COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Hamza Hussein won a unanimous decision over the slick Niklas Rasanen on Saturday here at Hotel Scandic Sluseholmen in a close, tense, tactical affair and an all-southpaw cruiserweight bout that never broke open.

Denmark’s Hussein, 9-0 (3 KOs), kept jabbing and had some success with his left hand. Finland’s Rasanen, 17-4-1 (10 KOs), showed good skills, footwork and clever boxing, but he just didn't work enough and fell behind on points.

After four rounds (and with the fight falling under WBC open scoring rules), the scores read 40-36 on all cards for Hussein, and after eight, it was 79-73 (twice) and 80-72 in the same direction. In the end, the scores went 98-92, 97-93 and 99-91 – all to Hussein. BoxingScene had it 97-93 for Hussein.

Rasanen stalked his opponent in the final two rounds, but it was too little too late. After having his best days at super middleweight, Rasanen remains competitive but perhaps lacks the strength and punch to make it at cruiserweight.

Earlier on the card, super middleweight Oliver Zaren showed he is ready for bigger things as he stopped Samuel Cavret in the fourth round of a scheduled eight-rounder.

Zaren, 16-0 (7 KOs), floored his opponent with a straight right and then followed up with a barrage of punches, topped by a left hook. France’s Cavret (8-4-1, 1 KO) went down a second time, and the fight was stopped without a count. Zaren had won the first three rounds, but Cavret stood up well to him. Oliver walked into some stiff counters but took them well.

Heavyweight Mathias Hansen moved to 7-0 (5 KOs) with an easy stoppage of Elvis Smajlovic. Both men appeared to have lost some weight for the fight, but Hansen's punches were fast and precise while Smajlovic took a beating. Bosnia’s Smajlovic, 17-19-1 (9 KOs), was floored three times before it was over at 2:57 of the first round.

For Denmark’s Hansen, it was his fourth fight in a row ending in the first round – though each has come against rather soft opponents.

Ukraine heavyweight Nikolay Piddubnyy, 2-0 (2 KOs) had an easy go of it against the inept Tomas Makula.

Unable to take punishment to the body, Czech Republic’s Makula, 3-1 (3 KOs), took two standing eight counts and a knockdown in the opening frame. Although against the rules, the referee issued the standing-eight rather than stopping the fight when Makula turned around and left himself unprotected. It was over at 2.26 of the first round.

Norway heavyweight Brage Lange opened the show with an easy first-round knockout of Marko Vucevic in a scheduled six-rounder.

Croatia’s Vucevic, 5-6 (4 KOs), started well enough but soon tired and was floored three times before it was over at 2:30 of the first. Lange, 5-0 (5 KOs), showed improvement and looks better with each fight.