April 27, Hamburg, Germany: Juergen Braehmer, 40-2, retained the EBU lightheavy title when he took out Frenchman Tony Averlant, with a perfect southpaw left hook to the liver. Averlant went down in pain, made it up but retired before falling down again. The time was 2.36. Braehmer is now on for a showdown against WBO ruler Nathan Cleverly. Averlant was coming off hand surgery and should perhaps have had a warm up fight before taking a fight of this magnitude. He started slowly and never really showed anything until caught by Braehmer´s left hook, which was, it must be said, a perfectly delivered punch. Jr middle Golden Jack Culcay, 14-1, lost an upset split decision to Madrid-based Argentinian Guido Nicolas Pitto, 18-1 over twelve and lost the WBA I/C title.after an exciting boxing match were styles blended well. It was scored 116-112 and 115-113 for Pitto and 115-113 for Culcay in a fight with many close, even rounds. It still looked to this reporter and many others at ringside that Culcay had nicked it but Pitto was relentless and while he walked into a number of countrers and was made to miss he kept coming urged on by trainer Ricardo Sanchez-Atocha. Pitto made a slow start but got going in the middle rounds where he had Culcay under pressure. Jack, trained by Fritz Sdunek, seemed to come in the seventh as Pitto was cut by the left eye after taking a right. Pitto kept coming though crouching low and looking to score with dangerous short hooks and upercuts from both hands. The Argentinian swept the last three rounds on two scorcards to seal a close win.Unsung Ukrainian lightheavy Oleksandr Cherviak, 11-2-1, stopped Dustin Dirks, 27-1, 53 seconds into the tenth round to win the WBA I/C title. Cherviak had Dirks in serious trouble in the second after landing with a clubbing right. Dirks was out on his feet and was given a count – if he was down or not I couldn´t see. Dustin had it rough in the third as well but seemed to stage a comeback in the middle rounds as Cherviak seemed to fade. However, on the judges´ cards the German fell behind and the fight was in fact lost going into the tenth. Cherviak scored with a big right upercut that seemed to stun Dirks, who was then hit by a couple of jabs when Dustin´s chief cornerman waved the towel and retired his fighter. After nine it was scored 90-80, 88-83 and 88-82 – all for Cherviak. For Dirks it will be long way back – he scored some dynamite knockouts early in his career but appears neither to have the chin or mental strength for top class boxing Veteran cruiser Firat Arslan, 33-6-2, was far from his best in outscoring Varol Vekiloglu over ten in a rather drab no-knockdown, little drama fight. It was scored 98-92, 99-92 and 99-91. Vekiloglu came on a little in the last two but it was too little too late. Supermiddle Tyron Zeuge, 7-0, otscored American Mike Guy, 5-1-1, over eight. Zeuge controlled the fight on the outside and floored Guy in the third with a left. The shorter, stocky Guy tried to get on the inside but once there he was seldom effective. It was scored 78-73 twice and 80-73. Lightheavy Enric Kolling, 6-0 (0), outscored Leo Tchoula, billed as from the Cameroons but based in Germany, over eight good rounds of boxing. It was scored 79-73, 80-74 and 80-72. Kolling connected well but just couldn´t hurt Tchoula, who kept coming, had his moments, but was overall outboxed. Danish jr light Dennis Ceylan, 5-0, stopped Hungarian Nandor Seres, 2-5-1, 2.49 into the third of a scheduled six-rounder. Seres was almost down late in the first and took a standing eight count and was also cut. The cut got wors and Nandor also suffered a heavy nosebleed when was caught against the ropes and hurt with a barrage of punches to the head and body. He went down and was then stopped by the ringside physician due to the bad cut. Swedish welter Anthony Yigit, 2-0, opened Sauerland´s big show at the Sporthalle by outclassing survivalminded Andrey Hramyka from Belorus over four. Yigit, a southpaw, pressured Hramyka in all four rounds but couldn´t hurt him. Hramyka bled badly from the nose but was never hurt.