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The extended visit to Thailand has been a microcosm of Laursen's life
in the professional fight game, thus far. The emotional ups have come with their share of downs,
fulfilled promises with a share of letdowns.
Originally pushed to train at the age of 15 by his brother Christian when the pair were residing in their homeland, Laursen beat back any opposition that crossed his path in the early days of his amateur career, eventually earning the Danish national championship. In 1998, he made the jump to the professional ranks during his first visit to Thailand. It was nothing short of a nerve wrecking event, according to the fighter. "It was a crazy experience being in the ring with a huge crowd going nuts and this guy in the opposite corner who wants to kill me and who almost did," admits Laursen. To top it off, he was forced to don little six ounce gloves during the professional debut and was matched up with a Thai native. After being dominated by his opponent for the majority of the fight, Laursen's killer instinct helped him turn things around and score a fifth round knockout. "He was kicking my ass for almost the whole fight, and then I just turned it on," he says. The pace at which Lauren progressed after that first showing accelerated. "Originally, it was my goal to |
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| become a professional world champion in the sport of Muay Thai by the age of 25, but that happened when I was 24," he says. After gaining the favor of a unanimous decision over Thailand's Khunpon Keasumrit in Los Angeles, California, in February 2001, Laursen was crowned the International Muay Thai Council (IMTC) super welterweight champion. | |