COMMON GOAL
Fielding stops Zeuge on away turf to prove he belongs among the leading supermiddles, writes Mark Whiteside
Two years in, the Alliance continues to pursue its vision of amateur boxing
A on the German’s home turf to win a watered-down version of the WBA supermiddleweight strap at the Baden-arena. Fighting outside the UK for the first time as a professional, the Liverpudlian thoroughly deserved the plaudits after halting Zeuge in the fifth round.
Roared on by his travelling contingent, Fielding weathered an aggressive start by Zeuge before asserting control, punishing the Berliner with two-fisted volleys as he darted in. Zeuge, who knocked Fielding’s head back with a left hand in the third, looked extremely vulnerable in the fourth when he found himself on the end of a prolonged attack.
Fielding upped the ante in the fifth, forcing Zeuge to the ropes before catching him with an expertly timed left uppercut. Zeuge was in desperate trouble, and when another left uppercut landed, followed by a shot to the body, a shot Fielding and trainer Jamie Moore were seen practising beforehand, he dropped to the canvas. Zeuge’s trainer, Juergen Braehmer, threw in the towel before referee Russell Mora could complete the count. The official time of the stoppage was 2-30.
This was a strange event from the outset, not least because it clashed with the third-place playoff of the football World Cup. When the fight was originally announced, Germany were still heavily favoured to reach the last four. Had that been the case, interest in this promotion would have been practically zero.
Following the recent successes of compatriots Sebastian Vettel at Silverstone and Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon, many felt that Zeuge would play his part in salvaging an otherwise forgettable sporting summer. When he didn’t, the catcalling began. First up was Braehmer, suggesting in a television interview that managerial incompetence and insufficient time to prepare had been a factor in Zeuge’s loss, and that no rematch had been stipulated despite this being a voluntary defence.
Promoter Wilfried Sauerland was quick to counter, claiming that Zeuge had wanted the match in July, and that their relationship with the boxer had deteriorated since Braehmer had taken over as trainer.
Handbags? Sour grapes? Dirty washing? Whatever is behind the unrest, Rocky
THE PUNCH ROCKY HAD BEEN PRACTISING DROPPED ZEUGE
Fielding will be the last person to worry.
So the hunt is on for a new flagbearer for German boxing, and Leon Bunn may be the ideal candidate to fill the berth. The charismatic light-heavyweight from Frankfurt still has a way to go before he reaches the top level, but in the Romedomiciled Ukrainian Serhiy Demchenko he faced the perfect opponent for this stage of his career. Demchenko is strong, experienced and resilient. Despite a rather leaky defence, which Bunn pierced at will with his jab, the former two-time European title challenger remained in Bunn’s face for the duration of this 10-rounder.
Bunn picked his punches well, administering a short right followed by a left uppercut in the fourth, before increasing the pace later in the contest. Demchenko fought back stoically, firing off lefts and rights from close-range and even bloodying the German’s mouth.
It was, though, an excellent test for Bunn, and one he came through with aplomb. All three judges rewarded him with a 99-91 verdict. Joerg Milke refereed.
Woodville super-middle Zach Parker will be content after outpointing Serbia’s
Geard Ajetovic over eight clear, albeit keenly contested rounds. Parker, making his second appearance on German soil, made a cagey start but upped the tempo towards the middle frames. He worked his jab well, usually from an orthodox position, although he was happy to switch stances. The Derbyshire man also demonstrated impressive footwork, nimbly keeping out of range as his seasoned opponent struggled to figure him out. Ajetovic, despite shipping every round, was still a tricky proposition. Sixteen knockouts in 31 victories suggests that he can fight a bit, and Parker had to keep his wits about him as the veteran attempted to land his own shots. Despite never threatening a knockout, Parker landed some hurtful punches. He caught Ajetovic with a wellplaced right in third as the Serbian was turning back to face the action, while a splendid left to the chin in the fifth was followed up with a solid right hand. Ajetovic, outclassed but willing to engage, had a moment of success when he caught Parker with a sneaky right in the penultimate session. It wasn’t enough to pinch the round though, and the judges predictably posted 80-72 three times. Mr Milke officiated.
Denis Radovan, Cologne’s heralded super-middleweight, may have been coming off a first-round stoppage win, but after his victory over Estonia’s Pavel
Semjonov, there’s very little to suggest that he’s going to develop into one of the division’s power-punchers.
The muscled Semjonov was technically proficient but, like Radovan, not a concussive hitter. This inevitably led to eight rounds of boxing in which Radovan held enough of an advantage to secure a 79-73 (twice) and 80-72 decision. Holger Weimann was the referee. Stuttgart-based super-middleweight
Xhek Paskali, born in Albania, appeared to be on course for the first stoppage victory of his fledgling professional career after flooring Italy’s Marco Miano in each of the two opening rounds, but in the end was forced to complete all six against his shaven-skulled opponent.
Paskali was technically sound and controlled the centre of the ring against Miano, a come-forward-at-any-cost type. Paskali’s uppercuts caused Miano one or two problems, while the left hook was responsible for both knockdowns. The judges returned 60-52 (twice) and 60-51. Mr Wiemann was in charge.
THE VERDICT Fielding does everything that is asked of him on foreign soil. Tough tests may now await back home in England.