramin. Although I was sad to leave my old team, it has been good to be able to train with someone who is able to focus on me full time.

”I am expecting a very tough fight. Lamare is fit and hungry. She has said that she has been studying all of my fights, and I hear she is arriving early and bringing her own chef, so she is definitely coming to Frederikshavn to win.   ”I feel good! My training has gone very well. I am in a new and exciting position with a new team around me. I am looking forward to a great fight against a tough opponent.”

Braekhus was joined on the podium by her new coach Otto Ramin and promoter Nisse Sauerland.

Said Ramin: ”It has been fun to work with Cecilia. She loves boxing, she is extremely professional and she is dedicated to learning new things and getting better. She is a three-time world champion for a reason, she is the best in the world but I believe she can still improve. We’ve been focusing on her strengths – her great technical and tactical skills – and we’re keen to make her even better.”

Said Sauerland: ”Lamare is possibly the toughest opponent out there for Cecilia at the moment. She is an experienced fighter and a proven champion. There is no doubt that she is taking this fight seriously. She will be staying in a separate flat away from the city to avoid distractions and is even bringing her own chef. This will be an interesting test for the ‘First Lady’.”

Braekhus vs. Lamare tops an action packed Nordic Fight Night bill at the Arena Nord in Frederikshavn. The show will be broadcast live on Viasat 4 from 19.30-00.30. Tickets are available via arenanord.dk.

http://www.boxingscene.com/photos-cecilia-braekhus-press-conference-oslo–74077

Norwegian boxers Tim-Robin Lihaug (5-1, 4 KOs) and Alexander Hagen (3-0) both believe WBA, WBC & WBO Female Welterweight Champion Cecilia Braekhus (23-0, 7 KOs) will prove too much for Myriam Lamare (22-3, 10 KOs) when the pair meet at the Nordic Fight Night in Frederikshavn on February 1st.

”I predict that Cecilia will win on points or stop Lamare in the later rounds,” said Lihaug. ”She is the greatest female boxer of all time and I think that she will be too good and too clever for Lamare. To win, all Cecilia must do is go out there, be her self and execute her game plan.”

”I think there’s a big possibility that Cecilia will win by knockout,” said Hagen. ”She is younger than Lamare, so will be able to use this to her advantage and lay on the pressure from the very first bell. Although Lamare is very experienced and knows her way around the ring I believe that Cecilia will be too explosive for her.”

Lihaug and Hagen will both be in action alongside the pound-for-pound number one at the Arena Nord. A travelling army of fans are expected to make the trip over to Frederikshavn to cheer on the Norwegian trio. The increased popularity of boxing in Norway is something that both men attribute to the ”First Lady”.

Said Lihaug: ”Cecilia is a great ambassador for boxing in Norway. She is one of the most famous athletes in the whole country and everyone just loves her. Boxing is becoming more and more popular and I believe the biggest reason for this is Cecilia.”

Said Hagen: ”Cecilia has done a very good job for boxing in Norway. She’s paved the way for everyone else. The fact that she has made it to the top, despite being from this little country called Norway which forbids professional boxing, is very inspiring for me and all the boxers in Norway.”

The Nordic Fight Night will be broadcast on Viasat 4 in Norway. Tickets are available at arenanord.dk.

Read more at http://www.boxingnews24.com/2014/01/braekhus-likely-to-beat-lamare/#LgwrAtVIT9EfJf5x.99

The Nordic Fight Night in Frederikshavn has been postponed by two weeks due to an eye injury sustained by WBA, WBC & WBO Female Welterweight Champion Cecilia Braekhus (23-0, 7 KOs). The pound-for-pound number one will now face Myriam Lamare (22-3, 10 KOs) at the Arena Nord on February 1.

“When it comes down to a fighter´s health, we cannot take any risks,” said promoter Nisse Sauerland. “The doctors have ordered Cecilia to sit out practice for ten days, which made it impossible for her to be in top shape on January 18. At the highest level, losing two weeks in the middle of your preparation is a nightmare. Against a world-class opponent like Lamare, Cecilia needs to be at 100 percent, not 90, 80 or 70.

“We want to apologize to the fans who have already bought tickets and hope that they will be able to join us on the new date. All fights will remain the same.”

Said Braekhus: “I am very sorry about the postponement but there is nothing I could do about it. I was gutted when I picked up the injury in sparring. I´ve been forced to postpone fights before, like against Anne Sophie Mathis due to my tonsillitis. Believe me, it is the worst feeling in the world. You feel like you let down your fans. So I was very disappointed at first but I am relieved that the postponement is for only two weeks and that my team has been able to set the new date quickly.

“I hope that all my fans will still come over to Frederikshavn and support me. Lamare is a very tough opponent, I couldn´t fight her without a proper preparation. My fitness and my hard training have always given me an edge over my opponents. I´ll now take a little break and then return to practice to get in shape for Lamare.”

Tickets for the January 18 date can be refunded until January 10.

http://www.boxingscene.com/cecilia-braekhus-myriam-lamare-pushed-back-feb-1–73020

The first meeting between WBA, WBC and WBO Female Welterweight Champion Cecilia Braekhus (22-0, 6 KOs), the pound-for-pound number one, and WBO Light Middleweight Champion Oxandia Castillo (12-0, 9 KOs) came to a dramatic conclusion on Thursday afternoon. While the First Lady was giving interviews after the final press conference, Castillo grabbed the three belts and posed for pictures with them. “They will be mine on Saturday, I will take them home,” she said.

The clash of unbeaten champions at Arena Nord in Frederikshavn, Denmark is just two days away. “She should not have taken my belts, I am not happy about it,” Braekhus said. “I have never seen anyone do that before. Anyway, it´s the closest she will get to them. She will never touch them again. I will defend them on Saturday and take them back home with me.”

When promoter Nisse Sauerland heard about the happenings, he was shocked by the “disrespectful behaviour” of the 18-year-old.

“It is a big insult to take the belts,” Sauerland stated. “You have to earn the belts, you cannot just take them. Oxandia crossed a line and Cecilia will make her pay for it on Saturday night.”

On Saturday, Braekhus can once again be counting on the ferocious support from Norwegian and Danish fans. “The support in Frederikshavn has always been fantastic and we will put on a great fight on Saturday,” she stated. “It´s something special to fight here.”

Castillo is unimpressed by the prospect of entering an arena packed with a hostile crowd. “That´s no problem for me. When I knocked out Hanna Gabriel, I had no support either. I will be at my best on Saturday and win the titles.”

In the Danish main event, WBA Intercontinental Middleweight Champion Patrick (19-0, 9 KOs) Nielsen takes on Patrick Majewski (21-1, 13 KOs). The WBO Intercontinental Title will also be at stake. The Nordic Fight Night will be broadcast live across Scandinavia on the Viasat channels.

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/2013/castillo-steals-braekhuss-belts-at-press-conference-sauerland-disrespectful/

By Sauerland Promotion –

Pound-for-pound number one Cecilia Braekhus (22-0, 6 KOs) will defend her WBA, WBC and WBO Female Welterweight Titles against WBO Female Light Middleweight Champion Oxandia Castillo (12-0-2, 9 KOs) at the Nordic Fight Night in Frederikshavn on September 7. Here is the latest from the First Lady prior to the clash of champions.

Q: It´s not long until the fight, how has the training been going?

CB: “Everything is going fine. We are training twice a day at the Max-Schmeling-Gym, normal training in the morning and then sparring in the afternoon. That´s very exhausting but just what I need to be in top shape. I need to be at my very best to beat an opponent like Oxandia.”

Q: Just like you, Oxandia is an unbeaten champion. She just shocked the boxing world with a KO win over Hanna Gabriel. What do you think of her?

CB: “She is young, hungry and very strong. That´s a dangerous mixture. She has a lot of power, so I must not get hit. In boxing, one punch can change the whole fight. I have to be very concentrated for the full ten rounds. I have a lot of respect for Oxandia. The way she defeated Gabriel was impressive.”

Q: Have you changed anything in your training routine to prepare for her?

CB: “Not really. We do little things differently all the time. This time, we wanted to add a little bit of strength, so we have worked on that. But you can´t really change too much. It´s important to keep your own style and make sure you are in top shape, which I will be on September 7.”

Q: It´s not often that you face fighters who are that much younger than you. What is that like?

CB: “It´s no problem. I am super fit, so even though she is younger, she won´t be in better shape. But I see a little bit of myself in her. I remember the time when I was 18, ready to take on the entire world. I wanted to be the number one and I wanted to fight everyone. I worked very hard to become world champion and the pound-for-pound number one. I won´t let her take that away from me.”

Q: What do you think of fighting in Frederikshavn again?

CB: “I love fighting in Frederikshavn. Arena Nord is a great place for boxing. The support of the Danish fans has always been fantastic. And of course there will be hundreds of Norwegians coming over, which really means a lot to me. It´s so good to have their support. Boxing is a great sport… for the athletes, the fans on TV and especially for the fans in attendance. It´s one of the great live sporting experiences. I want to invite all the Norwegian fans to come to Frederikshavn to see me fight Castillo. It will be a dramatic and exciting night.”

Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night are available at www.arenanord.dk. Fellow Norwegians Simen Smaadal and Tim-Robin Lihaug will also be in action.

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/2013/cecilia-braekhus-interview-it-will-be-a-dramatic-and-exciting-night-of-boxing/