Anders Eklund (22 December 1957 – 1 April 2010) was a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

. He was

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d ''Lillen'' (Swedish: "Tiny"), but later chose the nickname "Viking". Eklund was born in

Gävle Gävle () is a city in Sweden, the seat of Gävle Municipality and the capital of Gävleborg County. It had 77,586 inhabitants in 2020, which makes it the 13th most populated city in Sweden. It is the oldest city in the historical Norrland (Swede ...

. He competed in the Heavyweight division (91 kg) at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (russian: Летние Олимпийские игры 1980, Letniye Olimpiyskiye igry 1980), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad (russian: Игры XXII Олимпиады, Igry XXII Olimpiady) and commo ...

in Moscow, where he was defeated in the quarter finals. He made his pro debut on October 7, 1982, in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. Eklund won the European (

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 ...

) Heavyweight Title on March 9, 1985, by beating Steffen Tangstad, but lost the belt in his next fight, against Britain's

Frank Bruno Franklin Roy Bruno, (born 16 November 1961) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1982 to 1996. He had a highly publicised and eventful career, both in and out of the ring. The pinnacle of Bruno's boxing career was winning ...

. He regained the title in 1987 against the Spaniard

Alfredo Evangelista Alfredo Evangelista (born December 3, 1954) is a former Uruguayan-born boxer. He was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. "The Lynx of Montevideo" Evangelista faced Muhammad Ali in a bout for the List of heavyweight boxing champions, world heavyweight ...

but lost it the same year against the Italian

Francesco Damiani Francesco Damiani (born 4 October 1958) is an Italian former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 1993. He was the first WBO heavyweight champion, having held the title from 1989 to 1991, as well as the European heavyweight title from 19 ...

. The magazine '' Boxing Illustrated'' named Eklund "A solid 10 round winning fighter" in a ranking in the early 1990s where he was deemed among the top 20. Eklund died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

on 1 April 2010, following a collapse at his

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

apartment. He was 52 years old.

Professional boxing record

, - , align="center" colspan=8, 19 Wins (10 knockouts, 9 decisions), 5 Losses (4 knockouts, 1 decision), 1 Draw''

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Record , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Type , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Location , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #e3e3e3", Notes , - , Win , 19-5-1 , align=left, Garing Lane , UD , 6 , 17/05/1990 , align=left, Nordjysk Messecenter,

Aars Aars or Års, () is a Danish town with a population of 8,474 (1 January 2022)Tim Witherspoon Tim Witherspoon (born December 27, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2003. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion, having held the WBC title in 1984, and the WBA title in 1986. Witherspoon also wo ...

, KO , 1 (10), , 19/10/1989 , align=left,

Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino Trump Plaza was a hotel and casino on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Trump Entertainment Resorts. Designed by architect Alan Lapidus, it operated from May 15, 1984 until September 16, 2014. History The beginning The ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 18-4-1 , align=left, Philipp Brown , UD , 12 , 16/03/1989 , align=left,

Harrah's Harrah's Entertainment (later named Caesars Entertainment Corporation, previously The Promus Companies) was an American casino and hotel company founded in Reno, Nevada, and based in Paradise, Nevada, that operated over 50 properties and seven go ...

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, U.S. , align=left, , - , Win , 17-4-1 , align=left, Rick Kellar , KO , 3 (8), , 12/12/1988 , align=left,

Helsinki Ice Hall Helsinki Ice Hall ( fi, Helsingin jäähalli, sv, Helsingfors ishall) is an indoor arena located in Helsinki, Finland. The arena has a seating capacity of 8,200. History Helsinki Ice Hall has been the home arena of HIFK of Liiga since its cons ...

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

, Finland , align=left, , - , Loss , 16-4-1 , align=left,

, KO , 6 (12), , 09/10/1987 , align=left,

Aosta Aosta (, , ; french: Aoste , formerly ; frp, Aoûta , ''Veulla'' or ''Ouhta'' ; lat, Augusta Praetoria Salassorum; wae, Augschtal; pms, Osta) is the principal city of Aosta Valley, a bilingual region in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of ...

, Italy , align=left, , - , Win , 16-3-1 , align=left,

, KO , 7 (12) , 28/03/1987 , align=left, K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 15-3-1 , align=left, Stefano Vassallo , UD , 8 , 27/02/1987 , align=left, Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 14-3-1 , align=left,

Jesse Ferguson Jesse Ferguson (born March 20, 1957) is a retired American boxer who fought in several noteworthy boxing matches in the 1980s and 1990s. His professional career is filled with matches with champions and contenders and his name is linked with nu ...

, PTS , 8 , 17/10/1986 , align=left, Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 13-3-1 , align=left, Tony Foster , KO , 2 (8), , 03/10/1986 , align=left, Idraetshuset, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 12-3-1 , align=left,

Glenn McCrory Glenn McCrory (born 23 September 1964) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1993. He held the IBF cruiserweight title from 1989 to 1990, and at regional level held the British and Commonwealth cruiserweight title be ...

, UD , 8 , 18/04/1986 , align=left, Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark , align=left, , - , Loss , 11-3-1 , align=left,

, KO , 4 (12), , 01/10/1985 , align=left,

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-sea ...

, London, England , align=left, , - , Win , 11-2-1 , align=left, Steffen Tangstad , TKO , 4 (12) , 09/03/1985 , align=left, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 10-2-1 , align=left, Dorcey Gaymon , KO , 8 (8) , 09/11/1984 , align=left, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 9-2-1 , align=left,

Rudy Gauwe Rudy Gauwe (born 14 June 1951) is a Belgian former professional boxer. As an amateur, he competed in the men's heavyweight event at the 1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Soc ...

, TKO , 6 (8) , 27/10/1984 , align=left, Mariehamn, Finland , align=left, , - , Win , 8-2-1 , align=left, Rocky Burton , KO , 1 (8), , 05/10/1984 , align=left, Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark , align=left, , - , Loss , 7-2-1 , align=left,

Joe Bugner József Kreul Bugner (born 13 March 1950) is a Hungarian-born British-Australian former heavyweight boxer and actor. He holds triple nationality, being a citizen of Hungary and a naturalised citizen of both Australia and the United Kingdom. ...

, MD , 10 , 13/01/1984 , align=left, Randers Hallen, Randers, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 7-1-1 , align=left, Steve Gee , TKO , 5 (8), , 17/12/1983 , align=left, Hotel Arkipelag,

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital city, capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finland, Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government of Åland, Government and Parliament of Åland, ...

, Finland , align=left, , - , Loss , 6-1-1 , align=left, Noel Quarless , TKO , 1 (10), , 13/10/1983 , align=left, Crest Hotel, London, England , align=left, , - , Draw , 6-0-1 , align=left, Guido Trane , PTS , 6 , 06/10/1983 , align=left, K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 6-0 , align=left, Paddy Finn , KO , 1 (8), , 14/09/1983 , align=left,

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , align=left, , - , Win , 5-0 , align=left, Felipe Rodriguez , PTS , 6 , 08/04/1983 , align=left, K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 4-0 , align=left, Terry O'Connor , PTS , 4 , 11/02/1983 , align=left, K.B. Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark , align=left, , - , Win , 3-0 , align=left, Ricky James , KO , 3 (4), , 02/12/1982 , align=left, Randers Hallen,

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).K.B. Hallen K.B. Hallen is a multi-purpose arena located at Peter Bangs Vej in the Frederiksberg district of Copenhagen, Denmark. Originally, it was used primarily for badminton, tennis, basketball and volleyball, but also hosted other events, including dance ...

, Denmark , align=left,

Sources

Anders Eklund's obituary at Aftonbladet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eklund, Anders 1957 births 2010 deaths Boxers at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic boxers of Sweden Heavyweight boxers People from Gävle European Boxing Union champions Swedish male boxers Sportspeople from Gävleborg County