By Elliot Foster

Nieky Holzken has vowed to come back stronger after defeat to Callum Smith on Saturday.

The Dutchman, 34, stepped in to face the 27-year-old Brit in the semi-final of the World Boxing Super Series tournament at super-middleweight at the Arena Nürnberger Versicherung.

Smith had been set to come up against Jürgen Brähmer in the second World Boxing Super Series semi-final, but that clash was scrapped on Tuesday morning when it was revealed that the former two-time light-heavyweight king had the flu and was forced to withdraw from the contest.

Holzken, a former kickboxer who was most recently in action on February 3 and had been set to face Dmitrii Chudinov –– who beat Sergey Khomitsky in the end –– on the undercard to Smith’s tussle against Brähmer, but he was drafted in to face ‘Mundo’.

And despite being on the wrong end of a unanimous decision in Germany by margins of 118-110 and 117-111 twice, ‘The Natural’ believes he will be a better fighter in future for the experience.

“I felt really good,” he said in the post-fight press conference. “I got the chance and I took it with both hands. I gave my best to defeat Callum, who I owe a lot of respect to, and he threw a lot but he was also on the defence a lot.

“He caught me, I caught him and I think it was a hell of a fight. My condition is very, very good and Callum is a great fighter, but I won more than I lost in the fight [in terms of reputation].”

‘Mundo’, the WBC Diamond champion, will now go on to face WBA Super world champion George Groves in the final of the Ali Trophy, which is set for June 2 at the O2 Arena in London.