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It was the "new school" in Laursen that made two opponents feel his wrath in one day during The
Kings Birthday tournament. Twenty-four-year-old Nordin of Romania became his first victim. "He
came out looking real aggressive and tried to gain the upperhand, but the first round didn't last
long," says Laursen, who cut his opponent down with an overhand right, followed by a left
knee to the midsection. When Nordin recovered, Laursen struck again with a left hook to the
body and another knee to the midsection that prompted the Romanian to quit. "I just knew that
I came all this way, and I said there's no way I'm gonna lose now."
Laursen followed up the brutal knockout by putting the screws to Sudan's Faisal Muhamad, a fighter who reportedly weighed in over the tournament's 160-pound limit. "This guy was like 165. He usually fights around 175. They wouldn't even let him step on the scale. They were just like, 'He made it; he made it.' I was like, 'how did he make it," laughs Laursen. Towering over Laursen by a good head, Muhamad attempted to use long knees to his advantage. However, the Danishman |
| didn't back down. "He didn't really know how to use his knees," assesses Laursen. "I went into the clinch with him and tried to outknee him, and I did. I just kept working him and working him with the knees." Laursen kept the pressure on his opponent with repeated body punches after the clinching ended. Finally, he went upstairs with a right hand in the second round and stunned his opponent. The referee soon stopped the bout, giving Laursen both the win by technical knockout and first prize in what was changed from an eight man to a four man tournament. | |