WBO Cruiserweight Champion Marco “Captain” Huck (34-1, 25 KOs) made a successful eighth defence of his title in Ludwigsburg, Germany on Saturday night, knocking out Rogelio Rossi (17-3-1, 11 KOs) with a big right to the head in the sixth round. The brave Argentinian challenger was down and out but regained consciousness and left the ring on his feet. He was taken to hospital for precautionary checks. “I could not enjoy the victory until I knew he was fine,” Huck said afterwards. “He went down hard and I was relieved when he got back up. It was a tough fight. I had twelve rounds to break him down and I needed six. I am happy with the victory.”

Huck started slowly and it was not before the end of the second round that he threw his first trademark combination. In the third, Rossi was deducted a point for a low blow. He also received a count when he went down. In the fourth, Huck was deducted two points for knocking Rossi down after the bell. “In the heat of the moment I did not hear the bell,” Huck said. The Captain then turned it on in the fifth when he knocked Rossi down twice. Both times the challenger got back up before finding himself on the receiving end of the big right that ended the fight in the sixth. “I am just 26 years old and I have already defended my title eight times,” Huck said. “I am explosive and powerful and I hope to get a unification fight soon.”

Promoter Kalle Sauerland believes Huck has great things coming up. “The fans love Marco´s style,” he stated. “He is exciting to watch. And he is so young. We will now look at the options for his next fight. Whoever enters the ring against Marco will have big problems to deal with his impressive power.”

In the co-featured main event, IBF Intercontinental Middleweight Champion Dominik Britsch (26-0, 9 KOs) defended his belt with a points victory over former world title challenger Billy Lyell (24-10, 5 KOs). The judges scored the bout 117-111, 116-113 and 114-114. Backed by his home sell-out crowd of 4,200 fans, Britsch kept his aggressive opponent at bay and did well to get off his fast combinations. “Dominik is the biggest talent we have in Germany,” coach Ulli Wegner lauded afterwards. “His opponent kept coming at him but he listened to my advice and did exactly what I asked of him. I am very pleased with his performance.”

On the undercard, heavyweight hopeful Kubrat Pulev (14-0, 6 KOs) clinched the IBF International Title with a clear points victory over Travis Walker (38-7, 30 KOs).

(Pictures: Winfried Mausolf)

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