Despite his loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in their World Championship bout, super middleweight Simon Zachenhuber aims to establish himself among the world’s best—and put himself in the running for more title fights.
Simon Zachenhuber failed to capitalize on his chance at the world title on Saturday night against Hamzah Sheeraz. The “Matador” from Erding lost to the WBO world champion in a 12-round bout by majority decision (2:0:1). A missed opportunity—just move on? Not Zachenhuber. The 29-year-old southpaw doesn’t see his career at the top of the world rankings as over by any means and wants to continue competing at the highest level.
“We were set up to lose”
“Of course, more time would have been nice,” says Conny Mittermeier, Zachenhuber’s coach, looking back on the short preparation period. “But that’s just part of the boxing world. We were expected to lose, but we showed that we’re a force to be reckoned with.” According to BOXSPORT, the contract wasn’t signed until twelve days before the world championship bout.
Mittermeier was all the more pleased with his protégé’s performance: “Simon executed the game plan very well. Winning on points against the world champion on foreign soil is nearly impossible. In the end, it wasn’t quite enough, but we represented German boxing with dignity.”
Manager Lasse Krüger sees it similarly. “By now, at the very latest, the boxing world knows Simon—he put on a great fight.” And regarding future plans, he explains: “Hopefully, Simon will be back in the ring later this year at Agit Kabayel’s stadium event.”
“I’ll be fighting for the world championship title again”
Simon Zachenhuber on …
… the battle:
“I went toe-to-toe with the best boxer in the world for twelve rounds. Even though losing is never pleasant, I’m proud of my performance.”
… the ruling:
“I felt like I was slightly ahead. But the fight was very, very close, and you never know what the judges will focus on…”
… the opponent:
“It’s no coincidence that he’s the world’s number one; he’s already knocked out some big names. His punches were very hard, but I was just as dangerous. That shows me that I’ve made it to the top of the world.”
… his future:
“The path to success always involves the risk of failure. I’ve proven that I’m among the world’s best, and at the same time, I’ve learned a great deal from this fight. I’m certain of one thing: I’ll fight for the world title again—and this time, I’ll win.”
Text: Frank Schwantes