Brian Nielsen...his legacy soured

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 05 May 2004, 17:35

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Danish boxing promoter Mogens Palle today vehemently denied claims he bribed a fighter in a bid to fix a fight.
American manager Robert Mittleman pleaded guilty in a Las Vegas court on Monday to two counts of sports bribery.
Mittleman claimed Palle had contacted him to set up a fight on March 31, 2000, in Denmark between local draw Brian Nielsen and American Thomas Williams.
Williams lost the fight in the third round and was paid $40,000 by Palle for throwing the fight. Mittleman was paid $1,000 to arrange the fight.
"Whatever Mittleman has been entertaining a judge with in the United States, I can only firmly say that I have never, during my 47 years in the business, bribed any boxer to come to Denmark and lose on purpose,'' Palle said.
Palle, who has organized a string of fights in Denmark involving boxing greats Sonny Liston, Carlos Monzon, Sugar Ray Leonard, Larry Holmes and Mike Tyson, among others, said the rumors about the fixed fight emerged in 2000 and that "Mittleman has managed to comment on it in three, four different ways.''
Nielsen, one of Denmark's most popular boxers, retired because of a knee injury in October 2003 with a record of 64-2 (43). He won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics and lost to Tyson in 2001.
Mittleman, who briefly managed Oscar de la Hoya when he turned pro after the 1992 Olympics, will be sentenced July 26. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

PS: Some of you may recall a fight Nielsen had with Tim Witherspoon a few years back. I cited the fight as distinctly dodgy when the American failed to throw one right hand throughout its three-round duration.

bigynzing · Post by **bigynzing** » 05 May 2004, 18:58

Tim Witherspoon not throwing a right hand....defo dodgy.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 05 May 2004, 19:21

The Larry Holmes vs Brian Neilson scoring was also very dodgy, possibly worse than Briggs vs Foreman.

overhand_right · Post by **overhand_right** » 06 May 2004, 05:55

so many dodgy brian nielsen fights. i have a lot of tapes and how many fighters were suddenly 'injured' and had to pull out of an eays fight.

mike the bounty hunter, phil jackson, especially te tony tubbs fight. tubbs was walking it then got 'injured'. the acting in these fights was always pathetic. lets not forget the durable lionel butlers bizarre performance, as well as garing lane.

tim witherspoons performance was bizarre in the extreme. he looked sick as a dog. one of the notorious poisonings? larry holmes claims he was also poisioned, and still whipped nielsen, only to get robbed.

nielsen was a bum, plain & simple. he won his fight with bonecrsuher smith on a frickin savage cut opening headbutt for fricks sake!

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 06 May 2004, 08:38

I HAVE to believe that Mogens Palle is innocent. If its all true I have no doubt that professional boxing will be outlawed in Denmark like it is in Sweden & Norway, its not too popular at the moment and it looks like we will have a socialist goverment after the next election and they will probably ban it.

You are right that some of Nielsens fights are dodgy but it was not like ie. Witherspoon was a world beater at that moment. Much of Nielsens "success" was due to matchmaking.

Holmes vs Nielsen isnt seen as a robbery here most people have that fight close and many Nielsen winning. (I was too drunk to score that fight correctly but thats a long story).

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 06 May 2004, 08:39

bigynzing wrote:Tim Witherspoon not throwing a right hand....defo dodgy.

i have that on tape somewhere

don't call it a comeback · Post by **don't call it a comeback** » 06 May 2004, 08:50

"Brian Nielsen - his legacy soured"

is a bit like saying "Butterbean - the shame behind the glory" or "Eddie the Eagle - career tarnished by history" or "Jordi Cruyf - was he really a great?".

Could go on like this all day if I dont stop....

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2004, 09:18

don't call it a comeback wrote:"Brian Nielsen - his legacy soured"

is a bit like saying "Butterbean - the shame behind the glory" or "Eddie the Eagle - career tarnished by history" or "Jordi Cruyf - was he really a great?".

Could go on like this all day if I dont stop....

Tell that to the Danes. He was huge box office over there and many lamented his enforced retirement.

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 06 May 2004, 09:22

Bennie is right. To the average dane he was boxing, kind of out version of a better Tony Halme. At the shows where he was just on the undercard he could sell most of the seats. Now we can have pretty good cards we good fights and there is maybe 200 spectators. I never really liked Brian when he was a fighter because he got all the publicity that some of the better boxers deserved.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2004, 09:28

Freiheit wrote:Bennie is right. To the average dane he was boxing, kind of out version of a better Tony Halme. At the shows where he was just on the undercard he could sell most of the seats. Now we can have pretty good cards we good fights and there is maybe 200 spectators. I never really liked Brian when he was a fighter because he got all the publicity that some of the better boxers deserved.

What's the word in Denmark on Robert Mittleman's 'fix' claims, Freiheit? Clearly, the Dickie Ryan fight was on the level. As was Nielsen winning silver at the 1992 Olympics.

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 06 May 2004, 09:39

People dont really believe the Willaims story since that was a clear KO (maybe he was KOed before he could take a dive?). The danish police have know about the case since sometimes in march and the have been in the US to follow their investigation but they havent done anything more about it at this moment. Out sports minister has looked at the case and said he would follow it if there happens anything new.
People has "always" found some of the decisions a bit dodgy, all fights not just Brians, like you have to KO the home fighter to get a draw ect but there have never really been talk about dives. People has critizised Palles matchmaking because he uses alot of has beens now on drugs ect, but that isnt illegal is it?

PS: it was only a bronze medal in Barcelona, he lost to Balado from Cuba.

don't call it a comeback · Post by **don't call it a comeback** » 06 May 2004, 10:06

bennie wrote:
don't call it a comeback wrote:"Brian Nielsen - his legacy soured"

is a bit like saying "Butterbean - the shame behind the glory" or "Eddie the Eagle - career tarnished by history" or "Jordi Cruyf - was he really a great?".

Could go on like this all day if I dont stop....
Tell that to the Danes. He was huge box office over there and many lamented his enforced retirement.

Fair point: I only know one Dane - and have just e-mailed her to this effect. She has respondeded slightly confused.

Anyway, I'm not saying that he wasn't popular in Denmark just as I'm not saying that Butterbean wasn't popular in the trailer parks of West Virginia.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2004, 10:14

Yeah, but Butterbean didn't equal Rocky Marciano's 49-fight unbeaten record as - technically - Nielsen did.
The late Harry Mullan always used to rave about Nielsen. Said he was an underrated fighter.

don't call it a comeback · Post by **don't call it a comeback** » 06 May 2004, 10:22

bennie wrote:Yeah, but Butterbean didn't equal Rocky Marciano's 49-fight unbeaten record as - technically - Nielsen did.
The late Harry Mullan always used to rave about Nielsen. Said he was an underrated fighter.

Butterbean was only beaten once in his first 50 "fights" so he wasnt far off.

Whatever Harry Mullan said, in my view Nielsen was a mediocre heavyweight with a vastly inflated record and if it was padded with a bit of fixing here and there I wouldnt be at all surprised.

And if I could find some more Danes to tell this to I would.

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 06 May 2004, 10:28

Does anyone remember Mike 'The Bounty' Hunter?

He was a frustrating fighter, a little in the mold of Chris Byrd, who outboxed bigger, more powerful men.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2004, 10:30

don't call it a comeback wrote:
bennie wrote:Yeah, but Butterbean didn't equal Rocky Marciano's 49-fight unbeaten record as - technically - Nielsen did.
The late Harry Mullan always used to rave about Nielsen. Said he was an underrated fighter.
Butterbean was only beaten once in his first 50 "fights" so he wasnt far off.

Whatever Harry Mullan said, in my view Nielsen was a mediocre heavyweight with a vastly inflated record and if it was padded with a bit of fixing here and there I wouldnt be at all surprised.

And if I could find some more Danes to tell this to I would.

I don't think a mediocre heavyweight would last seven rounds with Tyson.

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 06 May 2004, 10:53

bennie wrote:
don't call it a comeback wrote:
bennie wrote:Yeah, but Butterbean didn't equal Rocky Marciano's 49-fight unbeaten record as - technically - Nielsen did.
The late Harry Mullan always used to rave about Nielsen. Said he was an underrated fighter.
Butterbean was only beaten once in his first 50 "fights" so he wasnt far off.

Whatever Harry Mullan said, in my view Nielsen was a mediocre heavyweight with a vastly inflated record and if it was padded with a bit of fixing here and there I wouldnt be at all surprised.

And if I could find some more Danes to tell this to I would.
I don't think a mediocre heavyweight would last seven rounds with Tyson.

Tell that to Mitch Green.

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 06 May 2004, 10:54

tyson shape was poor in that fight, think nelson would of lasted against a peak tyson

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 06 May 2004, 11:02

Medicore heavyweight can "easily" go the distance with Tyson its just a matter of chin and Nielsen was only down twice in in his carreer (111 amateur fights, 104-7 and 66 pro fights). It was against Troy Weida and Mike Tyson.

bigynzing · Post by **bigynzing** » 06 May 2004, 11:19

REAL_DEAL wrote:tyson shape was poor in that fight, think nelson would of lasted against a peak tyson

Have to agree....Tyson was in shit state at this point...he was slower than a Julius Francis jab.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 06 May 2004, 18:40

This sums up the 'fix' allegations:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stori ... 10968.html

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 07 May 2004, 11:14

A copy of the contract: http://www.fightnews.com/643.htm

Palles lawyers answer to the US attorneys office in Las Vegas: http://www.fightnews.com/641.htm

Eric the Viking · Post by **Eric the Viking** » 07 May 2004, 11:28

Freiheit wrote:A copy of the contract: http://www.fightnews.com/643.htm

No paragraph about taking $40,000 to take a dive in the contract - so I guess the story must be untrue. ;)