Promoter Nisse Sauerland gives Luke G. Williams all the intel on Wasserman Boxing’s ‘The Development Series’ show on Thursday night, headlined by flyweight prospect Harvey Horn, and broadcast by none other than Boxing Social…
It is with genuine excitement in his voice that promoter Nisse Sauerland gives the lowdown on Thursday’s night’s Wasserman Boxing show at York Hall through which the ambitious outfit are launching their new ‘The Development Series’ concept. Boxing Social will be broadcasting this first offering exclusively in the UK and Ireland.
“Since the pandemic a lot of boxers have if not been forgotten about then have been pretty inactive,” the 42-year-old tells Boxing Social. “If you speak to the British [Boxing] Board [of Control] you’d also know that a lot of fighters haven’t renewed their licences. ‘The Development Series’ is partly a reaction to that.
“Predominantly, for us – and for Boxing Social – this series is about developing new talent. It’s about keeping the boxing eco-system going. I think we’ve got a really good, strong card and I think with Boxing Social’s reach we should do some really good numbers. I think it’s a really innovative set-up with some really good partners which will make it an amazing project to work on.
“We’ve always said we wanted to do something like this which develops talent. There’s so many good, undiscovered raw talents in the UK that we don’t see or hear about. Given the size of our business and with the help of Boxing Social we’re hoping to shine a bit of light on them. Hopefully their talent will back up the reach and numbers we are confident we will deliver for them.”
Turning his attention to the show itself, Sauerland outlines what viewers can expect when they tune into Boxing Social’s Facebook or Youtube pages on Thursday night.
“I think the main event will be an absolute cracker,” he says. “Harvey Horn is a local boy and keen to put on a great performance. We’ve also got our two heavyweight debutants starting out on their careers in the form of Matthew Harris and Hosea Stewart.
“Additionally, we’ve got Chloe Watson on the show, another debutant who’s trained by Ricky Hatton, and is a very good boxer. Then we’ve also got Harvey’s little brother, Louis, debuting at lightweight and we’ve got SK [Saqib Khan] aka ‘The Show Stopper’, who I’ve heard great things about from the amateurs.
“We’ve got Ryan Martin who’s a protégé of Adam Booth and definitely one to watch. There’s also Martin Foru who will add a bit of international spice in there as well. I think it’s a really good show, we’re really happy and proud to put it on.”
Horn himself admits he is relishing being the headliner on Thursday night. “I’m buzzing,” the 26-year-old Chigwell southpaw (9-0) said of his showdown with Fadhili Majiha. “I’m really looking forward to it… I’ve had a little look at my opponent. I’ve seen what he does. I’ve seen he can whack a bit, but I know what I’ve got to do. I’ve got ten rounds to impose my game plan on him and I’m confident I can get the job done. I’ve had a great camp, I’m in great shape and my sparring has been good.
“The ball is rolling now. The main problem in my career so far has been inactivity. There have been opportunities, but I haven’t been pushed. Since signing with Wasserman Boxing, I’ve had two fights in eight weeks. They know that if I’m pushed correctly and kept busy then it’s world honours for me.”
Like Horn, Sauerland is excited about the future of Wasserman Boxing, who acquired his family’s longstanding and well established Team Sauerland business back in March.
“I think we’ve made some really interesting signings and contacts,” Sauerland says of his first few months with Wasserman. “We’ve also put on some good shows so far and you know we’re still at the beginning. We’re so excited for the years to come. It’s such an exciting project and we’re delighted to be back in boxing properly after all the problems of the pandemic and multiple lockdowns. We’re raring to go and looking to take everything to the next step, the next level!”