Brooklyn Andresen's arm is held aloft as he claimed a unanimous victory in Melbourne.
Shepparton’s Brooklyn Andresen claimed a stunning unanimous decision victory in his maiden professional fight in Melbourne - before dedicating the win to the late Dwight Ritchie.
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Forming part of the “Pretender to Contender” event at the city’s Pavilion, the 23-year-old was tasked with translating his wealth of experience at amateur level to the big stage in front of a capacity crowd of over 2000 spectators.
The pugilist known as “Kid Brook” has long been earmarked as a prodigious talent - having previously fought as far afield as Norway, Poland and Iceland following his beginnings in the Goulburn Valley.
All roads have led to Victoria’s state capital, with May 2 representing Andresen’s date with destiny, as Emirhan Cosar looked to prevent the Team Ellis talent claiming a debut victory.
In the red corner for this landmark affair, the boy wonder was flanked by long-term coach and mentor Damian Morgan, while friends and family from Shepparton gathered ring-side were in fine voice as they looked to cheer their hometown hero on to glory.
Emerging into a fervent atmosphere at the Pavilion, “Kid Brook” was in no mood to let down the passionate support that had traversed 200km to witness his debut professional bout in the super-welterweight division.
In round one of four, Andresen put down a marker as he landed a robust early blow to announce himself in the most palpable way possible - with Cosar provided with a reminder of his opponent’s punching power.
Following an energetic display in those opening three minutes, the prodigy looked to press home the early advantage in round two - landing enough shots to leave his adversary needing a major response in the second half of the bout to prevent an onslaught.
Staring defeat in the face, 13 Rounds Gym scrapper Cosar did rally back in round three, landing a strong overhand as he refused to go down without a fight - setting the scene for a tense final three minutes.
Closing out an entertaining test of mettle, Andresen demonstrated tactical nous, connecting throughout in the fourth round as he looked to see out a certain victory via a points decision.
Neither side looked to lay claim to victory as the curtain came down on the match - but there was no doubting the jubilation of Shepparton’s famous son as his arm was raised aloft by announcer Mitchell Orval as he was crowned the victor via a unanimous points decision.
Brooklyn Andresen dispatched of his opponent over the four rounds in Melbourne.
On the scorecards, judge Scott Maitland had the fight 39-37 in Andresen’s favour, with Andrew Bartlett following suit in that regard, while Brett McCormick deemed “Kid Brook” to have edged the affair, 40-36.
After delivering on his billing in Melbourne, the emerging Goulburn Valley star paid tribute to his roots, while expressing gratitude towards his travelling army of fans, alongside the unsung heroes who have been central to his rise to prominence.
Speaking in the ring in the aftermath of the fight, he also admitted Cosar was “amazing” on the night.
“In the first round after I hit him with some shots, he was hard as hell, he’s tough as nails - he did really well over the four rounds,” the humble pugilist said.
“It’s been an incredible turnout, all of my mates from Shepparton, my coaches and Team Ellis - what a team.”
“I’d like to dedicate this fight to the late Dwight ‘Cowboy’ Ritchie, his name is printed on my shorts, rest in peace.”
Andresen was taken under the wing of Ritchie as a teenager, with the latter having helped to provide his protégé with the platform to launch a professional career prior to his untimely passing in 2019.
After this full-circle moment, as he came of age in the ring nearly six years following Ritchie’s untimely death, his disciple reflected on a strong showing on the canvas in an exclusive interview with the News.
“Obviously, all my training and preparation paid off as it was a tough four rounds and I had to dig deep.
“I got a bit ahead of myself in the first round - hit him with some good shots - and I thought ‘I’m gonna put him away here’ but he’s tough as nails.
“He went the full four (rounds) and put my fitness to the test and I was able to do it!”
Describing what he learned from this debut win, Andresen acknowledged that he will not be resting on his laurels any time soon.
“I got a taste of blood in that first round and thought ‘get on him, get on him’ but he survived it all,” he added.
“In it’s own way, it was good that it was a tough one as it opens my eyes to what I need to do next for my later fights!”
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