Alexander Frenkel (23-0, 18 KOs) is the new European Cruiserweight Champion after a spectacular KO victory over Enzo Maccarinelli (32-5, 25 KOs). The unbeaten 25-year-old floored the former world champion with a vicious left hook in the seventh round of their clash at the LG Arena in Birmingham. Maccarinelli beat the count but found himself on the floor again when Frenkel followed it up with another heavy series of punches. “I am very happy,” Frenkel said. “It was a tough fight against a very dangerous opponent. Maccarinelli was very strong but in the seventh round I hit him.”
After winning the opening round, Frenkel was trailing on all scorecards by the time he connected. “I wanted him to throw the left hook,” coach Ulli Wegner said. “We knew that Maccarinelli was a tough opponent but we also knew that Alexander has incredible punching power. That he showed once again tonight. However, he should have been more active in the opening rounds.”
Manager Wilfried Sauerland, who had predicted a stoppage in the seventh or eighth round, was pleased with Frenkel´s performance. “Just like Arthur Abraham at Super-Middleweight, Frenkel has the most powerful single KO punch in his division. He can end any fight with just one shot. He put on a strong performance and we are very happy to have added another champion to our team.”
On the undercard, Karo Murat (22-1, 13 KOs) suffered the first loss of his career as he was outboxed by Nathan Cleverly in a WBO Light Heavyweight Title Eliminator. The referee stopped the fight after nine one-sided rounds. “I am very disappointed,” Murat said. “I will analyse my mistakes and bounce back.” Cleverly was in full control throughout, making good use of his advantage in height and reach. “We knew Cleverly would start out strongly but I had expected Karo to be more active after five rounds,” Ulli Wegner said. “He should have been much more aggressive but he will learn from his mistakes. You must never forget that he does not have a big amateur background and is still very young. He will be back.”
