Sunday 17 July 2016 01:36, UK
Giovanni De Carolis retained the WBA world super-middleweight crown via a majority draw with the promising Tyrone Zeuge in Berlin.
After an exhausting contest during which De Carolis always appeared to possess more strength, the ringside judges returned scores of 115-115, 115-115 and 114-115 for Zeuge.
De Carolis was keen to impose his physicality early on but found his challenger slick, as the 24-year-old Zeuge (18-0-1-KO10) impressed his home support with some flashy flurries.
Zeuge's sneaky inside shots and eye-catching combinations certainly gained him the edge in the second session, and it was not until the third and fourth that the Italian was able to track him down to land several rights around the guard.
The bout was becoming the age-old boxing situation of speed against power, and Zeuge showed some neat work early in the fourth and fifth before failing to avoid some clubbing blows from the champion late in the sessions.
By the sixth, De Carolis was being ticked off by the referee for use of the head and a sweet overhand left from Zeuge in reply to some more heavy artillery left another round hanging in the balance.
Zeuge appeared to be struggling with the pace in the seventh and eighth with De Carolis determined to oust the youngster, who showed great spirit in the ninth to reel off some classy moves before standing his man up with a shuddering left.
The pace was upped further in the 10th and with De Carolis already ahead in the round, Zeuge appeared to damage his shoulder just before the bell - bravely emerging for the 11th but unable to string together meaningful resistance to De Carolis' advances.
There was great respect between the two ahead of the final session - as there had been throughout - but only De Carolis was able to accelerate through the finish line as he muscled his way to retaining his belt.
Earlier on in the evening, former WBO world super-middleweight champion Arthur Abraham put off suggestions he'll fade from the world title scene with a stoppage of Tim Robin Lihaug.
The Armenian-born German was always in charge despite his naturally economic style and eventually wore down the Norwegian with several heavy hooks to force the referee to wave it off in the eighth.
