On Saturday evening (Feb. 21) in Denmark, two heavy weights of the poker world took to the boxing ring to settle a bet. Not long after the final table of the EPT Scandinavian Open played out, and nineteen-year-old Jens Kyllonen was crowned champion, the crowds began to flock to the stadium in Copenhagen for an event which seemed to get more attention than the tournament itself.
Locals Gus Hansen and Theo Jorgensen laid $35,000 on the line, with a handicap, meaning Hansen would only get $25,000 if he won. The two Danes did not have to worry about being late for the fight or ill-prepared, as both busted early in the main event.
A massive crowd filled with a mix of poker players, sporting fans, and Danish celebrities awaited their arrival. Their starring role was built up by pre-main event exhibition fights, with footballers, wrestlers, and actors taking to the ring to spar it out. The nation’s chart-toppers and top entertainment acts also performed, so by the time good friends Jorgensen and Hansen appeared on the scene, the crowd was well oiled.
Those who thought the fight would be a farce, where two good friends would not put 100 percent into hurting each other, and others who thought two poker players couldn’t possibly make for good boxing or entertainment… They were all totally and utterly wrong. Theo "The Thunder" Jorgensen arrived to the tune of "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, while Gus "The Great Dane" Hansen took the humorous approach and appeared in a wheelchair (due to his dodgy knee) with Culture Club’s "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" filling the air.
They whole-heartedly went at each other for three rounds, and when with bruised bodies and bloody faces they emerged, it looked like a close call. Everyone awaited the final winner’s announcement while opposing spectators battled each other chanting "Theo" and "Gustav". It was Jorgensen who came out trumps and Hansen took it like a man, congratulating his friend and saying, "The best man won!"
It seems only fair that Jorgensen got something out of the fight, since it coincided with Hansen’s launch of his new site GusHansenTV.com which aired the fight live.
