BC Schwerin celebrated eight victories in eight fights at the first “Traktor Fight Night”. European Championship champ Denis Radovan also remained unbeaten at the professional boxing premiere.
Eight fights, eight wins for the host. BC Traktor Schwerin put on a successful and entertaining professional boxing premiere. Over 1,500 spectators in Schwerin’s Palmberg Arena witnessed first-class, thrilling combat sport on Saturday evening. The boxers from Schwerin faced six fighters from Hungary and one each from Ukraine and Germany in the ring.
Before the fists flew, ring announcer Jan Müller welcomed DBV President Prof. Dr. Jens Hadler and Traktor CEO Frank Kleinsorg. Hadler, also Chairman of the Advisory Board of BC Traktor, explained briefly and concisely why the traditional amateur boxing club and five-time German team champion in recent years is now also opening up to professional boxing, as has the German Boxing Association (DBV) in the meantime.
Professional events should also “bring in money”
Boxing in Schwerin should become more sustainable, broader and also more professional. They also want to offer the boxers who have remained loyal to BC Traktor for years a bigger stage than before. Last but not least, the boxing club has built up a lot in the social and leisure sector over the years – which, as we know, costs a lot. Professional boxing events should also “bring in money” for such social projects. Frank Kleinsorg thanked the sponsors for their support of the professional fight night. The BCT Chairman assured: “This will not be a one-off. This is the first Traktor Fight Night – and we’re already looking forward to the second one!”
The first Schwerin Fight Night was already very promising. The boxing-enthusiastic audience, entertained by the Schwerin singing duo “Hedy and Cornelius” during the breaks between fights, was able to experience seven fights of the Traktor team before the eagerly awaited main fight with European champion Denis Radovan, who is unbeaten in 18 professional fights. They were scheduled for four to six rounds.
No problem for the first two Traktor fighters of the evening, middleweights Yusuf Atmis and Vladislav Hitlin. Yusuf also won his sixth professional fight – this time against Pal Olah (Hungary) – on points. Hitlin from Hamburg, who has been known to the people of Schwerin for years from several Bundesliga fights but has also won five times as a professional, defeated Karoly Botos (Hungary) by technical knockout after two knockdowns. Referee Susann Köpke stopped the fight after two heavy knockdowns and 2:09 minutes in round four.
All professional debutants victorious
The number of rounds was also no problem for the Traktor debutants in the professional ranks: David Gkevorgkian, Daniel Meyer, Melvin Kahrimanovic and Alen Rahimic – they all celebrated their professional debuts with a win. Gkevorgkian was the first to prance into the ring. The quick-reacting super-lightweight caught his Hungarian opponent badly in the first round – David Botos was counted out for the first time. After the Magyare was knocked down twice in the second round following hard blows to the head, the referee stopped the unequal fight.
Traktor middleweight Daniel Meyer made his professional debut against Gabor Gorbics. With powerful attacking boxing, the southpaw put the stocky Hungarian in his place in six rounds. Cruiserweight Melvin Kahrimanovic defeated the weak Hungarian Richard Vaczi by RSC in round three. For the future, the Berlin sports policeman announced: “I’ll be the first one back on the mat for Schwerin in the Bundesliga!” There was strong applause for this before Schwerin’s Alen Rahimic, coached in the corner by his trainers Vitalij Sajzev and Bazir Shakbulatov, defeated the well-trained Ukrainian Rafail Melnyk on points in a technically and tactically very impressive fight.
Radovan outruns Gashi
The main super middleweight bout of the evening, scheduled for ten rounds, ended – somewhat surprisingly – in the second round. Denis Radovan, unbeaten in 18 professional fights as European middleweight champion, overran his opponent Kasim Gashi, an experienced professional boxer with 24 fights (20 wins), in the very first round in a determined forward motion with precise and hard-hitting body punches and lightning-fast straight punches to the head.
Gashi, a boxer from Baden-Württemberg, went down on his knees again in round two before the referee saw sense and stopped the fight, which had quickly become one-sided, after one minute and nine seconds. Radovan, who was born in Cologne and now lives in Schwerin, remains the undefeated European champion in his 19th professional fight (18 wins, 1 draw)! Denis’ heartfelt speech of thanks afterwards to supporters, sponsors, fans who had traveled from the cathedral city and even from Bavaria as well as to his ring corner team around Traktor coach Abdelali Hajiri and father Erwin Radovan lasted about as long as his mentally and physically energetic lightning victory.
Ali style boakye
Probably the most exciting fight of the evening – also because it lasted longer – was delivered by super middleweight Kevin Boakye. The Hamburg native, coached in the corner by Andre Walther and loudly cheered on by the fans from the Hanseatic city, impressed in only his second professional fight with high speed, athleticism, several series of punches and Muhammad Ali-style dance moves. His opponent Norbert Szekeres, experienced in over 100 professional fights but with limited boxing skills, had no chance. Referee Susann Köpke stopped the fight after two knockdowns in round three. Kevin then first thanked Jesus Christ for giving him strength, then the audience in Schwerin, his last words: “Once a Traktorist – always a Traktorist!”
Results:
Middleweight (72,574 kg): Yusuf Atmis (BC Traktor) defeated Pal Olah (Hungary) on points Middleweight: Vladislav Hitlin (BCT) defeated Karoly Botos (Hungary) t. K. o. 4th round
Super light. (63.503 kg): David Gkevorgkian (BCT) defeated David Botos (Hungary) t. K. o. 2nd round middleweight (72,574 kg): Daniel Meyer (BCT) defeated Gabor Gorbics (Hungary) n. Pkt. Super middleweight (76.203 kg): Kevin Boakye (BCT) defeated Norbert Szekeres (Hungary) t. Knockout 4th Rd. Cruiser weight (90.719 kg): Melvin Kahrimanovic (BCT) defeated Richard Vaczi (Hungary) t. K. o. 3rd round super featherweight (58,967 kg): Alen Rahimic (BCT) defeated Rafail Melnyk (Ukraine) n. Pkt. Super middleweight (76, 203 kg): Denis Radovan (BCT) defeated Kasim Gashi (Heubach) t. K. o. 2nd Rd.
Text: Press release BC Traktor / Jürgen Schultz
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