Labinot Xhoxhaj beats Mourad Aliev by a very narrow margin on points in Hamburg – the Kosovan defends his EBU European Championship title.
German-based Kosovar Labinot Xhoxhaj (21-0-1, 16 knockouts) successfully defended his EBU European heavyweight title at the Universum Gym in Hamburg on Saturday evening. In a technically demanding fight, he defeated the previously unbeaten Mourad Aliev (13-1, 10 knockouts) unanimously on points and also secured the WBC International Silver title, which earns him a place in the top 15 of the WBC rankings.
Xhoxhaj, who surprisingly became European champion last November as a substitute opponent against Oleksandr Zakhozhyi, was also considered the underdog this time – especially as he was up against an experienced former Olympian in Aliev. However, the Kosovar once again proved his fighting spirit, ring intelligence and stamina.
The judges scored the close and hard-fought fight 115-113, 114-113 and 115-112. A key moment occurred in the eleventh round when Xhoxhaj hit Aliev with an uppercut, causing him to fall over the top rope. The Frenchman got up again, but was unable to make up the deficit on the scorecards.
Undercard: Favorite falls and comebacks
There were also some surprises in the preliminary program. In the welterweight division, Germany-based Iraqi Falah Simoqy (4-0-1, 4 knockouts) prevailed against the favored Henry Gruen (8-1, 3 knockouts). Simoqy showed an explosive performance and stopped Gruen in the fourth round by T.K.O. – a strong performance against a highly rated German hopeful.
In the heavyweight division, Jose Larduet (14-1, 12 knockouts) celebrated an impressive comeback after his first career defeat last December against Bohdan Myronets. He left no doubts against Brian Zwart (6-2, 4 knockouts) and won by technical knockout in the first round.