Chez Nihell wins pro debut on Degale vs Eubank Jr undercard
Super soldier wins pro bow on points at The O2 in London
Chez Nihell, a Lance Corporal in the British Army, won his professional boxing debut 39-37 on points against opponent Kent Kauppinen (2-8) over four three-minute rounds at the cruiserweight limit.
The Army Sportsman of the Year 2018 from Aldershot had his wife Alanna in the corner, also a serving soldier and multiple amateur champion, as the winning team outpointed 'The Hammerhorn' three rounds to one on the DeGale – Eubank Jr undercard.
The Isle of Wight-born boxer said post-fight, "What a night! What an Experience for my debut, it was unreal. The O2 arena, televised fight, my bout was a floating fight so had to be ready all night and good to go at any time. Warmed up and cooled down three times before actually coming out!
"Shout out to my opponent Kent Kauppinen a dangerous opponent for my first fight, KO wins on his record against debut boxers and lots of MMA KO's. Tough man. I stuck to my boxing and felt comfortable for the first three rounds. The last round, he really brought the fight, it was a good intro to the pro ranks. No push overs. Starting off as we mean to carry on!
"But what really made it a special night was the support from everyone, my family friends and loved ones. My Army family, ABT family, Guildford City Gym family and UKAF family. Over 130 tickets where purchased from our team. People traveled from all over, it was unreal. The support pictures videos online and from people's front rooms, honestly it means the world and made the night, thank you.
"Shout out to my lead coach Johnny and adviser Ron for getting us on this bill. My corner seconds Kazy, Lenny and my wife Alanna. Also my sponsors team Crunk and West Lab. Looking forward to what's next!"
Nihell, 31, a member of The 27 Regiment Royal Logistics Corps, served in Afghanistan with The 1st Battalion Princess of Wales Royal Regiment and has been part of the Army Elite Boxing set-up since 2013. He unified English titles as an amateur and won the Armed Forces regional championships six years in a row and the Haringey Box Cup from 2015-2018 at two different weights.
Alanna is also a serving soldier as well as being a multiple amateur boxing national champion – she won three ABA lightweight titles, a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in 2014, and was the first female ever to captain the Army Elite Boxing Team, experiencing over 120 amateur fights where she boxed for Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland over 50 times.
Nihell trains at Guildford City Gym under the watchful eye of head coach Johnny Edwards.