By Wolfgang Wycisk
Berlin has a new boxing world champion! Mohamed Abou-Chaker is the Global Boxing Council junior world champion in the middleweight division. He won the title against Mexican Zaid Hernandez Cortes in the sold-out Ofen-Stadthalle Velten.
Velten showed on Saturday just how loud boxing in Brandenburg can be. The hall vibrated from the very first bell. Responsible for this spectacle was promoter Dorothea Ring, who not only put on a first-class evening but also manages the crowd-pleaser Abou-Chaker. Anyone looking for a quiet Saturday night was definitely in the wrong place.
Twelve fights were on the card. The main event of the evening featured the undefeated Berliner Mohamed Abou-Chaker, seven fights, seven wins, five of them by knockout. His opponent, the Mexican Zaid Hernandez Cortes, entered the ring with five knockouts in five wins and three losses, determined to show he was more than just a stepping stone. Two southpaws, both focused, both tense.
Abou-Chaker was a force to be reckoned with and took control from the opening bell. The Berlin native applied massive pressure and put the Mexican under early fire. Already in the first round, a precise left-right combination sent Hernandez Cortes to the canvas. The referee had to give a standing eight count.
From then on, the gap widened. Hernandez Cortes began to visibly crumble under Abou-Chaker’s hard, direct attacks. The Berlin native worked with technically brilliant combinations, controlling distance and pace at will. The Mexican’s eyes swelled increasingly; every punch had its effect. Before each new round, Hernandez Cortes crossed himself. But against Abou-Chaker’s relentless onslaught, no routine or ritual could help.
The sixth round saw another knockdown. The Mexican went down again and finally gave up during the break. He remained seated in the corner – the message was clear.
TKO by submission: Mohamed Abou-Chaker is the new GBC Junior World Middleweight Champion!
For cruiserweight boxers Justin Marvin Hoffmann and Feras Alnimer, the evening began intensely and tensely. From the outset, it was clear: this was not a duel between two athletes who would become lifelong friends. The animosity was palpable, even in the back rows.
The bout became increasingly dirty. Referee Sergey Kovalenko repeatedly had to intervene and separate the two fighters. But instead of calming down or following his instructions, Hoffmann and Alnimer clashed again, butting heads and completely disregarding any semblance of fair play in a boxing match.
Finally, Kovalenko stopped the fight. His explanation was clear: “It wasn’t boxing, it was a brawl. I tried several times to separate them. Instead of separating, they just kept fighting harder and harder. That has nothing to do with sport, and certainly nothing to do with boxing.”
A fight that, instead of showing a sporting result, primarily demonstrated how quickly a duel can turn when personal tensions take control.
Maurice Milcke needed hardly any time this time to underline his class in the middleweight division. The fight against Englishman John Watson ended after just 1 minute and 10 seconds of the first round. A cleanly landed right hand to his opponent’s forehead was all it took. The Englishman went down hard and was unable to continue the fight.
Milcke demonstrated that moving up to the higher weight class is not only feasible for him, but also a step forward in his development. Watson, who had come down from light heavyweight, wanted to test Milcke with his experience and physicality. Instead, it turned into a short evening for him. Milcke’s convincing knockout victory left no room for doubt.
The remaining eight bouts of the evening were equally exciting. Up-and-coming talents and seasoned veterans delivered duels that repeatedly had the audience on their feet. There was full-throttle power, counter-attacks, suffering, and cheering.
Velten experienced an evening where talents shone, seasoned veterans held their own, and the hall vibrated with enthusiasm. With this event, Dorothea Ring proved that great boxing isn’t confined to major cities, but can be found wherever people crave drama, courage, and honest fists.
