Lauren and Kaiser Slug It Out in Sweden
By Phil Woolever
Mikaela Lauren and Verena Kaiser put on a good, hard fought show in Sundsvall, Sweden. After the closely contested bout was over, the scorecards favored Lauren, perhaps by a bit too much on Saturday.
The result was a majority decision for “Destiny”, by scores of 97-93, 96-94, and 95-95. ThePrizefighters.com saw it even at 96-96.
“I love fights where you really get a war,” said a bruised, tearful Lauren, echoing fan sentiment. “This was a great night for me.”
Many rounds were very close and Lauren, now (30-5, 13 KOs), definitely took the early frames, but the previously undefeated Kaiser (10-1, 5 KOs) seemed to have closed the gap by the final bell.
It was another fight that might make the case for 12 round championships in the women’s ranks. The IBO super-welterweight
belt was at stake. Lauren’s large entourage made it seem more like Cecilia Braekhus’ unified collection was the prize.
It was a good, action-filled fight most of the time. Both boxers were often off-balance but they kept throwing hard overhand punches during some rousing exchanges.
Lauren, 151 ¾, looked bigger and stayed busy with her jab, doing a good job of maximizing her four-inch height and reach advantage.
Kaiser, 147, stayed on her toes with her left arm extended, trying to get inside behind body shots. It took her a few rounds to find the range. By the time she did, Lauren had built up an early lead.
Fatigue slowed things down in the seventh round, and the fighters started to clinch in round eight. The brawl got sloppy in the ninth but each woman kept on landing their share of solid shots.
Lauren looked weary and the worse for wear at the final bell, but her early lead held up.
The match was the featured prelim on the Nordic Viaplay pay-per-view card starring heavyweights Otto Wallin versus Adrian Granat and received plenty of promotion on German “free” TV. The ladies lived up to their billing, and then some, before a near capacity crowd at the Gaerdehov Ice Arena.
Kaiser was unmarked and remained upbeat while politely questioning the result.
This was a fine learning experience for the 25 year old “Empress”, who showed solid skills and conditioning. Despite the setback, Kaisers’ cheerful personality should mean further opportunities and a growing fan base.
Aware of Lauren’s propensity for kissing opponents at weigh-ins, Kaiser presented her with a heart shaped box of candy. Lauren’s response was a soft peck on the cheek, then a post on social media of “Love today, war tomorrow.“
Prior to the fight, Lauren stated this might be her last pro bout but after the win she immediately did a face to face call out of Klara Svensson, who was part of the TV broadcasting team. Svensson defeated Lauren in 2016.
“It’s a pain in my heart that I lost that fight,” Lauren told the announcers. “Let’s see if she dares to fight me again. I’m getting married in May and I want to have children, so I want to do it as soon as possible.”
The 42- year old boxer from Stockholm has been a pro since 2009. Tonight, she showed there’s still some fuel in the tank.
A rematch with Svensson would mean another good night for international women’s boxing. Next time, maybe it should be the heavyweights on the undercard.
(Photo by KGZ Fougstedt)