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The pound-for-pound queen is back. Cecilia Brækhus (24-0, 7 KOs) defends her WBC, WBA and WBO Female World Welterweight titles against Jessica Balogun (24-3, 12 KOs) on June 7th at the Sport and Congress Center in Schwerin, Germany.

The pair meet in a repeat of their 2012 contest and having previously shared a ring ‘’The First Lady’’ is aware of the threat posed by the German challenger.

‘’I have a lot of respect for Balogun. She is an explosive boxer with good technique and an unbelievable fighting spirit,’’ said Brækhus.

‘’She is one of the toughest female boxers around. In her last fight she moved up two weight divisions to face Christina Hammer, the WBO Female World Middleweight Champion, and pushed her for ten hard rounds.

‘’I am excited by the challenge. I look forward to testing myself against her once again. She gave me a good fight two years ago and I am expecting the same in Schwerin.’’

Since their first fight there has been a change of personnel in the Brækhus camp with the introduction of renowned German coach Otto Ramin.

Ramin will be in the Bergen boxer’s corner for the second time following an impressive points victory over Myriam Lamare in February.

‘’Otto is a fantastic coach,’’ said the Brækhus. ‘’We only had two months together before the Lamare fight. Since then we have got to know each other much better and have established a great relationship. We now have a really good understanding.

‘’In the gym we have been working on improving my strengths. I am natural boxer not a brawler so a lot of the focus has been on improving my movement and footwork. I believe we will see the benefit of this on June 7th.

‘’Everything has gone to plan. I feel good! I am in great shape and I can’t wait to get back in the ring and back to doing what I love.’’

Norwegian fans can watch Cecilia Brækhus defend her WBC, WBA and WBO World titles against Jessica Balogun live on Viasat 4 from 20.00.

http://www.boxingscene.com/cecilia-braekhus-ready-war-with-jessica-balogun–78564

UPDATED: Norway’s champion boxer Cecilia Brækhus successfully defended her titles over the weekend, after  winning her latest match against Myriam Lamare of France. It marked Brækhus’ 24th professional victory, boosted her plans for a new match in the US and set off more jubilation.sz9676b9-e1391336734871

Norwegian boxer Cecilia Brækhus waves the flag after winning her latest match and defending her titles once again in Denmark, not in Norway, where boxing remains illegal. PHOTO: Vegard Grøtt / NTB Scanpix

“The only reason she (the 39-year-old Lamare) was still standing was her 20 years of experience,” Brækhus, age 32, told state broadcaster NRK’s website with a laugh late Saturday night.

Lamare literally put up quite a fight at the beginning of Nordic Fight Night in Frederikshavn, Denmark, but Brækhus held out and knocked her down during the seventh round. Lamare got up again, but NRK’s commentators claimed she was noticeably weaker and the match ended after 10 rounds.

Braekhus(Photo by:  Photo Wende)

Lamare smiled bravely afterwards and claimed she’d been through tougher matches, but she graciously praised her opponent’s performance. “Cecilia was very strong, and an incredibly good boxer,” Lamare told reporters. “For me, the time has come to step down. I wish Cecilia all the best in her career.”

Brækhus has a new coach, Otto Ramin, and she said the match reflected that they’d only worked together for six weeks, “but we have trained explosively, and that came through in the match,” Brækhus told NRK.

Ramin himself seemed satisfied with his new pupil, who retained her unofficial international title as the world’s “First Lady” of boxing. “She fought a very good match,” Ramin said. “She was smart and boxed wisely.”

Haven’t given up on a match against Holm
Now Brækhus seems more keen than ever to box at a title match in the US, and her promoter Nisse Sauerland told newspaper Aftenposten that they’re working once again to lure former champion Holly Holm back into the ring. Sauerland said Brækhus “deserves” to show what she can do in the US.

“We’re working to set up a match in Las Vegas or New York,” Sauerland said. “We have said, though, that we won’t send Cecilia to Holm’s hometown of Albuquerque.”

Saturday’s match played out once again in Denmark, since boxing is banned in Norway and Brækhus isn’t legally allowed to conduct her sport in her own homeland. There have been moves to change that and regardless, Brækhus, who grew up in Bergen,  said she thinks her future “looks very bright.” She was thrilled by the reaction of fans who traveled to Frederikshavn to see her in action.

“I have had many tough matches, but the support here is great,” said Brækhus, adding that she already was looking forward to new training sessions. “To stand up in the ring with that kind of support behind me is just unreal.”

http://www.newsinenglish.no/2014/02/02/braekhus-prevails-once-again/

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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.

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”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.”

cecilia braekhus (6)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