European Boxing News: Dimitrenko Stops Hoffman In Germany

By Per Ake Persson

WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight champ Aleksander Dimitrenko stopped German challenger Timo Hoffmann this weekend in the twelfth and final round of a brutal, exciting and controversial fight that headlined this Universum promotion.

Dimitrenko floored Hoffmann twice in the fourth but was both times guilty of pushing and wrestling his opponent off balance before or during his punching. He had previously been ticked off by Belgian referee Andre van Grootenbruel for this but got away with it without a points deduction.

Hoffmann looked finished but came back in the fifth to floor Dimitrenko with a left jab that Aleksander walked into as he bounced off the ropes. After the sixth, the pace slowed down as both were tired and battleworn, especially Hoffmann.

In the last round, Dimitrenko again got away with pushing and hitting and floored Hoffmann twice - after the second mandatory eight count, the referee deducted a point off Dimitrenko but then waved the fight on and Aleksander followed up and again Big Timo went down and now it was stopped.

After eleven, Dimitrenko was ahead by a too wide 107-99 twice and 105-101. Had the referee done his job in the fourth, we might have seen a different outcome of this fight. The crowd at the Boerdeland Hall booed the winner and cheered Hoffmann.

WBC number one challenger Vladimir Virchis didn´t impress until knocking out American heavy Robert Hawkins with a single left hook in the fifth.

WIBF feather champ Ina Menzer retained her title with a unanimous decision of Mexican Laura Serrano, who overcame a slow start to make it very close at the end of a very good fight.

Russian cruiser Grigory Drozd impressed in knocking out tough Brazilian Laudelino Josa Barros in the eighth of a WBO Asia Pacific title fight. Drozd looked very sharp in the first three, althought Barros came on in the middle rounds but Drozd dug deep and found his second wind and took out his oppponent with a double left hook.