It seems like the festive spirit is taking over. The Austrian Boxing Federation (FVA) let Michael Sprott (26-19, 17 KOs) off the hook and reduced his ban in order for him to face Edmund Gerber (22-0, 14 KOs) for the second time on December 15. The heavyweight clash is part of the undercard to the WBO Super Middleweight World Championship between Arthur Abraham (35-3, 27 KOs) and Mehdi Bouadla (26-4, 11 KOs).
After Sprott’s TKO loss to Edmund Gerber on September 15, the 37-year-old seemed to have let the frustration get the better of him as he went to confront Referee Gerhard Sigl and ended up pushing him, as he did not believe that Sigl had to stop the fight. Just a few days after the event in Bamberg, Germany, the sanctioning body of the fight (FVA) decided to ban the man from Reading for three months. However, due to the fact that Sprott previously had a record of immaculate behavior he was granted permission to participate in Nuremberg, just a few days before the official end of the ban.
In contrast to Sprott, Edmund Gerber has already been back inside the ring since the happenings from Bamberg. In Halle/Westphalia, the 24-year-old won an unanimous decision against Darnell Wilson from America. But the November
3 fight was not as plain sailing as the result might suggest. Right towards the end of the very first round, Wilson landed two left haymakers to the head of the German that almost sent him crashing to the canvas.
“I have definitely learned a lot from that fight. I only lost concentration for a brief moment and dropped my right hand. My coach warned that this could happen – from now on I will listen to him even more carefully,” said the prodigy of Karsten Roewer.
The spectators at the Arena in Nuremberg will be looking forward to the rematch between the Brit Michael Sprott and Edmund Gerber. And the German heavyweight hopeful remembers the bout against Sprott too well.
“It took me a while to get into the fight. I will have to improve in terms of boxing. Although I did win in the end, I had some difficulties to adjust to his style. Now I know exactly what I have to do. The fans will get to witness an exciting matchup.”
His key to success: “I will have to move around a lot more in order to make it harder for him to find the target. If I can also take the initiative in the fight it will be very hard to beat me.”
According to Gerber, it is not possible to predict the outcome of the second fight between the pair. “I am convinced that I will be much better than in our first meeting. I am looking forward to showcase my abilities. After I have done that I will take some time off and spend the holidays with my family.”
