“I’m confident I can beat Patrick. I have a lot of experience and have faced stronger opponents before,’’ said the 35 year-old super middleweight, who fell in love with boxing at a young age.
“When I was five, I watched fights with my father on television, and I’ve been in love with the sport ever since. When I was 13, I started boxing and just a month later I began to box in tournaments.
“I try to pass my love for boxing on to the young people in Brazil who do not have an easy life. I have set up a social project for children where through boxing they are able to learn to cope in life and stay away from crime and avoid other social problems.”
Barbosa is nicknamed ‘Quebra Tudo’ which translates to ‘break everything’, but the fighter admits he has now outgrown the nickname.
“I had some KO-victories early in my career and the media baptized me quickly as Samir ‘Quebra Tudo’,’’ said the former Brazilian Champion. ‘’Today my boxing is more technical, more refined and I’m happy to go more rounds to win my fights. The fans in Denmark can expect technically strong and beautiful boxing on my part. With these characteristics, I aim to break Patrick down.”
The veteran, who grew up in the Rio Grande in southern Brazil, is well aware that Nielsen is in line for a big domestic fight with Rudy Markussen later this year if he is able to win in Frederikshavn, but has warned the young southpaw to expect a tough night.
“I’ll make sure that Patrick forgets everything about his fight wit Rudy. I have an inner peace and a cool overview when I fight, and I will do what I can to take Patrick to a place that is really uncomfortable for him.”
Tickets for the Nordic Fight Night featuring Patrick Nielsen vs. Samir Santos Barbosa and Rudy Markussen vs. Ramazi Gogichashvili are available via arenanord.dk.
