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Callum Smith vs. Nieky Holzken

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Callum Smith vs. Nieky Holzken
Date24 February 2018
VenueArena Nürnberger Versicherung, Nürnberg, Bavaria, Germany
Tale of the tape
Boxer United Kingdom Callum Smith Netherlands Nieky Holzken
Nickname "Mundo" "The Natural"
Hometown Liverpool, Merseyside, UK Helmond, North Brabant, Netherlands
Pre-fight record 22–0 (17 KO) 13–0 (10 KO)
Age 27 years, 10 months 34 years, 2 months
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 167+1⁄2 lb (76 kg) 167+1⁄2 lb (76 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBC
No. 1 Ranked Super Middleweight
The Ring
No. 3 Ranked Super Middleweight
TBRB
No. 8 Ranked Super Middleweight
WBC Silver super middleweight champion		 Former BeNeLux super middleweight champion
Result
Smith defeated Holzken by Unanimous Decision

Callum Smith vs. Nieky Holzken was a professional boxing match contested on 24 February 2018.[1]

Background

[edit]

On 27 October 2017, 39 year old former world champion Jürgen Brähmer (49–3, 35 KOs) defeated American boxer Robert Brant to advance to the semi-finals against Callum Smith, who had defeated Erik Skoglund a month earlier, with the fight scheduled to take place in early 2018.[2] A couple days later, Smith spoke out stating he would like the fight to take place in his home city of Liverpool, however would be open to fighting anywhere else.[3] On 15 November, promoter Kalle Sauerland stated the fight could take place in Liverpool at the Echo Arena or Germany.[4]

Smith's trainer Joe Gallagher believed a fight in Germany would be unfair on Smith, due to Germany having gained a reputation for contentious decisions and home fighters receiving questionable wins.[5] He later went on to state the fight should take place on neutral ground, mentioning Monte Carlo, Dublin and Amsterdam as potential locations.[6]

On 11 January 2018, the fight was finally announced to take place at the Arena Nürnberger in Nuremberg, Germany on 24 February, a week after the first semi final between George Groves and Chris Eubank Jr..[7][8][9]

On 20 February, four days before the fight, German website boxen1.com reported that Brähmer had withdrawn from the tournament after failing to overcome an illness he had been fighting for a week. Comosa stated the event would still go ahead with a replacement to be announced.[10] 34 year old Dutch kickboxer and boxer Nieky Holzken (13–0, 10 KOs), who was scheduled to fight on the undercard against Dmitry Chudinov, became the frontrunner to replace Brähmer.[11][12] In a short statement, Brähmer stated he had a 'feverish infection' and apologised to his fans. Promoter Kalle Sauerland later confirmed that Holzken was the reserve fighter and would replace Brähmer and fight Smith.[13][14]

The fight

[edit]

Smith used his jab from the opening bell and managed to control the distance throughout the fight, also managing to land his right hand successfully on many occasions. Holzken was the faster and frequently more aggressive fighter, however Smith was far more busier in each round. Each round was the same with Smith standing straight up, jabbing constantly and throwing right hands.

After 12 rounds the three judges scored the fight 118–110, 117–111 and 117–111 in favour of Smith giving him an unanimous decision victory.[15]

Aftermath

[edit]

In the post-fight, Smith stated, "He was tough but I landed a lot jabs and my hand hurts a little bit. He was awkward, novicey but I'm not engaging in a shoot-out. I'm the better boxer."[16][17] George Groves faced off with Smith immediately after the interviews took place.[18][19]

Undercard

[edit]

Confirmed bouts:[20]

Broadcasting

[edit]
Country Broadcaster
Baltic & Nordic countries Viasat[21]
 Belgium VOO
 Bulgaria Nova
 Canada Super Channel
 Germany SAT.1
 Russia Match! Boets[22]
 Singapore StarHub
Sub-Saharan Africa TVMS
 Turkey Tivibu Sports[23]
 United Kingdom ITV
 United States Audience[24]
 Ukraine Inter

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Callum Smith vs. Nieky Holzken". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  2. ^ "Braehmer beats Brant in WBSS quarterfinal". ESPN. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  3. ^ WBSS. "Callum Smith wants Juergen Braehmer semi-final in Liverpool". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  4. ^ Jay, Phil D. "Exclusive: Kalle Sauerland reveals venue options for Groves v Eubank Jr. / Smith v Braehmer semi-finals". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  5. ^ "NewsNow: Callum Smith news | Breaking News & Search 24/7". www.newsnow.co.uk. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  6. ^ "Callum Smith deserves neutral venue for World Boxing Super Series semi, says trainer Joe Gallagher". Sky Sports. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Callum Smith's World Boxing Super Series semi-final against Juergen Braehmer will be staged in Germany". Sky Sports. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Callum Smith-Juergen Braehmer WBSS semi-final set for Feb. 24 - The Ring". The Ring. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Callum Smith vs Braehmer Date and Venue Confirmed | Boxing News and Views". Boxing News and Views. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Callum Smith To Fight New Opponent, Braehmer Withdraws". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  11. ^ "Callum Smith vs. Nieky Holzken in Play For WBSS Clash". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Smith to face Holzken as Braehmer drops out". ESPN. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  13. ^ "Holzken Warns Callum Smith: Be Ready, I'm Coming To Beat You!". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Callum Smith to fight Nieky Holzken after Jurgen Brahmer withdrawal". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 20 February 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  15. ^ Davies, Gareth A. (24 February 2018). "Callum Smith defeats Nieky Holzken to set up George Groves World Boxing Series final". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Callum Smith Outboxes Nieky Holzken, George Groves is Next". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  17. ^ "Callum Smith sets up George Groves final in World Boxing Super Series". Sky Sports. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Smith beats Holzken to set up Groves bout". ITV News. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  19. ^ "World Boxing Super Series: Callum Smith joins George Groves in final". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  20. ^ "BoxRec - event".
  21. ^ "MTG will be the exclusive home of the World Boxing Super Series in the Nordic and Baltic regions". europawire.eu. EuropaWire. 11 September 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  22. ^ Andrew Karlov (14 October 2017). "Groves vs Cox. Where to watch live". ringside24.com. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  23. ^ WBN Staff (9 September 2017). "WBSS agree further European media rights deals". worldboxingnews.net. World Boxing News. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  24. ^ Dan Rafael (28 September 2017). "World Boxing Super Series finds U.S. distribution for quarterfinals". espn.co.uk. ESPN. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
Preceded by Callum Smith's bouts
24 February 2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Nieky Holzken's bouts
24 February 2018 		Succeeded by
vs. Bernard Donfack
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