By Ruslan Chikov
At Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin, Germany, WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck (31-1, 23 KOs) won a twelve round split decision over previously unbeaten Denis Lebedev (21-1, 16 KOs). The scores were 115-113, 115-113 for Huck, 116-112 for Lebedev. The fight was very close. There were many who agree that Lebedev had done enough to win.
The champion, Huck, says Lebedev is a very hard puncher and believes his ribs were fractured in the fourth round from a hook to the body. Huck says the shot to body left him in a lot of pain for the entire fight and affected his performance.
"I am extremely glad that everything worked out for me in spite of the injury. In the fourth round, he cracked my ribs with a stong shot. But in spite of it, I continued to fight. However, in all subsequent rounds I had to deal with the pain. I am extremely glad that I could win," Huck told Alexander Pavlov.
"He threw a hook when I was near the ropes. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs and I thought 'God, what happened?' I had to overcome the pain but thank God everything ended well."
Huck left the fight with a lot of respect for Lebedev. He gives him the edge to provide the other champions with a lot of problems.
"He is a very strong contender. If he fights with the champions of the other organizations, he can create lots of problems for his opponents to beat them. He has a very strong punch, which my ribs felt. I respect him as an athlete and I wish him all the best," Huck said.