(DEC 9) A dream came through for 20 year
old Susianna Kentikian at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, in her home
town Hamburg Friday night. After 10 hard fought rounds, she defended
her WBA Flyweight Belt and won the newly vacated WIBF Belt, that her
great idol, Regina Halmich, held for over a decade.
This was a rematch. The two met in May this year resulting in a
split decision in favour of Kentikian. So a highly competitive fight
could be expected, and that was exactly what the two boxers gave the
3800 strong crowd in the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle as well as the 1,7
million TV viewers.
Kentikian gave away 5 inches in height, and had to cope with
Hockmi's longer reach. Particularly in the first rounds, the home
town girl succeeded with combinations to the body of the taller
Frenchwoman, often ending with one or two blows to the head once the
guards came down. Hockmi scored most with her left jab, and looked
best when she was able to keep the aggressive Kentikian at length.
The good skills of Hockmi became evident, when she was under
pressure on the ropes. Susi Kentikian has stopped many of her former
opponents, when she managed to catch them on the ropes and peppering
them with punches from all angles. But Hockmi's good defensive
skills, enabled her to weather the storm and only let fairly few
punches slip through her guard, when Kentikian had her backed up
against the ropes.
Kentikian's quick reflexes made her difficult target for Hockmi,
while her fast hands found their target frequently and adding up on
the scorecards. But it was far from one-way traffic. Hockmi got
through with some telling right hands as well as her left jab, and
looked especially strong in the 5th and 8th round. Kentikian
suffered a small cut over her left eye in the ninth round, while
Hockmi was bleeding from the nose throughout most of the fight.
The judges scores reflects how close the fight was. 97-94, 96-94 and
97-95 in favour of Kentikian is a pretty accurate picture of the
fight.
The new WIBF and defending WBA world champion certainly got a taste
of what it takes to become and remain a champ. Last night she proved
she has the determination and the fighter heart to hang on to the
belt. But with opponents in Hockmi's class waiting in the aisles,
she is no doubt aware, that she cannot afford an off day.
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