Interview with Ole Laursen (April 2002)

Ole Bagio Laursen is a Danish fighter, now living in and fighting out of America. He is the brother of Christian Laursen and he recently fought in the recent K1-Middleweight North America tournament losing the final to Duane Ludwig. He is a natural 70 kilo fighter and holds the IMTC World SuperWelterweight title.

He teaches in San Diego - see the www.cityboxing.com web site for more details. Some photos taken from www.cityboxing.com.

Where were you born and how old are you?
I'm 24 years old, born in August 1977 in Manila,Philippines. I moved to Denmark when 2 years old.

> How did you get involved in the martial arts and later muaythai?
I got involved with muay thai through my older brother Christian who started tae kwon do at 12 and at 15 muay thai.
I was 15 also when I started.I fought 6 amateur fights before turning pro loosing my first I took a rest for a year came back and won 5 straight kos.

How big is muaythai in Denmark right now?
Muay thai in Denmark is a lot bigger now than it was 3 years ago and it is growing fast but compared to other countries...still small.

Why the move to America?
I came to the USA first of all to fight Khunpol Keasumrit for the world title but also because I felt that there is more money in the US.I felt that alot of guys were getting paid more than me and I knew i could beat them.

You beat Eval Denton to take the IKF European title, can you talk us through that fight?
When I fought Eval Denton I trained so hard with my brother..It was the biggest move for me at the time and I was the underdog.I believe I had had 12 fights at the time including my amateur ones.

Eval was my toughest fight at that time, he was strong and in shape. I had done a lot of clinching preparing for this fight and I like to use my knees and I think that was what helped me in that fight. Plus eval was very predictable throwing hands all the way through followed by right lowkick which i blocked and kept coming back with knees.But for sure at the time it was my toughest fight.

How did it feel to beat Khunphol to win your IMTC world title?
After that fight with Eval Denton I knew I wanted more but had no fights lined up. Also my brother told me to go take a few months off to think about what the next step would be.wWhen my brother told me about the fight against Khunpol i took it very seriously. The fight was scheduled for February 25th in Los Angeles, California.I went to Thailand already in November to train and in December and January to the Philippines to train boxing and then again back to Thailand a month before the fight and from there I went straight to LA.I had since my amateur career been a big fan of Melchor Menor and had corresponded with him through email these years and since I was now in his state I asked him to corner for me in this fight.Having Melchor in my corner meant a great deal to me and when I fought and beat Khunpol by unanimous decision I felt that it was the greatest moment of my life.

What was the K1 North American tournament like?

Fighting in the K1 was a big thing for me and I guess every middleweights dream. I trained hard for this fight but didn't take the height of Denver seriously enough.Also 10 days before my fight I got the flu....a bad thing but there was no way I could turn this fight down.I fought off the fever with tons of pills and went to Denver.

My first fight was easy,I caught the guy with an overhand right 30 secs into the first round and Jason Jillian was out.
Duane Ludwig also had an easy first fight and took his opponent out in 2nd round, so Dunae and I met in the final

First round i knocked down Duane with right overhand left knee. Duane got up and fought smart and got back in the fight. Second round I felt myself get tired already because of the altitude and prob because of my illness.Duane won that round. 3rd round was close - I felt that I won it though but judges scored the fight a draw making us fight the extra round.
That round I was sure I won and when they anounced the winner I was truely suprised when they said Duane by unanimus desicion? - but that's how it goes. I'm not taking anything away from Duane Ludvig ,he is a strong and smart fighter and I have the upmost respect for him.But I feel that had the fight not been in Denver, Colorado (Duane's hometown), and on his managers event, I would have won this fight.I am looking forward to the rematch and it will not be in Denver and I will hopefully not get sick before this great fight.

Is there anyone in particular you would like to fight right now?
Right now I am training to get ready for the NHB scene.I am in Hilo Hawaii training with BJ Penn and his brothers, we are trading skills and helping each other out a lot - I am learning a lot.

Of course I would like a rematch with Duane but there are a couple of other guys I want to fight. Kid Cope has a lot of hype these days,I would like to fight him. Cung Lee the San Shou guy is another - I would even fight San Shou rules. There is a new star in las vegas John Wayne Parr I would like to fight him.It would be an honor to fight him becuase i see him as a great fighter. But like I said I'm preparing to fight NHB and there is a few guys in that I would like to fight as well.

What are your short and long term amibitions in the sport?
I plan to fight until I don't feel the passion anymore and right now I love it!

Is there anything you would like to say in closing?
Thanks for the interview!

News just in - Ole will be fighting in a NHB fight in Hawaii - possibly the next SuperBrawl