HERSISIA BACK WITH A BANG – AND GOTTI WINS TOO!

30.10.06: True to his promise, Dutch heavyweight destroyer Richel Hersisia returned after nine months out with an electrifying performance, banging his opponent Adenilson Rodrigues to the canvas three times for a clean knockout in round two last Saturday in Stuttgart, Germany.

In his first outing under trainer Torsten Schmitz, ‘The Dutch Sonny Liston’ lived up not only to his nickname but also to the ‘Heavyweight Explosion’ billing of the show by Universum Box-Promotion. Waisting no time to prove his long-overdue shoulder operation during the summer a success, Hersisia (101 kg) started furiously against the lively Brazilian, who initially tried to keep up to the Dutch & Benelux champion’s pace, but soon proved to be out of his league. Only the bell to end the first round saved Rodrigues (110,5 kg) after climbing up from the initial knockdown.

Photo: Marianne Müller.

Hersisia immediately seized the chance for his 22^nd career knockout with the start of round two and brutally send the man from Sao Paulo down two more times, and for good. “That sure was nice stuff,” said Schmitz after working with his new charge for almost seven weeks, “now Richel needs stiffer opposition to show what he can do.” That matter will quickly be addressed with promoters Universum, assured Hersisia’s manager Olaf Schroeder, whose fighter served notice of the danger he represents in the ring in bringing his overall record to 28-1 (22 KO’s).

Over in Vienna on the same night, Austrian superwelterweight champion Gotthard Hinteregger scored his second successive win of his unlikely comeback with a clear-cut six-round decision over Slovakia’s Patrik Prokopecz. Very much satisfied, trainer Johann Senfter reported: “Gotti boxed very, very well, almost exactly to orders and was always in full control. He has again improved and rest assured we haven’t seen the last of him.”

At 39 years of age, Hinteregger, know as ‘The Cougar’, could hardly afford any slip-ups in this fight staged by the Austrian Boxing Federation (FVA), as he desperately wants to regain his old IBF Intercontinental title, having held it twice before. That (now vacant) belt is contested in two weeks by German Marco Schulze, who stopped the Austrian veteran in a hot battle in 11 rounds a year ago – and, not surprisingly, Hinteregger, now 27-10-1 (14 KO’s), is hell-bent on revanche. “Gotti has shown he’s serious, he worked his way up again and deserves another shot,” said manager Olaf Schroeder of Fight Production, “don’t be surprised if he surprises again!”