News

BRAEHMER REGAINS EBU BELT

Unanimous decision over defending champion Gutknecht

By Per-Ake Persson

February 2, Berlin, Germany:

The man once named the best talent in German boxing in 100 years, Jürgen Brähmer, shows the wear and tear of a long career but won the EBU lightheavy title with a unanimous decision over defending champion, Eduard Gutknecht after a hardfought, heated and exciting no knockdown affair. Brähmer, a southpaw, was the better boxer but Gutknecht worked harder and didn´t give his opponent any room. There was a lot of holding, pushing and wrestling on the inside and Gutknecht got most of the blame and had a point deducted in the ninth. Brähmer, cut by the right eye in the fourth, overplayed the incidents. At the end it was scored 116-113, 117-110 and 116-111. This was also a WBO eliminator.

Lightheavy Robert Woge, 11-0, won the vacant IBF I/C title with an exciting and hardfought eleventh round tko win over Frenchman Hakim Zoulikha, 18-4. The two traded hard punches throughout with Woge busier but Zoulikha sharper. In the eleventh Woge connected with a tremendous left hook and Zoulikha went down on all four. He was gone but somehow staggered to his feet and referee Randy Neumann waved them on with the Frenchman out on his feet. Neumann stopped the action again to check on Zoulikha and then waved it on again but as Woge attacked Hakim sat down apparently with the idea of getting a longer rest but now the referee stopped the fight and the French corner protested but their man was out of this world.

After ten it was scored 96-94, 98-92 and 99-91 for Woge, who may not be the best fighter in the Sauerland stable but he his certainly the most exciting.

Time of the stoppage was 2.25.

Lightheavy Dustin Dirks, 27-0, stopped American Christian Cruz, 12-14-1, at 1.17 in the third of a scheduled eight rounder. Cruz was cut on the bridge of the nose early in the first and the cut kept bleeding. Dirks staggered his opponent with two heavy rights and Cruz´s cornerman waved the towel and retired his man. Cruz wasn´t in serious problem but had big problems with his by now busted and cut nose.

Unbeaten lightheavy Tyron Zeuge, 6-0 (5), impressed in stopping tough Serb Srdjan Mihajlovic, 6-5, at 2.36 of the first in a scheduled six-rounder. Zeuge floored his opponent with a perfect right counter as Mihajlovic attacked. Srdjan went down heavily but made it up before ten but was correctly stopped by the referee.

Dominik Britsch, 27-1-1, made his debut at supermiddle and outscored Spaniard Luis Crespo over eight. It was scored 78-72, 79-72 and 78-71. Crespo, 8-4-1, had points deducted for low blows in rounds five and eight. Britsch started well but appears to have a stamina problem as he again faded midway through the fight and Crespo appeared to get the once touted German under some pressure.

Lightheavy Enrico Kolling, 4-0, outscored Lithuanian Egidijus Kakstys, 3-12-2, over six. Kolling won every round but could never hurt his stubborn opponent.

British cruiser Deion Jumah opened Sauerland Event´s big show at the Max Schmeling Hall with a first round knockout of Lithuanian Ruslan Bitarov. Jumah, in his prodebet, controlled the action all the way working behind his southpaw and took out his opponent at the end of the round with southpaw left hook to the body. It was scheduled for four.

By Per-Åke Persson