Editing Brian Nielsen (boxer) (section)

==Professional career==
After his  win over 41-year-old ex-[[World Boxing Association]] champion [[James 'Bonecrusher' Smith]] in October 1994, Nielsen began to attract attention. He went on to hold the minor [[International Boxing Organization|IBO]] belt during an unbeaten streak equaling that of legend [[Rocky Marciano]]. He later held the minor IBC belt.

===Tyson fight===
On 13 October 2001, Nielsen fought [[Mike Tyson]] at the [[Parken Stadium]] in [[Copenhagen]]. After six rounds heavily in Tyson's favour, Nielsen quit on his stool citing an eye injury. Nielsen was knocked down once in the third round.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Coleman |first1=Joe |title=Ex-heavyweight contender claims Mike Tyson only beat him after headbutting him and Evander Holyfield was better |url=https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/752496/mike-tyson-brian-nielsen-record-headbutt-evander-holyfield-fighter-boxing-news/ |work=talkSPORT |date=7 August 2021}}</ref>

===Announced comeback and Holyfield fight===
On February 8, 2010, Brian Nielsen told reporters that he was prepared to return to the ring, after 8 years of absence,<ref>{{cite news |title=Super-Brian på vej til comeback |url=http://spn.dk/andensport/boksning/article1973969.ece |newspaper=Jyllands-Posten |date=2010-02-09}}</ref> and that a proposed fight against [[Evander Holyfield]] had been met with interest by both sides.<ref>{{cite news |title=Holyfield: Det lyder som en "great fight" |url=http://spn.dk/andensport/boksning/article1974118.ece |newspaper=Jyllands-Posten |date=2010-02-09}}</ref> Though originally thought unrealistic by former promoter [[Mogens Palle]], due to Nielsen's bad knee,<ref>{{cite news |title=Palle: Comeback helt ude i hampen |url=http://spn.dk/andensport/boksning/article1974238.ece |newspaper=Jyllands-Posten |date=2010-02-09}}</ref> Nielsen's comeback was confirmed by Nielsen's promoter [[Wilfried Sauerland|Sauerland Event]] on June 1, 2010.

Nielsen met Holyfield on May 7, 2011 in a World Boxing Federation (WBF) title bout, in Copenhagen. Holyfield won the fight, knocking Nielsen down in the 3rd with a left hook and stopping him by TKO in the 10th.

=== Match throwing incident ===

Controversy arose in early 2004, when journeyman heavyweight Thomas Williams stated that he had been bribed to throw his fight against Nielsen in March, 2000. Along with promoter Robert Mitchell, Williams was indicted by the [[United States District Court for the District of Nevada]] for [[match fixing]] in order to promote the career of Richie Melito, and it was during the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI's]] investigation of that case that Williams admitted to intentionally losing to Nielsen. The fix was arranged by promoter Robert Mittleman, a frequent associate of Nielsen's promoter Mogens Palle, who later confessed that he had been paid $1,000, while Williams had received "up to $40,000" from Palle in order to lose the fight. Williams, Mitchell and Mittleman were all found guilty of sports bribery by the court in November and December, 2004.<ref>{{cite news|title=FIGHTER, BOXING PROMOTER CONVICTED OF SPORTS BRIBERY |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nv/home/pressrelease/november2004/mitchell110804.htm |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |date=2004-11-04 |accessdate=2007-07-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715024251/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nv/home/pressrelease/november2004/mitchell110804.htm |archivedate=2007-07-15 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=BOXING PROMOTER SENTENCED FOR FIXING FIGHTS |url=http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nv/home/pressrelease/december2004/mittleman120604.htm |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |date=2004-11-04 |accessdate=2007-07-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715024459/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nv/home/pressrelease/december2004/mittleman120604.htm |archivedate=2007-07-15 }}</ref>

The Nielsen vs. Williams fight was the 57th of Nielsen's career. Nielsen and Mogens Palle denied any knowledge of the match fixing, and were not charged of any wrongdoing by American or Danish authorities.