In an exciting fight in which both fighters were down, unbeaten WBO #2 rated heavyweight Alexander Dimitrenko (27-0, 17 KOs) stopped longtime contender Timo Hoffmann (36-6-1, 20 KOs) in the twelfth round on Saturday at the Bördelandhalle in Magdeburg, Germany. Early on, there were many excellent exchanges in which both 6'7 giants landed bombs. Dimitrenko demonstrated great hand speed and mobility around the ring, as Hoffman advanced looking to land power shots. It looked like the bout would be over early when Dimitrenko twice battered Hoffmann to the deck in round four with punishing combinations, however Hoffmann beat the count both times and made it out of the round. Hoffmann showed his heart as he came out firing in round five and floored Dimitrenko with a hard right hand! His followup barrage failed to drop Dimitrenko again. Both fighters landed bombs in the sixth round, a Hoffmann right hand sending Dimitrenko back into the ropes being the round's highlight. Dimitrenko landed the best shots in the seventh and seemed much fresher as he began to pot-shot Hoffmann from the outside in the eighth. In possibly a last hurrah, Hoffmann reached deep down and upped the pressure in the ninth, landing some good shots. Dimitrenko was soon back in command and seemed on the verge of putting Hoffmann on the deck again in the tenth, and again in the eleventh, but "Deutsche Eiche" (German Oak) refused to go down. Finally, in round twelve, Dimitrenko toppled Hoffmann three times and the bout was stopped with just 36 seconds left. Dimitrenko retained his WBO Intercontinental belt with the win and is ready for a title shot in the near future.