By Vadim Pushkin
Maritim Hotel in Berlin, Germany - Top rated heavyweight contender Michael Wallisch (16-0, 10 KOs) kept his unbeaten stream intact with a lopsided twelve round unanimous decision over late replacement Ivica Bacurin (23-9-1, 13 KOs) to retain the WBO European heavyweight championship. The scores were 120-105, 119-106 and 118-107.
Wallisch dominated the action from the start and had few problems with Bacurin not offering up much resistance in return. The champion scored a knockdown in the twelfth and final round, but there wasn't much to talk about in the prior eleven.
The fight was the first for Wallisch since last July, when he captured the WBO crown with a second round TKO of Fabio Tuiach. The 30-year-old fighter, who stands at 6'5, wants to get in better shape and remain more active in the comings months. For this bout he still weighed close to last year's career high (244.5), when he came in on Friday at 241.5-pounds.
