November 22, Rostock, Germany - WBA light heavyweight champ Hugo Hernan Garay retained the title with a unanimous decision over German challenger Jurgen Brahmer in front of a packed house at the Town Hall. Garay won on scores of 118-110, 117-112 and a strange 116-115. Brahmer, a southpaw, was at times brilliant in his boxing but just didn't have the strength to keep the champion away and ended up fighting the wrong fight.

Garay came out fast and kept going throughout, showing tremendous strength, stamina and will in an excellent fight were both had their moments but in almost every round Garay did more than the challenger. Brahmer was visibly shaken in the fourth and at the end of the last round but showed a big, big heart in defeat. Garay has been to Germany twice before and lost very close, controversial calls to WBO king Zsolt Erdei but this time he wasn't going to be denied. In almost every round he jumped at the challenger with barrages of punches, his most effective punch was a left uppercut from the outside - normally a very dangerous punch when your opponent is a southpaw but Garay was just too strong and even when Brahmer's right hook-left uppercuts landed cleanly, the champion fired back and never looked shaken finishing almost unmarked.

Aleksyi Kuziemski retained the WBO I/C light heavyweight title and won the vacant EBA belt by stopping Lithuanian Mantas Tarvydas in seven. Mantas was down in the second and third but eventually retired with an injured hand trailing on points by scores of 60-52 and 60-51 twice after six.

Eduard Gutknecht won the vacant German super middleweight with a hard fought points win over Christian Pawlak, who had both Graciano and Ralf Rocchigiani in his corner.

Middleweight prospect Gennadyi Golovkin stopped Malik Dziarra on a cut and injured eye after two rounds.

NEWS: WBA jr. welter champ Andreas Kotelnik will -according to the always well informed site notifight.com- defend the title against Argentinean puncher Rene Maidana February 7 on a Universum show.

EBA, European Boxing Association, formed in the ashes of the WBA International title and out in the cold for years but now back with the WBA. Also coming is the WBO European title. The sometimes powerful EBU has had more or less a monopoly on the word "European" but are now faced with a tough challenge.

Neither cruiser Rudolf Kraj nor heavyweight Vladimir Virchis are any longer signed with Spotlight Boxing. As to why, the reply was, "no comments."

Bulgarian amateur star Kubrat Pulev, Euro champ this year, is surrounded by rumors of turning pro but there is a problem: Pulev is reportedly signed up by the Bulgarian Armed Forces for a ten-year contract.

Ivan Pozo and Christophe Rodrigues clash for the EBU flyweight title December 13 in Vigo, Spain. The winner will face Italian Andrea Sarritzu.

French welter Louise Mimoune won the national welter title with a points win over Franck Harroche Horta Friday night. Both men are often on the road in Europe always giving a good account of themselves.

Amateur star Jerome Thomas, now fighting at bantam, turned pro November 20 with a points win over Slovakian Elemir Rafael in St Quentin. On top of the bill Cyril Thomas stopped Argentinean Jose Saez in ten in a IBF eliminator at feather.