In the press conference following his title defense in Magdeburg, the old and new WBO Intercontinental champion Alexander Dimitrenko said he was satisfied with his performance: “The fight was a completely new experience for me. I actually enjoyed it. Timo Hoffmann is a very experienced, a very good boxer. He is a great fighter with lots of experience. To beat him was a big step towards the world championship.”

Hoffmann was also full of praise for his opponent. “Sascha showed a great performance. He really did good. He was one of my strongest opponents. The only thing that I regret is that the referee stopped the contest just before the concluding bell. It was such an unnecessary decision, the fight had deserved better than that.”

Asked if there would be a rematch, promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl said there was always the chance of a rematch but pointed out at the same time: “We just have to see how things work out for Sascha in the future.”

As for Hoffmann, he said he had no illusions about a rematch: “Of course I want to have a rematch. I want it very much! But I do not think I’m going to get it. With Luan Krasniqi I also had wished for a rematch, but it is not easy if you fight all on your own against Universum Box-Promotion.”

When asked about his future boxing career (with regard to his expiring contract with Sauerland Events) Hoffmann said scathingly: “I have not talked to Mr Sauerland for quite a while. I was happy to see that a representative of Mr Sauerland, Mr Doering [sports director of Sauerland Event], was there. The longer the “time no see” the greater the joy.”

Ina Menzer, the old and new featherweight world champion, also expressed satisfaction with her performance: “I saw the fight exactly as the judges. It was tough. My opponent was really difficult but I landed more and the clearer punches.“ Menzer continued: ”We were not sure before the match what to expect from her. So, we just expected a dangerous opponent and that is what she turned out to be. The plan was simply to outbox her, but planning is easier than doing.”

The opponent Laura Serrano was very polite but refused to comment on the match. She confirmed however a rumour that had been spreading among the journalists before the fight and said that she had been ill before her arrival in Germany. She also refused to comment on the question if she was going to enter the ring again in the future.

It would be too bad if this had been the last fight between these two fighters. Especially after seeing this match, it would be very interesting to watch Ina Menzer encountering a Laura Serrano who is fit and in good shape.

The boxing event last Saturday in Magdeburg deserves a closer view:

Unfortunately, the two main fights were overshadowed by a rather poor performance of the officials. Referee André van Grootenbruel used the fight between the Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko (26-0, 16 KOs) and Germany’s Timo Hoffmann (36-5-1, 20 KOs) to apply for the title “worst referee 2007”. The Belgian was clearly out of his depth. In the third round he finally brought himself to admonish the Ukrainian for repeatedly pushing his opponent down but then failed to follow take points away, which normally would have been obligatory. In round four, when the German hit the canvass twice after a series of hard punches, the referee lost it completely. Shortly afterwards he gave Hoffmann the eight-count again, although this time Hoffman had clearly been pushed to the floor.

As if the two fighters had decided to challenge the abilities of the referee even further, the next round showed Hoffmann gaining ground again and flooring his opponent with a brutal right-left combination. The fight steadily increased in pace and ferocity in rounds six to eleven. It was a breathtaking and dramatic bout, which slowly began to reveal that it would be a hard-earned victory for Dimitrenko.

In round 12 André van Grootenbruel decided to show interest in the match again. Right at the beginning Hoffmann took a ferocious overhand right to the head, which clearly affected him. But his incredible ability to endure punches saved him also this time. Shortly afterwards, however, he was floored by the Ukrainian. Grootenbruel gave Hoffman the eight-count. This done, the referee decided he had not done enough and repeated the eight-count, this time after Hoffmann had been pushed to the floor by Dimitrenko. Not satisfied with the chaos he had created, the referee admonished Dimitrenko accordingly. Alarmed by his own boldness he then used the next contact between Hoffmann and the canvas as an excuse to stop the contest.

Not only did Grootenbruel fail to admonish Dimitrenko right at the beginning for repeatedly pushing Hoffmann down, hitting the back of Hoffmann’s head when he was kneeling on the floor would also have been worth the referee’s trouble to take some points from the Ukrainian. A good referee would have also sanctioned the punches below the belt from both boxers and Hoffmann’s repeated low ducking. In short, 3700 people were watching a highly dramatic and spectacular heavyweight fight with two boxers giving it their all and showing an incredibly good performance. Too bad that at the same time they also had to watch an incredibly poor performance of the referee. It is safe to say that Alexander Dimitrenko would not have needed the referee’s help to gain this match.