WBF champion Freddy Kiwitt defends his title against Suleiman Jafaru in the GP Joule Arena in Flensburg and also wins the WBO Global belt after a unanimous points decision.
Half-middleweight Freddy Kiwitt won a unanimous points decision against Suleiman Jafaru in the GP Joule Arena Flensburg on Saturday evening. The Hamburg native not only defended his WBF title, but also secured the WBO Global belt – another important step towards the top of the world in the 154-pound class.
After twelve rounds, the judges scored the fight 118-110, 117-111 and 117-110 in Kiwitt’s favor. However, observers at ringside told BoxSport that the scorecards were a little too clear for the champion.
Kiwitt (29-3, 18 knockouts) took control, especially in the late rounds, after the fight had been hard-fought in the middle of the bout. With a strong finish, he secured the points victory in the main fight of the event, which was broadcast live on DAZN.
The challenger Jafaru (17-2, 14 knockouts) made a brave start on foreign soil. In the second round, he pushed Kiwitt into the corner and fired off hard combinations. The Nigerian also applied pressure in the third round, forcing the favorite to the ropes and making him work defensively for long periods.
From round four onwards, Kiwitt got into the fight better, used the ring more cleverly and landed cleaner punches, even though Jafaru was strong at the end of the round. In the middle rounds, both boxers shared the successes. Jafaru worked more effectively in round five and large parts of the sixth, but Kiwitt closed the sixth in dominant fashion, opening up his opponent’s nose.
Championship rounds decide for Kiwitt
From the seventh round onwards, Kiwitt increased the frequency of his punches, kept Jafaru at a distance more often and won close rounds through more consistent work. Although Jafaru came back in the tenth round and forced Kiwitt to the ropes again, the final rounds belonged to the champion.
In the eleventh and twelfth rounds, Kiwitt landed the clearer shots, while Jafaru was visibly marked and bleeding from the nose and mouth. In the end, the judges scored the fight unanimously in favor of Freddy Kiwitt, but the fight was much closer than the scorecards suggested.
Jafaru dominated the first half of the fight for long stretches, putting Kiwitt under pressure early and earning important rounds with aggression and work rate. In the second half of the fight, however, Kiwitt increasingly took control, boxed more consistently, scored more cleanly and prevailed in the decisive rounds to finally secure a narrow but deserved points victory.