THE SALOON CLOSES
In what was surely Smith’s last chance, Zeuge dominates. Mark Whiteside reports.
WHILE recording a second successful defence of his WBA super-middleweight bauble (secondary, unnecessary version), Tyron Zeuge delivered perhaps the finest performance of his career to date with a dominating showing against Liverpool’s Paul Smith.
Smith, in what was widely considered to be his last chance at world level, claimed that he would use his experience to drag Zeuge into treacherous waters. As it transpired, the 25-year-old from Berlin proved to be too quick and too precise for the British veteran who only enjoyed brief moments of success, and was made to look ponderous in the face of Zeuge’s activity. The Brit appeared ragged towards the end of a gruelling contest in which Zeuge jabbed and countered excellently.
A case can be made for awarding the third round to Smith after he twice caught Zeuge with a solid right, and the 11th, in which, after throwing caution to the wind in a desperate attempt to turn the fight, he landed another heavy right. Few will quarrel, though, with the three unanimous verdicts of 119-108, reflecting a further point deduction from Smith’s tally for a disputed, but ultimately academic knockdown in the final round. “He was a younger, fresher, smarter fighter tonight, I was trying to do what I needed to do but it just didn’t work,” a devastated Smith told Sky Sports. “I felt I was getting more into it [late on], which is what [trainer] Joe [Gallagher] said, it was our fight and it was where we wanted him. But he was throwing sharp, fast shots – not really anything in them but they just offset you.”
The Scouser, 34, will make a decision on his future at a later date.
Now fighting under the watchful eye of Ulli Wegner, there’s a possibility that Berlin’s Stefan Härtel will go far as a professional. Regardless of his unquestionable technical ability though, he will need to be more assertive if he is to defeat higher level fighters.
His light-heavyweight 10-rounder against the Berkshire-based Gambian Patrick Mendy was a case in point. Härtel deserved the 96-93 (twice), 95-94 unanimous verdict against an admittedly awkward opponent, but a reluctance to follow up on his good work, such as in the penultimate round when he shook the African with three superbly delivered left hooks, probably cost him a rare stoppage.
The Smith family can at least take some solace from the evening after younger brother Stephen Smith, in his first outing since losing to Jason Sosa in November, stopped Hungary’s Karoly
Gallovich in the first round of their super-featherweight six-rounder.
Two left hooks and a right hook to the midriff sent Gallovich down for an eight-count, and shortly after another left to the body deposited Gallovich on his back, where he was counted out at 1-12. At super-middleweight, Denis
Radovan of Cologne secured a 60-54 (three times) decision after six rounds against Zagreb’s Josip Duric. Radovan pressed the action, and demonstrated impressive variability, attacking both body and head from close quarters.
Duric was willing, but lacked finesse and obliged Radovan with his rudimentary defensive skills. Given a couple more rounds, the German would surely have forced a stoppage. Frankfurt light-heavyweight Leon Bunn made it five stoppages in as many fights after halting Hungary’s Laszlo Ivanyi in the fifth of six scheduled rounds.
Perhaps somewhat over-exuberant in the early stages, Bunn quickly found his rythym and peppered the switchhitting Ivanyi with his sharp jab and quick combinations. Just as it looked as if the tough visitor would last the distance, Bunn unleashed a right uppercut to the body which not only floored Ivanyi, but also left him in too much discomfort to continue. Referee Jörg Milke completed the count at 2-24.
Patrick Wojcicki had Henri Kekalainen in desperate trouble in the opening of their six-round meeting at middleweight, catching the Finn with a left hook and following up with a barrage of punches, but Kekalainen was able to weather the storm and exhibited remarkable durability to stay the course with the harder hitting and technically more adept man from Wolfsburg. By the middle rounds, though, Kekalainen had settled down and was using his reach advantage to pose the odd question of Wojcicki. Nevertheless, Wojcicki was worthy of the unanimous 60-54 (three times) decision.
Cruiserweight prospect Emir Ahmatovic wasted no time in defeating Ihar Karaveau of Belarus. Karaveau went down three times in the opening round (six were scheduled) before Mr Milke halted proceedings at 2-47.
The surprise of the evening was the Gateshead-based Fijian Jone Volau’s victory over unbeaten heavyweight, Burak Sahin. Despite a good start by the boxer from Berlin, Volau rattled him in the third round, and then followed up with a barrage, prompting referee Milke’s intervention at 2-36.
THE VERDICT Smith has run out of chances, while Zeuge shows improvement.