Dimitrenko-Sidon Set.

ByBoxing Press

Undefeated heavyweight prospect Alexander Dimitrenko, 18-0 (11), takes on German champion Andreas Sidon, 26-5 (20), on July 2 at Color Line Arena of Hamburg. The vacant WBO intercontinental title will be on the line in this contest on the undercard of Zsolt Erdei’s WBO light heavyweight world title defense against Mehdi Sahnoune.

It will be a contest between two real giants as Dimitrenko towers 6-foot-7 and weighs 250 lb. whereas Sidon is getting close with 6-foot-5 and 240 lb.

The 22-year-old Dimitrenko of the Universum boxing stable captured the IBF Youth world title with a victory over American Chris Koval on March 5 and defeated Julius Francis and Ross Puritty last year.

“I’m glad I can fight in Hamburg at the huge Color Line Arena”, Dimitrenko said. “I’m looking forward to a large croud. I haven’t seen any fights of Sidon yet. But as my coach Fritz Sdunek returned from the US we will study some videos. I still have two weeks with sparring in front and I will enter the fight in top shape. It will be my first contest over twelve rounds. Sidon already fought twelve rounds several times. This will be an interesting experience for me.”

Andreas Sidon, at age 42 twenty years Dimitrenko’s senior, has an experience advantage as he fought for different international titles ten times. On October 9, 2004, he captured the German heavyweight championship with a victory over former title holder Willy Fischer.

But the fight that catapulted him into the memory of boxing experts was his only second professional contest where he faced 2,13m giant Nicolai Valuev on May 7, 1999, in Prague. In a highly confused event Sidon gave Valuev a competitive fight when suddenly the referee stopped the contest for no apparent reason in round three. Sidon opposed against this stoppage and urged Valuev to carry on the fight. While a riot broke out in the crowd Sidon and Valuev kept on fighting with bottles being thrown into the ring and with other people trying to clean the canvas. After six chaotic rounds the fight was declared a non-contest.

Not only Sidon but also Dimitrenko already gained the experience of how things can be getting tough in the ring. When he fought Koval on March 5 Alexander Dimitrenko was caught by a right hand in an unattentive moment and suffered his first career knockdown. However, he came back to outscore his opponent convincingly. Dimitrenko’s lesson: “Never sleep in the ring.”