Balzsay Retains WBA Crown On Big German Show

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.

Balzsay moves to 25-2 (18) while Sartison sees a seven fight win streak go up in smoke, falling to 29-2 (18).

There were a few former world champions also on the bill, all victorious against seasoned competition.

Ex-longtime WBC cruiser champ turned heavyweight Juan Carlos Gomez, 50-3 (38), reversed the tables on Darnell Wilson, 24-15-3 (20), halting the American in four on a cut after Wilson had outpointed Gomez in ten this past September.

Another heavyweight, former WBA boss Ruslan Chagaev, 29-2-1 (18), dropped well-traveled Billy Zumbrun, 25-13-1 (15), twice enroute to knocking out the US man at 1:26 of the third while former WBO light heavy titlist Juergen Braehmer, 38-2 (30), floored Vikapita Meroro, 21-4 (9), in the fourth on the way to posting a 99-92, 98-91, 97-92 points decision after ten rounds.

Women’s boxing top featherweight from 2005-2010, Ina Menzer, 29-1 (10), continued her comeback with a unanimous eight round points verdict over Doris Koehler, 8-11-1 (3).