Marco Huck (33-1, 24 KOs) defended his World Boxing Organization (WBO) Cruiserweight Title in dramatic fashion on Saturday night, knocking out tough challenger Hugo Hernan Garay (34-6, 18 KOs) after ten action-filled rounds. It was a spectacular encounter from the first bell on, with Huck flattening his opponent with a big right in the first round. Garay seemed unimpressed and kept coming at Huck. Both fighters landed hard combinations to body and head in almost every round, but the pace remained high as the brutal battle continued.
Huck used his power to counter Garay´s aggressive combinations, with both man landing. The champion took over in the late rounds when his hooks, uppercuts und body punches wore Garay down. In the tenth, the 26-year-old German landed a series of brutal punches to knock Garay down and out. “This was a great win for me,” Huck said. “It was the first time my future wife and my mother were ringside, so I really wanted to impress them. Garay was extremely tough, he just kept coming at me. But I wanted to please my family and my great fans. I was too strong for Garay but I have to give him credit – he was a very, very tough opponent. Now I will get married as world champion. What more can you ask for.”
Garay was disappointed he could not take home the belt after a great fight. “I did not see his last punch coming,” he said. “I thought I could beat him but he is a great champion with a lot of power. I will come back from this defeat.”
Huck´s coach Ulli Wegner praised his fighter for a “strong performance.” He stated: “There was so much pressure on Marco this time out and I am proud that he found a way to deal with it. It does not happen too often but I´m quite happy with his performance. Now he can have a great wedding.”
Hall-of-Fame Promoter Wilfried Sauerland lauded Huck´s spectacular style. “Whenever Marco steps through the ropes the fans are treated to entertaining and explosive fight,” he said. “He clinched a spectacular win and once again proved his worth. He is fun to watch and his power is amazing. He has great things ahead – he is still very young.”
In the co-featured main event, Eduard Gutknecht (22-1, 9 KOs) made a first defence of his European Light Heavyweight Title with a clear points victory over Lorenzo di Giacomo (41-5, 18 KOs). Gutknecht was ahead 120-105, 119-107 and 119-107 after 12 rounds. Up-and-coming middleweight sensation Dominik Britsch (24-0, 9 KOs) also clinched the vacant IBF Intercontinental Middleweight Title with a ninth-round TKO victory over Ryan Davis (23-9, 3 KOs). A powerful combination sent the American down for the referee to stop the contest, which had been dominated by Britsch. Heavyweight hopeful Kubrat Pulev (13-0, 6 KOs) continued his march up the rankings with a clear points victory over Maksym Pediura (13-2, 11 KOs).
In other fights on the card:
Eduard Gutknecht UD 12 Lorenzo Di Giacomo
EBU (European) light heavyweight title
Dominik Britsch TKO 9 Ryan Davis
Marcos Nader Pts 8 Gaetano Nespro
Kubrat Pulev UD 8 Maksym Pediura
Michael Oliveira’s return home a Brazilian knockout
The 21-year-old Oliveira, rated No. 18 by the World Boxing Council, is a Brazilian native fighting out of Miami. “Sao Paulo Fight Night,” presented by MO Productions, was the third installment in a six-fight, two-year deal with Brazilian network giant, TV Globo.
Oliveira displayed an improved jab in a feeling-out opening round, in which he showed patience and, under new trainer Orlando Cueller, a much different game plan than in the past, calling for Oliveira to brawl less and box more from a distance. The action picked-up in the second as Soto was more aggressive, but Oliveira effectively worked the body in the third round and start to breakdown his game Dominican opponent.
In the fourth round, Oliveira’s power advantage became more apparent, when he trapped Soto on the ropes, rocking him with straight rights. Soto came back in the fifth but a wicked left to the body, quickly followed by a devastating right uppercut, ended the fight early in the sixth.
“I’m quicker when I keep my hands low and I’m loose,” Oliveira commented, “but I had to keep my hands high because of head-butts. We changed strategy three times. He didn’t fade, hit like a mule, and kept coming. I felt my body punching was effective. I followed Orlando’s instructions; when he said to go to the head at the right time, or to go the body at the right time. Victory came easier because I listened to my corner.
“I’ve improved a lot because of my experiences working in the gym. I have a high-quality team that took the time to not only work on my defects, but they saw my offense. I’d give myself a seven grade (on scale of 1-10). My goal is to fight for a world title. My team will evaluate me, help me work to continue improving, and schedule my next fight. They’ll let me know when I’m ready for a world title fight.”
Michael’s father and the show’s promoter, Carlos Oliveira, was pleased by the overall success of the show, as well as the improvement his son displayed before a passionate crowd. “The show was a complete success,” he remarked, “other than we had to delay going live because of a soccer game going late on television. I saw improvement from Michael. His defense was a little better and he was much more patient. While he was fighting I think he thought about his last fight, which kept him more focused on what to do.”
Cueller was happy with Michael’s performance in what was their first time working together in a fight. “We had to make adjustments during the fight,” Cueller explained. “His opponent was heavy handed and determined. He was a decent inside fighter, too. Michael used his jab and timed his opponent’s jab well. He used his jab and moved his head more than he ever did in the past. He worked the body and took advantage at the end. Michael executed everything I asked of him. He did a good job.”
World boxing champion Glen Johnson, who trains with Oliveira at Thump Fight Gym in Miami, walked Michael into the ring as a show of friendship and support.
“Michael did a good job,” Johnson said. “He knows that has a lot of stuff to work on, especially defense, but he’s young and still a work in progress. He forced some shots to the head when there were some clean shots to the body, but he continues to get better and he’s heading in the right direction. He has Orlando Cueller in his corner to guide him and all Michael has to do is listen to him and work hard. He is determined.”
Complete Results:
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Michael Oliveira (15-0, 12 KOs), Miami, FL WKO6 (0.36) Jose Soto (24-8-2, 13 KOs), La Vega, Dominican Republic
(Oliveira won WBC Latino middleweight title)
LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHTS:
Douglas Ataide (2-0, 0 KOs), Sao Paulo, Brazil WDEC6 (60-53, 60-53, 58-53) Jack Welson (14-7, 12 KOs), Sao Paulo, Brazil
AMATEUR MATCHES
FEMALE FEATHERWEIGHTS
Clelia Marques Costa, Sao Paulo, Brazil WPTS Amanda Coelho, Amazonia, Brazil
FEMALE MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Andrea Bandeira, Sao Paulo, Brazil WPTS Daniele Bastielli, Sao Paulo, Brazil