In the co-featured main event, WBA/WBO Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion Robert Helenius (17-0, 11 KOs) clinched the vacant European Heavyweight Title with a split decision victory over Dereck Chisora (15-2, 9 KOs).
Backed by his ferocious home fans, Helenius hurt Chisora with a big right in the first round to kick off an exciting encounter that featured a lot of close rounds. Two judges ruled it 115-113 for Helenius, while the third judge scored it 115-113 for Chisora.
“This was the toughest fight of my life,” Helenius said after going the distance for the first time in his professional career. “I hurt my hand in the first round when I hit him and that affected me in the following rounds. The atmosphere was fantastic.
” Chisora disagreed with the verdict. “I won this fight, no doubt about it,” was amongst the things he said at the post-fight press conference. “I took the fight to him and I should have won.”
Hall of Fame Promoter Wilfried Sauerland said he will negotiate a rematch. “It was a lucky win for Robert,” he stated. “We will offer Chisora a rematch but first Robert has to make his mandatory defence against Dimitrenko.”
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
