Erik Skoglund (born 24 May 1991) is a Swedish

professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regulatory autho ...

. He held the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

light-heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruiserw ...

title between 2013 and 2014, successfully defending it three times before vacating it. In 2017, Skoglund participated in the

World Boxing Super Series The World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) is a professional boxing tournament organised by Comosa AG. Each weight class features eight boxers competing in an annual knockout competition with the champion from each weight class taking the Muhammad Al ...

, losing to

Callum Smith Callum John Smith (born 23 April 1990) is an English professional boxer. He held the WBA (Super) and ''Ring'' magazine super-middleweight titles from 2018 to 2020, and at regional level the British and European super-middleweight titles betwee ...

in the

super-middleweight Super middleweight, or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing In professional boxing, super middleweight is contested between the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions, in which boxers can weigh between 160 pounds ( ...

quarter-finals.

Amateur career

Skoglund started his boxing career in 2002, at the age of 11. He won the Swedish youth national championship in 2006 and the junior championship in 2007, as well as taking the second place at senior level the same year 2007, at the age of 15. In 2008 he again finished in second place on the senior national championship, after losing the final to fellow rising star and future world champion

Badou Jack Badou Johannes Gabriel Jack (born 31 October 1983) is a Swedish professional boxer. He is a former world champion in two weight classes, having held the WBC super-middleweight title from 2014 to 2017 and the WBA light-heavyweight title in 201 ...

. He also won the Nordic junior championship that year. In 2009 he won the national and Nordic championships at senior level. He turned professional in 2010, after an amateur career with a record of 78-35-1.

Professional boxing career

Light-heavyweight

Early career

Skoglund signed with Sauerland Promotion at the start of his career. Skoglund had 15 fights between his February 2010 debut and February 2013, all held in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and

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. He was victorious in all of them, 9 by KO/TKO and 6 by decision. In his 16th fight, Skoglund got his first opportunity for a championship, when he faced fellow undefeated prospect

Luke Blackledge Luke Robinson (born 6 August 1990), better known as Luke Blackledge, is an English professional boxer. He held the Commonwealth super-middleweight title from 2015 to 2016 and challenged once for the British British may refer to: Peoples, cult ...

(13-0-1, 5 KO's) on April 13, 2013, for both the WBC Youth World

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruise ...

and the WBO Youth Intercontinental

titles. He won the fight by unanimous decision (96-95, 97–93, 96–94). Skoglund then took on Lorenzo Di Giacomo in an 8-round non-title fight, on June 15, 2013. Skoglund won the fight by unanimous decision (80-72, 80–72, 80–72).

European Union light heavyweight champion

On October 19, 2013, Skoglund fought veteran

Lolenga Mock Lolenga Mock (born 22 April 1972) is a Danish professional boxer. He held the European Union super-middleweight title three times between 2006 and 2011. A veteran of the sport for more than 25 years, Mock is known for his toughness and has only ...

for the

EBU The European Broadcasting Union (EBU; french: Union européenne de radio-télévision, links=no, UER) is an alliance of public service media organisations whose countries are within the European Broadcasting Area or who are members of the Co ...

-EU

title. Initially Skoglund's opponent was expected to be

Enzo Maccarinelli Enzo Maccarinelli (born 20 August 1980) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2016. He held the WBO cruiserweight title from 2006 to 2008. At regional level, he held the European and British cruiserweight titles betwe ...

. However, Maccarinelli was injured and had to be replaced by Mock. Despite being caught and wobbled against the ropes in the third round, Skoglund recovered fast and rallied back to win the fight by unanimous decision (118-110, 117–110, 116–112) after 12 rounds. In his first defense of his European title, Skoglund took on Adasat Rodriguez on February 1, 2014. After a dominant performance, and well ahead on the scorecards, Skoglund won the fight by TKO in round 12. Skoglund's second title defense came against Danilo D’Agata on April 12, 2014. He won the fight by TKO in round 9. On September 13, 2014, Skoglund fought Stefano Abatangelo for his third defense of his European title as well as for the vacant

IBF The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...

Inter-Continental

title. He was victorious by unanimous decision (118-109, 120–106, 118–108). After three successful title defenses, Skoglund vacated his

-EU title in October, 2013, to pursue a world title.

International titles

On December 13, 2014, Skoglund faced veteran

Glen Johnson Glen McLeod Cooper Johnson (''né'' Stephens; born 23 August 1984) is an English former professional footballer who played predominantly as a right back. Johnson began his career at West Ham United, spending time on loan at Millwall, and was s ...

in a non-title fight. He won the fight by unanimous decision after 10 rounds (97-93, 98–92, 97–93). In February, 2015 it was revealed that Skoglund was set to undergo surgery for a back injury, which would put him out from competition for six months. Skoglund returned to defend his

Inter-Continental

title against Oleksandr Cherviak on September 19, 2015. This marked the first time in his pro career that Skoglund fought in his native

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

. This was also the first time a male boxing fight for a major title took place in Sweden since the ban on professional boxing in 1969, which was lifted in 2006. Skoglund defended his title by unanimous decision (120-108, 120–108, 119–109). He fought Derek Edwards in a 10-round non-title fight on December 19, 2015, which he won by unanimous decision (99-92, 100–90, 99–91). On April 23, 2016, Skoglund fought Ryno Liebenberg (17-2, 11 KO's) for the vacant IBO International

title. He won the fight by unanimous decision (117-111, 117–111, 115–113). In his next fight, Skoglund fought for another minor belt, the vacant WBA International

title, against Shpetim Shala (21-1-1, 8 KO's). The bout was first expected to take place on October 28, 2016, but was later postponed to December 9, 2016. Skoglund won the fight by knockout, after dropping Shala three times, all in round 11.

Super-middleweight

World Boxing Super Series

On 28 July 2017, it was confirmed that Skoglund would drop down to

to join the inaugural World Boxing Super Series, where the winner would receive a prize money and the Muhammad Ali Trophy. Other participants in the tournament included WBA champion George Groves, IBO champion Chris Eubank Jr., WBC #1 contender

, former world title holder Juergen Braehmer and undefeated contenders Robert Brant,

Avni Yildirim Avni may refer to: Given name * Avni Arbaş (1919–2003), Turkish artist * Avni bej Delvina, a signatory of the Albanian Declaration of Independence * Avni Klinaku (born 1965), Albanian politician and nationalist * Avni Mula (1928–2020), Alba ...

and

Jamie Cox Jamie Cox (born 15 October 1969) is an Australian cricketer and former opening batsman for Tasmania in Australia's domestic competitions. He then played county cricket in England where he captained Somerset. He is a former member of the Cricke ...

=Skoglund vs. Smith

= At the draft Gala, which took place at the famous

Grimaldi Forum The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco is a conference and congress centre located on the seafront of Monaco's eastern beach quartier, Larvotto. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra regularly perform there. This is also the ...

in Monaco, Skoglund was chosen by

(22-0, 17 KO's) in the quarter-finals. Smith, who was second-seeded for the tournament, said he felt Skoglund was 'stylistically the best fight' for him. Smith also admitted that, on paper, Skoglund was the best boxer he had been scheduled against. The fight was the inaugural bout of the super middleweight tournament. The WBC announced that the fight would be for their

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...

belt. The fight took place on September 16, 2017, at Echo Arena in Smith's hometown,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Smith beat Skoglund by unanimous decision to win one of four quarter-finals in front of his home crowd in Liverpool. The officials scored the fight 116–112, 117–110 and 117–111 all in favor of Smith. Early on, the fight appeared to be a mismatch with Smith outclassing his opponent. However, Skoglund got himself into the fight in the middle rounds behind his consistent jab and head movement, giving Smith a bloody nose. Smith would make his own surge late in the fight, scoring a knockdown in round 11 and earning a unanimous decision.

Injury

In November 2017,

Matchroom Boxing Matchroom Sport is a sporting event promotions company founded by English entrepreneur Barry Hearn and run by Hearn and his son Eddie Hearn. It first came to attention in the sports of snooker and boxing and is also involved in pool, bowling, go ...

announced that Skoglund would face Commonwealth champion

Rocky Fielding Michael "Rocky" Fielding (born 5 August 1987) is a British former professional boxer. He held the WBA (Regular) super-middleweight title in 2018. At regional level, he held the Commonwealth super-middleweight title twice between 2013 and 2017 ...

(25-1, 14 KO's) on December for the

WBC Silver The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

super middleweight title, in the undercard of Bellew-

Haye ) Haye Farm is a farm in the parish of Callington, Cornwall, England. See also * List of farms in Cornwall This is a list of farms in Cornwall. Cornwall is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area of England within the United Kingd ...

II. The event was scrapped after Haye suffered an injury. On 8 December 2017, Skoglund suffered a brain hemorrhage during a sparring session in his hometown, Nyköping. He was put into a medically induced coma and had surgery. Skoglund was awakened from the coma in January 2018 and was seen responsive and walking with the help of a crutch. A tweet was posted to his Twitter account which read "Finally back where I belong. Thanks for all the support I really need it. Will speak more about what happened when I’m ready." Skoglund will undergo extensive, long-term rehab. The incident is being investigated by the

Swedish Work Environment Authority The Swedish Work Environment Authority (SWEA) ( sv, Arbetsmiljöverket, abbreviated ''AV'') is a Swedish administrative authority sorting under the Ministry of Employment, responsible for issues relating to the working environment and work inj ...

. Professional boxing is under strict supervision in Sweden and was banned until 2006. In June, 2019, Skoglund appeared in London as a corner man for his teammate

Anthony Yigit Anthony Yigit (born 1 September 1991) is a Swedish professional boxer who challenged for the IBF light welterweight title in 2018. As an amateur, following his success in 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships, Yigit qualified for the 2012 S ...

who was fighting on June 28. Skoglund had also been in Yigit's corner in Frankfurt a month earlier. In an interview Skoglund gave an update on his health status, claiming that he was back in fitness training and rehabilitation, doing better each day, even if he still didn't feel completely recovered.

Professional boxing record

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" , - ! !Result !Record !Opponent !Type !Round, time !Date !Location !Notes , - , 27 , Loss , 26–1 , style="text-align:left;",

, UD , 12 , 16 Sep 2017 , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", , - , 26 , Win, , 26–0, , align=left, Shpetim Shala , KO , 11 (12), , 9 Dec 2016 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 25 , Win, , 25–0, , align=left, Ryno Liebenberg , UD , 12 , 23 Apr 2016 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 24 , Win, , 24–0, , align=left, Derek Edwards , UD , 10 , 19 Dec 2015 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 23 , Win, , 23–0, , align=left, Oleksandr Cherviak , UD , 12 , 19 Sep 2015 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 22 , Win, , 22–0, , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 13 Dec 2014 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 21 , Win, , 21–0, , align=left, Stefano Abatangelo , UD , 12 , 13 Sep 2014 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 20 , Win, , 20–0, , align=left, Danilo D'Agata , TKO , 9 (12), , 12 Apr 2014 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 19 , Win, , 19–0, , align=left, Adasat Rodriguez , TKO , 12 (12), , 1 Feb 2014 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 18 , Win, , 18–0, , align=left,

, UD , 12 , 19 Oct 2013 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 17 , Win, , 17–0, , align=left, Lorenzo Di Giacomo , UD , 8 , 15 Jun 2013 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 16 , Win, , 16–0, , align=left,

, UD , 10 , 13 Apr 2013 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 15 , Win, , 15–0, , align=left, Attila Baran , TKO , 2 (10), , 9 Feb 2013 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 14 , Win, , 14–0, , align=left, Joe Ainscough , TKO , 3 (8), , 8 Dec 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 13 , Win, , 13–0, , align=left, Gyorgy Marosi , TKO , 1 (8), , 10 Nov 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 12 , Win, , 12–0, , align=left, Ivan Maslov , UD , 8 , 22 Sep 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 11 , Win, , 11–0, , align=left, Fouad Nasri , KO , 2 (6), , 2 Jun 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 10 , Win, , 10–0, , align=left, Pablo Sosa , UD , 8 , 19 May 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 9 , Win, , 9–0, , align=left, Alberto Antenucci , KO , 2 (8), , 21 Apr 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 8 , Win, , 8–0, , align=left, Juan Nelongo , KO , 4 (6), , 18 Feb 2012 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 7 , Win, , 7–0, , align=left, Amine Blali , UD , 4 , 3 Dec 2011 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 6 , Win, , 6–0, , align=left, Volodymyr Borovskyy , UD , 6 , 7 May 2011 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 5 , Win, , 5–0, , align=left, Valerijs Rogozins , TKO , 1 (4), , 12 Feb 2011 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 4 , Win, , 4–0, , align=left, Mile Nikolic , TKO , 1 (4), , 18 Dec 2010 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 3 , Win, , 3–0, , align=left, Vladimir Spasojevic , UD , 4 , 20 Nov 2010 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 2 , Win, , 2–0, , align=left, Sladko Cizicz , KO , 2 (4), , 15 May 2010 , align=left, , align=left, , -align=center , 1 , Win, , 1–0 , align=left, Istvan Laboda , UD , 4 , 1 May 2010 , align=left, , align=left,

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Skoglund, Erik Living people 1991 births Swedish male boxers Super-middleweight boxers