Gerber takes on Harris on Stacked May 5th card in Erfurt, Germany
The May 5 fight card at the Messehalle in Erfurt is going to be stacked up with big clashes for titles, like Marco Huck defending the WBO crown at cruiserweight against Ola Afolabi as well as Kubrat Pulev and Alexander Dimitrenko challenging for the vacant European Championship at heavyweight. Besides these highlights, the show is also going to offer some young guns who are trying to make themselves a name and entertain the crowd.
One of them is Edmund Gerber, who is currently, according to his manager Wilfried Sauerland, the biggest heavyweight talent to come out of Germany. Trained by Karsten Roewer, the Schwerin-native already has 19 wins in 19 fights under his belt, 13 of them coming by way of knockout.
The European Boxing Union (EBU) ranks him inside their top ten, which shows that he could already be considered to fight for their prestigious title. However, the 23-year-old Gerber does not just aim for a top ranking in Europe, but in the world. Therefore, a victory over Maurice Harris (25-15-2, 11 KOs) could be a big step forward as he is the current the number nine in the IBF ratings.
“I have had some sparring sessions with him last November which showed me that he is no slouch,” said Gerber of Harris. “That is why he held up his training intensity after his last fight in February. “I just took one week off before being back in the gym. We have specifically worked a lot on my stamina since.”
Moreover, stamina could really be a key factor against 36-year-old Maurice Harris, who is accustomed to fight over longer distances. In his last outing versus Derric Rossy, the veteran fighter knocked out his younger compatriot in round twelve to win the USBA heavyweight title.
Furthermore, not only his age speaks volumes of his experience but also the names he fought over his career: Tony Thompson, Fres Oquendo, Henry Akinwande, Chris Byrd, Larry Holmes, Siarhei Liakhovich, Jeremy Williams and David Izon. Of those named fighters, he was able to beat the latter three.
Edmund Gerber knows: “You have to pressure him right from to start, make him work hard to be able to beat him. I have to be absolutely focused till the bout is over because of him having this knockout power until the end.”
