(Photo: Team Sauerland) By Dan Ambrose: This Saturday night No.1 WBA ranked Brian Magee (35-4-1, 24 KO’s) will battle #12 WBA ranked Rudy Markussen (37-2, 24 KO’s) for the interim World Boxing Association World super middleweight title at the Brondy Hallen, Brondby, Denmark.
It’s kind of an odd match, as it’s difficult to see either of these guys as championship material, even if it’s only an interim strap.
Magee, 36, has been around a long time having fought 13 years as a pro and lost to the likes of Lucian Bute, Carl Froch, Vitaliy Tsypko and Robin Reid. Magee did get a title shot against Bute, but was easily beaten by a 10th round TKO last March in a one-sided fight.
Magee rebounded from that defeat to earn a 12 round unanimous decision against Jaime Barboza last July in an impressive performance. Bute isn’t a big puncher, but he does have respectable power and throws good combinations
Markussen, 34, has faced mostly limited opposition during his 15-year pro career. He lost to IBF super middleweight champion Sven Ottke in November 2002 in a 12 round decision loss. Markussen was later stopped by Sergey Tatevosyan by a 7th round knockout in October 2006. Markussen then took four years off from boxing before returning in 2010 and has now won his last four fights, albeit against 2nd tier opposition.
Magee should win this fight without too many problems. Markussen lacks hand speed and looks awkward in a negative sense in the ring. Although Markussen is listed at 5’11 ½”, he appears to be around 5’9”, which is short for a super middleweight.
Markussen’s fighting style reminds me a lot of Arthur Abraham, but a weaker, slower, and less coordinated version. Markussen does have a decent right hand, but it’s not in the class of Abraham and it’s very slow. Markussen rarely throws left hands, but when he does he lacks power.
Magee wins this fight, but it’s disappointing that he’s facing a #12 ranked contender like Markussen. I’d rather see Magee facing someone like #2 ranked Dimitri Sartison, #3 Anthony Dirrell, #4 Arthur Abraham, #7 Adonis Stevenson, #8 Edwin Rodriguez or #9 Kelly Pavlik. I think all of those guys would knock Magee out and beat him without any problems. That’s why I see the Magee-Markussen fight as a complete joke, because neither of these guys should be fighting for an interim title when the other contenders are arguably so much better than these two.