Unheralded German Viktor Dick, a
last minute substitute for Omar
Siala, caused a huge shock at
the Calafatti hall in Vienna,
Austria last Saturday (June 26),
battling local hero Gogi
Knezevic to an absolute
standstill and winning the World
Boxing Federation
Intercontinental Middleweight
title in a major upset.
While Knezevic, who was expected
to win on his way to a world
title shot against Kreshnik Qato,
the Albanian World Boxing
Federation champion, had a
glittering record of 18-2-1 to
match his silver trunks, Dick
could easily be underestimated
with his 10-10 record coming in.
But in contrast to Knezevic, he
had stepped in with anyone
coming his way and was thus a
hardened warrior. He never took
a backward step and after
holding his own pretty well over
the first four rounds, he
basically took over from the
fifth onwards.
Knezevic was deducted a point in
round eight for repeatedly
spitting out his gumshield and
was finally and mercifully
halted, a completely spend force
by then, by referee Ernst
Salzgeber at 2:38 min. of the
tenth round. After nine rounds,
judges Erwin Straub and Willi
Vogl had the hometown favourite
behind 87:84 and 87:83
respectively, while the third
judge, Josef Temml, came up with
a rather strange 85:85 score.
In the second World Boxing
Federation title fight on this
bill, Swiss-Albanian Sefer
Seferi, now 11-0 (10), had no
problems easily brushing aside
Hungary’s Viktor Szalai, also a
last-minute substitute for Adnan
Buharalija, in just two rounds
of a mismatch. Referee Salzgeber
stopped the carnage after three
knockdowns at 1:31 of the second
round and expectedly awarded
Seferi the WBFed
Intercontinental cruiserweight
crown.
WBFed president Howard Goldberg
of South Africa was ringside and
said: “Seferi is a very strong
and exiting fighter. When he
next defends the title against
top opponents, I am sure he will
show a lot and make quite some
headlines.” |
