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World Boxing Federation (WBF)
World Light Heavyweight Champion
Tony Averlant retained his title
on Friday night, March 6, with a
unanimous decision over American
challenger Shawn Miller at the
Salle Du Palais des Sports in
Saint Quentin, France.
In a sometimes messy encounter,
promoted by Pascal Cordier and
Bleu Ciel Production, Averlant
and Miller each tried to apply
their tactics, but it was the
boxing of the champion which
prevailed over the pressure and
brawling of the challenger.
Miller, who was deducted a point
in round ten due to a head-but,
was always dangerous and
determined, but never really
managed to get a hold of the
clever-boxing Averlant, who did
what he had to do to score
points and win a majority of the
rounds.
In the end, judges Sergio Sotelo
(Mexico) and Brahim Ait Aaid
(Belgium) both scored the fight
116-111, while judge Jean-Marcel
Nartz (Germany) had it a little
closer at 115-112, all in favor
of Averlant. Referee was
Christophe Hembert (France).
31-year-old Averlant, who won
the WBF world title last May by
defeating German Serdar Sahin,
improved his professional record
to 21-8-2 (4), and Miller (32),
the current WBF North American
Champion from Troy, New York,
falls to 14-2-1 (5).
Also on Friday March 6, on a
show televised live throughout
Europe on Eurosport from the
Bruno Gehrke Halle in Berlin,
Germany, Algerian Zine Eddine
Benmakhlouf captured the vacant
World Boxing Federation (WBF)
World Cruiserweight title,
beating Hungarian Gabor Halasz.
Having won the WBF
Intercontinental title in a
mediocre performance last
December, Benmakhlouf made
something of a statement by
coming out determined from the
first bell, and impressively
stopping the usually tough
Halasz in the very first round.
After cutting off the ring
nicely, a perfectly placed
over-hand right from Benmakhlouf
knocked Halasz out cold, and
referee Zbigniew Lagosz
immediately waved the fight off
without counting as the
Hungarian dramatically crashed
to the canvas.
This was the fourth straight
victory for Benmakhlouf, since
dropping a decision to legendary
former WBF world Champion Roy
Jones Jr. in December 2013, and
the crowning moment of a
professional career that started
almost eleven years ago.
The new world champion, based in
and fighting out of France, is
now 21-4-1 (11), while Halasz
lost for the first time in ten
fights and drops to 36-16 (15).
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