Heavyweight boxing's top man was in fantastic form earlier tonight at SAP Arena in Mannheim, with Wladimir Klitschko bashing up challenger Francesco Pianeta enroute to producing a stoppage at 2:52 of the sixth frame.

Putting the WBA/WBO/IBF/IBO titles on the line, Klitschko was facing his second consecutive undefeated opponent, Italian southpaw Pianeta, who had previously turned back 28 opponents, although none were anywhere close to world level.

That gulf of experience between the two combatants was clear from the first bell with Klitschko staking out the center of the ring and staying close to the challenger, using his left as a measuring stick.

Pianeta was largely unable to bridge the distance gap favored by Klitschko, launching the odd wild punch but mainly holding a high guard and looking for opportunities.

Klitschko imposed his will in the shape of his heavy right hand, winging it at Pianeta's head a few times every round. As the frames wore on, the success ratio of that punch increased.

Although the forays were disorganized, Pianeta came forward a few times with left hands and seemed to rattle the champion but Pianeta could never maintain any kind of momentum. More...

The world's top heavyweight returns to the ring tonight at SAP Arena in Manheim, Germany as Wladimir Klitschko seeks to defend every belt of note, except the WBC, against the challenger of opponent Francesco Pianeta of Italy.

Poor Wladimir. He must envy fighters in lighter divisions; they can move up if they clean out their weight class.

And at 250 pounds, "Dr Steelhammer", 59-3 (50), isn't going to drop down to cruiserweight anytime soon. Instead, he must face opponents like Mariuz Wach, Tony Thompson and now, Francesco Pianeta.

Pianeta isn't a bad fighter, he just has never been anywhere near the level of fighter he'll be facing on Saturday.

What do we know about Pianeta? He's a 28 year old tall southpaw, born in Italy, lives in Germany, has come back from Cancer, has held the European Union and WBC Youth titles and sports a professional record of 28-0-1 (15).

The last three opponents he's faced were Nelson Dario Dominiquez, Frans Botha and Oliver McCall. Botha and McCall are slivers of their former selves and Dominiquez was gunned down in the first.

The trail turns cold after that. More...

Seven months after losing his WBO super middleweight title to Arthur Abraham, Robert Stieglitz turned the tables on his rival, producing a surprising result last night at GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Germany.

Looking at least one weight class larger than former longtime IBF middleweight king Abraham, Stieglitz used his Armenia born opponent's slow starting style to good advantage, immediately attacking Abraham.

Abraham, who had previously bossed Stieglitz in their first bout, looked shocked to be subjected to a physical assault as local man Stieglitz was successful in looping right hooks around Abraham's high guard.

The champion came out much more active in the second frame, winging shots and backing off Stieglitz, who managed to avoid any damage and put Abraham on the ropes.

Stieglitz charged in often head first and soon Abraham's eye was swelling. With hampered vision, the champion was increasingly getting hit by the right hand of Stieglitz. More...

On Friday at the ISS Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany, former three belt middleweight champion Felix Sturm suffered another setback as he attempted to win a 160 pound IBF title eliminator.

Sturm was going up against longtime contender Sam Soliman of Australia and uncharacteristically enjoyed a fast start, dropping the durable visitor in the second round.

But Sturm was unable to finish the job as Soliman used his entire arsenal of guts and guile to survive the situation, regaining his bearings to provide the audience with a thrilling bout.

After 12 rounds, the judges at ringside favored Soliman's busier efforts over Sturm's accuracy, awarding the Aussie a unanimous decision by scores of 114-113, 114-113 and 116-111.

At stake was a shot at IBF champ Daniel Geale and expect the challenge of Soliman, now 43-11 (17), to provide a massive all-Australian clash with Geale, who is coming off an impressive title defense against former super middleweight world champion Anthony Mundine. More...

Last night at Sporthalle in Hamburg, Germany, WBA heavyweight titlist Alexander Povetkin rubbed out 39 year old former world champ Hasim Rahman in just two rounds.

It's difficult to see just how Rahman, who weighed in for the bout twenty pounds more than during his prime, earned this title shot, having posted five victories over journeyman opposition since losing a title clash to Wladimir Klitschko in 2008.

Perhaps the answer lies in Povetkin's need to secure a win after a poor showing during his previous title defense against WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck in February.

Once the bell rang in Hamburg, a heavy-looking Rahman backed up Povetkin in the first round but neither fighter was able to land any punches of substance.

The second frame started much the same as the first until the fresher Povetkin got in a good left hook that had Rahman on unsteady legs. The Russian moved in the for kill, battering Rahman on the ropes with compact punches.

Rahman took the punishment well until another left hook caught the former WBC/IBF champ flush on the button. The American was holding onto the top rope for support, with referee Gustavo Padilla stepping in shortly afterward to call off the bout at the 1:46 mark.

Povetkin improves to 35-0 (17) but the 33 year old must fight and defeat live opposition if he is to deserve a crack at one of the Klitschko brothers as the victory over a clearly spent Rahman, 50-8-2 (41) proves nothing.

The undercard provided a clash of undefeated heavyweight, pitting Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria against Russia's Alexander Ustinov for Pulev's European and IBF International heavyweight titles. The contest also served as an IBF eliminator for that organization's number one spot. More...

WBC cruiserweight champion Krysztof Wlodarczyk retained his belt with a 12 round decision over visiting challenger Francisco Palacios last night at Hala Stulecia in Wroclaw, Poland.

The pair were reprising their April, 2011 clash, which also took place in Poland, in which Wlodarczyk kept his title with a controversial split decision.

Wlodarczyk, coming off a stoppage win against former IBO beltholder Danny Green almost a year ago, started the Palacios rematch slowly, studying his adversary and looking to avoid another close contest.

Palacios, whose only two bouts of record have been against Wlodarczyk, used his faster hands and awkward style to try and get the champion off his foundation but the far more experienced Pole kept composed.

As the bout progressed, the pair fell into a cycle of taking turns, first going on offense then shelling up for the inevitable return fire, producing an even bout over the first nine rounds.

The tenth proved to be the turning point as Wlodarczyk reversed a run of success by Palacios with the best punch of the fight, sending the Puerto Rican into a tailspin that was only broken by the ending of the round. More...

With his IBF cruiser crown at stake, Cuban expatriate Yoan Pablo Hernandez likely thought the end was near for his one defense title reign as he was downed then pummeled by Canada's Troy Ross in the fifth round of their contest tonight at Stechert Arena in Bamberg, Germany.

But Hernandez was given the opportunity to continue by referee David Fields and the 27 year old resident of Halle and der Salle managed to get through a very bad situation to finish the frame.

The champion had started the fight between two southpaws on a high note, using his height advantage to good effect and sweeping the first round. But Ross, standing just 5'11 to Hernandez's 6'4, was the quicker fighter and shaded many of the exchanges, which featured both combatants landing crunching shots from each hand.

Hernandez was nailed in the fifth with a full-bore left from the 37 year old Ross and was soon on the floor from the challenger's follow-up assault. The champion made it through the trouble, with what appeared to be friendly interruptions by the referee of Ross' attempts to finish the job.

Ross spent the next few frames looking to duplicate his success and loaded up with big punches that Hernandez was generally able to avoid. More...

Heavyweight Manuel Charr came into his challenge of WBC champion Vitali Klitschko by talking a very good game during the pre-fight build up but once the bell rang Saturday night at the Olympiyskiy in Moscow, the German based Lebanese boxer was never competitive.

As he has on so many previous occasions, Klitschko, of Ukraine, used his height advantage and awkward style to good effect, maintaining distance with a long jab while snaking damaging right hands through the guard of the 27 year old Charr.

Klitschko threw Charr a curve in the second by nailing the challenger with a crisp hook that produced a knockdown. Charr beat the count and resumed combat but he was only heading for more of the same.

Charr suffered a bad cut above his right eye and was soon covered in claret. By the fourth, Klitschko was landing at will and nailed Charr one too many times, prompting referee Guido Cavalleri to step in at 2:04 of the frame due to Charr's excessive bleeding.

With the win, Klitschko improves to 45-2 (41), making the ninth defense of his second WBC title reign. Charr suffers his first loss, moving to 21-1 (11).

The 41 year old Klitschko will now turn his attention to Politics as he prepares to stand as a candidate in the upcoming Ukrainian Parlimentary elections.

The 02 World Arena in Berlin, Germany played host last night to the return of "King" Arthur Abraham as the former IBF middleweight king turned back the clock to give a fine performance in unseating WBO super middle champ Robert Stieglitz.

Since transitioning to the super middle division three years ago, Abraham had experienced mixed fortunes, going 4-3, losing three contests during the Super Six tournament to the likes of Carl Froch, Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward.

During that same time period, Stieglitz had seen an unprecedented run of success, capturing the WBO super middle belt against Karoly Balzsay before retaining the title on six occasions.

However, Stieglitz had largely faced European-level competition and had never tangled with the world class grade of opposition that Abraham had fallen short against.

And that disparity played out with bad consequences for Stieglitz at the 02 Arena last night. More...

Stade De Suisse in Berne, Switzerland played host last night to heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko's rematch with American veteran Tony Thompson.

Klitschko put his IBF, WBO, IBO and WBA Super belts on the line in a sequel to the 2008 match with Thompson that Klitschko won by stopping the challenger in 11 rounds.

Klitschko opens the contest by pressuring but not throwing many punches, missing a right to the head, while landing a right to the body. Thompson gets on his toes, looking for counter opportunities, lands a jab or two but misses most of his efforts including some very awkward left hands.

To open the second round, Thompson immediately throws two clumsy punches which earns him a stiff right from Klitschko. The giants paw with their lead hands, searching for an opening and it's Klitschko who goes on the offensive, chugging forward amid a tangle of arms that leads to a clinch.

Thompson hangs back, offering up occasional jabs that miss while the champion tries right hands that fail to find the awkward challenger. The high point of the bout thus far comes when Thompson is bundled over to the canvas during a failed clinch.

Klitschko lands a couple of right hands before Thompson is wrestled to the canvas at the end of the frame.

At the urging of his corner, Thompson starts round three with an active jab and this takes the initiative away from Klitschko until Thompson reverts to sporadic efforts. More...

Former super middle world champion Mikkel Kessler successfully made the jump into the light heavyweight ranks last night with a fourth round KO of opponent Allan Green at Parken Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The ex-WBA and WBC titlist entered the ring after an absence of eleven months and had to shake off a bit of little ring rust against America's Green, who had won two straight following his 2010 losses to Glen Johnson and Andre Ward.

Green had fought much of his early career as a light heavyweight while Kessler had turned pro as a light middleweight and Green was able to convert that advantage in the first round, hurting Kessler with a right hand before dropping the Dane.

Kessler beat the count and rode out the rest of the round as Green was unable to better his work.

This proved to be a fatal mistake as Kessler came roaring back late in the second frame and by the third, the Copenhagen man was in complete control. More...

The stage is set tonight at Messehalle in Erfurt, Germany as Marco Huck returns from a trip to heavyweight to put his WBO cruiserweight crown up for grabs against former opponent Ola Afolabi.

Huck, 34-2 (25), is less than three months removed from very nearly unseating WBA heavyweight champ Alexander Povetkin, bossing the Russian around the ring before losing a majority decision, and will be making the eighth defense of his WBO belt.

Afolabi, 19-2-3 (9), will be looking to avenge his only loss since 2003 when he meets Huck, who won a hard fought 12 round decision over the Londoner when they clashed in 2009.

Since that time Afolabi has racked up five straight victories, capturing the WBO Intercontinental belt before stopping Valery Brudov in the fifth this past March to win the Interim WBO title.

Both fighters have improved over the last three years but it will be interesting to see of Huck still has the desire to achieve in the cruiser division after coming so close to capturing world honors at heavyweight. More...

WBA super middle king Karoly Balzsay turned back the ambitions of Dimitri Sartison this past Saturday on a massive fight card at the Sport and Congress Center in Schwerin, Germany.

Both Balzsay and Sartison are veterans of the 168 pound European scene with Sartison having been a past holder of the WBA belt over 2009-1010 and Balzsay a former WBO titlist.

Once the bell rang, both men showed they were there to fight rather than box as the punches were many and the connection percentage high.

In the later rounds, Balzsay started to take over as his shots had a greater effect on Sartison, who had fallen behind and was downed with less than a minute left in the contest.

Sartison showed a lot of heart in beating the count but was on very shaky legs as Balzsay mounted a furious follow up assault that caused the bout to be waved off at 2:25 of the 12th round. More...

One of Germany's most popular boxers was back in action last night as Felix Sturm put his WBA middleweight crown at risk against Sebastian Zbik at Lanxess Arena in Cologne.

Ex-Interim WBC beltholder Zbik was coming off a loss to full WBC champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr 10 months ago while Sturm was engaging in his first action of 2012 after taking part in three defenses the year before.

As usual, Sturm started slowly, pacing himself for the 12 round distance, allowing the more active Zbik to gain the initiative in the early rounds behind sharp combination punching.

Although the high energy approach won rounds for the challenger, it also produced a very tired Zbik during the second half of the contest.

Sturm took advantage of this drop in effort from Zbik and produced an effective attack behind the jab that had the challenger looking for answers to stem the tide. More...

Wladimir Klitschko solidified his hold on his numerous world heavyweight titles last night at Esprit Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, wiping out overmatched former WBA/WBC cruiserweight champion Jean Marc Mormeck.

Once the contest began, Mormeck, just 5'11 tall, shelled up without throwing a punch for the first minute, instead simply walking into the 6'6 Klitschko and burrowing into the massive Ukrainian's chest. Once Mormeck tried to throw a punch, he was shaken by the first right hand landed by Klitschko near the end of the round.

Mormeck changed his approach in the second but ended up standing at the end of the champion's reach, covering up and ducking the probing jab of Klitschko. Halfway through the frame a hard straight right brought the Frenchman to his knees.

The challenger regained his feet and didn't seem seriously hurt but spent the rest of the round under heavy pressure although Klitschko could not get the knockout he was trying so hard to achieve.

The third was much like the second with the exception that Mormeck threw more punches although very few landed while Klitschko was steadily breaking down the much smaller man.

Mormeck started to pressure Klitschko in the fourth but spent most of his energy trying to avoid getting hit. This worked for about a minute until Klitschko nailed the challenger with a huge right that froze Mormeck in his tracks. A left hook to the forehead helped Mormeck fall to the canvas, where he was counted out upon regaining his feet on unsteady legs at 1:49 of the round. More...