IBF Cruiserweight Champion Yoan Pablo Hernandez (25-1, 13 KOs) and Steve Cunningham (24-3, 12 KOs) will meet again in Frankfurt on February 4. Hernandez had dethroned his American opponent on October 1, winning a technical decision in Neubrandenburg.
The fight was stopped on cuts, with Hernandez ahead on the scorecards after scoring a first-round knockdown.
“The rematch will be a real treat for boxing fans,” Team Sauerland General Manager Chris Meyer said. “Hernandez against Cunningham, that’s as good as it gets in the cruiserweight division. Their first fight was a thriller and I am sure the rematch will be even more exciting.”
The stoppage and the scorecards were both controversial. Most neutral observers felt that Cunningham should have been ahead on the cards at the time the fight was stopped. Further, the cuts on Cunningham didn’t appear to be bad enough to warrant a stoppage at that time. The decision left a bad taste in many people’s mouths, particularly Cunningham, who has been on the wrong side of controversial decisions and rulings in the past as well.
In the co-featured main event, Enad Licina (21-3, 11 KOs) will face former amateur world champion Alexander Alexeev (22-2, 20 KOs) for the vacant European Cruiserweight Title. European Light Heavyweight Champion Eduard Gutknecht (22-1, 9 KOs) also defends his title against Viacheslav Uzelkov (25-1, 16 KOs).
