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Henriksson: "Kessler Is My
Biggest Inspiration"
Swedish amateur star Hampus Henriksson makes his debut
tomorrow night against Ivan Sakic at the Rosvalla Stora
Ishallen at the Nyköpings Arenor in Nyköping, Sweden. Ahead
of his professional bow, the 21 year-old reveals his
greatest inspirations and love of poetry.
"I’m very inspired by Mikkel Kessler," says Henriksson. ‘’He
was a great boxer, who had an amazing career. I’ve met when
sparring with Danish fighter Abdul Khattab. He was very
humble and down to earth.
"I really hope that I can become a multiple world champion
like Kessler someday. I will work hard for it. That's what I
want to achieve. There is obviously a long way to go, but I
have time ahead of me."
For now, Henriksson’s focus is on Saturday night where he
joins compatriot Erik Skoglund on the bill for Team
Sauerland’s historic Swedish event.
"Erik is another boxer I look up to,’’ he says. ‘’He is very
important for the Swedish boxing and has paved the way for
many of us. He is truly a talented athlete.”
The third name in Henriksson's inspirational trio is
Sylvester Stallone's boxing hero Rocky Balboa. "It was the
Rocky movies that inspired me to become a boxer, when I was
12 years old," says the young fighter.
"I played football, but I was not very good. And I do like
to win! Then I starting boxing and everything fell into
place. It was as if I was always meant to be a boxer. That
is really how it felt, and I was told that I had talent."
The Flyinge-boxer's amateur career was successful: three
times Swedish elite champion, Nordic youth champion and over
40 appearances for the Swedish national team, including
participation at the World Championships in Kazakhstan in
2013. Now, he is ready to make the transition into the paid
ranks.
"The gloves are thinner and the events are bigger, but I’m
ready to make the transition from amateur to professional,’’
said Henriksson.
In preparation, Henriksson has teamed up with Sauerland’s
star coach Joey Gamache and his assistant Vedran Akrap.
"The training has been really good. My defence has improved
my punches are getting better and I combine them better. I'm
actually impressed with how much I have already developed.’’
There is room for other things than boxing in Henrikssons
life, even though the professional sport requires tremendous
focus. He studies for example sports psychology.
"My motivation has improved after I started to gain insight
into the psychology of sport. I love to read. I cannot bear
to watch TV it makes me restless. Though Kessler’s fights
are something I have enjoyed watching on TV ... "
Besides boxing and psychology, there is room for poetry.
"Boxing is the life I love, but I travel a lot and I have
much time to think and to write," said Henriksson, who says
he writes up to five poems a day.
"When I was 15 I started to write because it was a way to
get out my feelings. In school we had to write a poem and I
began among others to read and study the poet Gustaf Fröding.
I tried to write a poem, and the poem was pretty good, and
so I have continued to write ever since."
Henriksson rarely writes about boxing, but in one of his
poems 'En nävernas monogam' you can sense his love of
boxing.
As he writes in the first stanzas:
When my hands start
It’s the song of my heart
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