Daniel Londas vs Jimmi Bredahl

Jimmi Bredahl became WBO super-featherweight champion by taking a 12-round majority decision over France’s Daniel Londas at Parken in Copenhagen on September 4, 1992. Two judges voted for the Danish challenger and the third returned an even card. There were no knockdowns or point deductions. The result gave Bredahl his 13th victory without defeat and brought Londas’s short championship reign to an end at its first defence.

The promotion, arranged by Mogens Palle, drew approximately 6,000 spectators to the recently reconstructed national football stadium. It was the first sporting event held at the new Parken and attracted a large television audience in Denmark, with Bredahl’s contest reportedly watched by an average of more than 1.5 million viewers. The crowd had already seen his younger brother, Johnny Bredahl, outpoint Mexico’s Jose Quirino for the WBO junior-bantamweight championship. When Jimmi entered the ring less than two hours later, the brothers could win world titles on the same evening, giving the second championship contest unusual importance.

Bredahl, a tall southpaw from Copenhagen, had advanced rapidly since turning professional in March 1989. He had won the vacant European super-featherweight championship in Paris six months earlier, stopping Pierre Lorcy in the 11th round. That victory showed both his ability to box away from home and his capacity to maintain his work over a long contest. Londas offered a different examination. Born in Martinique and based in France, he was 38 years old and had been boxing internationally since the 1970s. He had represented France at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, held the European professional title and won the WBO championship by a split decision over Kamel Bou-Ali in Italy on March 21, 1992.

The physical contrast was considerable. Bredahl stood about 5ft 10in, while Londas was closer to 5ft 5½in. The challenger therefore sought to keep the contest at long and middle range, using his right lead from the southpaw position and moving away after completing his attacks. Londas, an orthodox boxer with far greater professional experience, had to close the distance before he could work effectively. He pressed forward, attempted to reduce the ring and looked to bring his shorter punches into play once Bredahl had been brought within reach.

The early portion of the contest was cautious and tactical. Bredahl relied upon movement and straight punching, making Londas reset before mounting another advance. The champion remained composed and did not allow the occasion or the partisan crowd to hurry him. His experience showed in how he kept applying pressure without following Bredahl in straight lines. The rounds were competitive rather than one-sided, and Londas’s success in getting close ensured that the challenger could not merely circle the ring and collect points without opposition.

During the middle rounds, Bredahl’s greater reach and southpaw angles became increasingly important. He was generally the quicker man to the target and was able to score before moving out of the path of Londas’s reply. Londas continued to pursue him and had sufficient success to keep the decision in doubt, particularly when Bredahl remained in front of him after punching. The Frenchman’s strength and persistence made the younger boxer work throughout each round. Neither man was badly shaken, and neither gained the benefit of a knockdown that might have separated an otherwise closely scored contest.

The pattern continued through the closing rounds. Londas tried to force the pace, knowing a decision in Copenhagen might depend on his ability to finish decisively. Bredahl resisted the invitation to engage in an unnecessary exchange. He returned to his jab, kept his feet moving and sought to answer the champion’s advances with the cleaner single blows and short combinations. The Danish boxer finished the scheduled distance without showing serious physical damage, while Londas remained strong enough to contest the result until the final bell.

The majority verdict indicated that the officials had not seen a decisive victory. Two considered Bredahl’s cleaner work and control of distance sufficient to take the championship; the third could not separate the fighters. No stoppage controversy, foul, or knockdown influenced the outcome. The decision rested upon whether Bredahl’s accuracy and movement were valued above Londas’s pressure and attempts to make the fight at closer quarters.

Bredahl’s victory completed an uncommon championship double for the family. Jimmi and Johnny Bredahl became the first pair of brothers to win professional world titles on the same programme, and the Copenhagen crowd had watched both achievements over the full 12-round distance. The WBO was only four years old and had not yet acquired the standing of the WBA, WBC and IBF, but the victories were nevertheless important events in modern Danish professional boxing.

Jimmi Bredahl made one successful defence, outpointing Renato Cornett in Copenhagen in September 1993. He remained champion until March 1994, when Oscar De La Hoya stopped him after ten rounds in Los Angeles. Londas continued boxing after losing the title but did not regain a world championship. Their contest at Parken was not settled by a dramatic punch or a late collapse; it was decided by Bredahl’s ability to use his height, southpaw stance and movement well enough to take two of the three official votes from a seasoned champion.

Jimmi Bredahl earned this decision because he made better use of the ring. Daniel Londas was vastly more experienced, a former European champion and a tough little pressure fighter, but at 38 he had to chase a younger, taller southpaw who understood distance. Bredahl’s straight punching and movement were the cleaner work, even if Londas kept it close enough to produce a majority verdict.

The real attraction was the occasion. Johnny Bredahl had already won the WBO super-flyweight title earlier that evening, leaving Jimmi to complete an extraordinary double before 6,000 noisy Danes at Parken. The WBO was still a young organisation, and its belts did not carry the authority of the WBC, WBA or IBF, so let’s not rewrite history. Even so, beating an experienced champion after only 12 professional fights was a proper achievement. Bredahl boxed intelligently and deserved his title.