Hanna Hansen, fresh off a fourth-round TKO win over Katarina Vištica last Saturday night in Königsbrunn, Germany, is set for her biggest fight yet: On March 26, at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Hansen will aim to win her first international title as a professional prizefighter.
She will battle Jeanmary Martinez Paulino from the Dominican Republic for the vacant IBO Intercontinental super welterweight title over ten rounds or less.
The fight will take place on the undercard of the IBO World super middleweight title eliminator between five-time world champion Felix Sturm and István Szili.
The event in Dortmund will mark the inaugural boxing show staged by LIB Boxpromotion, the company recently founded by real estate mogul Ludger Inholte.
“It was important to shake off the ring rust last weekend,“ Hansen said. “Now, I am ready to go after my first title. It’s an honor to fight in front of thousands of fans in Dortmund on the undercard of a legend like Felix. Jeanmary is a dangerous opponent but I will walk out of the ring with my hand raised and the IBO belt around my waist.“
Promoter Ludger Inholte, who signed Hansen to an exclusive promotional agreement last December, added: “This is the first step towards our goal of bringing boxing back to the top in Germany. Felix is in a big fight, a title eliminator, aiming for his record-breaking sixth world title and now we have Hanna, who has the potential to a true ambassador for women’s boxing, fighting for her first international title. Boxing fans in Germany will witness one of the biggest events in recent years at the Westfalenhalle, with great fights and great show-acts. I can only advise anyone to buy a ticket or tune in on BILD Live on March 26.“
As always, Hansen is preparing at the state-of-the-art SturmGym in Cologne under the tutelage of former world title challenger Maurice Weber. “I only took a day off after my fight last Saturday to spend time with my two daughters,“ Hansen said. “It’s right back to work now. I want to put on a show on March 26 and for that, I have to train hard each and every day.“ Weber is full of confidence in Hansen’s ability – and her preparation: “Hanna is always in great shape. It was great to finally have her back in the ring last weekend, after so many postponements in the past. She needed that warm-up before March 26. It’s crunch time now, she will be ready to fight for the title and she will win the title in Dortmund.“
Maurice Weber will have a busy day on March 26, as he will not only be in the corner of Felix Sturm and Hanna Hansen, but will also try to guide SturmGym prospects Anas El-Abid, Ajdin Reiz, Illias Kallouch, Malik Aksakal and Meris Idrizi to victories. “I’m just happy to be doing what I’m doing,“ Weber said. “It’s a pleasure to work with all these talented fighters and I am sure that all of them will have something to celebrate on March 26.“
Tickets for Sturm vs. Szili and Hansen vs. Martinez Paulino are currently on sale via Eventim, the website of the Westfalenhalle or by calling +49-1806570070.
