5.9.2007: There are comebacks, and there are comebacks – but it certainly doesn’t come any stranger than the clash between Austrian Gotthard Hinteregger and Dane Allan Vester, who meet in a superwelterweight 4-rounder (!) in Karlstad, Sweden on September 15.

Not very often do former world-rated fighters compete over four rounds (the maximum distance allowed by the new Swedish boxing law), but consider the following oddities:

Fight Production’s Hinteregger, at the advanced age of 40 still his country’s national champion and a former IBF/WBO Intercontinental title holder, has always competed around the superwelterweight limit. However, after two losses in his last two fight, ‘The Cougar’ was basically ready to finally call it a day – until the unexpected opportunity to revive his career against an ex-IBF ‘world’ title challenger popped up from nowhere.

Allan Vester, on the other hand, is coming back after two and a half years out of the ring, having been stopped or knocked out in three of his last four contests. His career highlight was a mandatory challenge to IBF titlist Zab Judah, who brushed the Arhus man aside almost effortlessly in three rounds in 2001. Basically, Vester has mostly campaigned at lightwelter and later on as a welterweight and is still only 30 years old. Ominously, all his losses in a career record of 25-6-1 (5 KO’s) have come inside the distance, so while one may argue that he never had a chin or power and brittle hands to boot, he was always renowed for his brilliant and fast boxing. Will it still be there, almost three years after his last ring victory?

In another interesting twist, Hinteregger, 29-12-1 (15 KO’s), will have expert advise in his corner with manager Olaf Schroeder, who can look back on a deep involvement with Vester’s career, due to his association with the fighter’s father and promoter Anders Vester. From the very start of Allan’s pro career in 1998, Schroeder matched all his fights and should know him as well as anyone. Despite father Anders losing his television contract in late 2002 and drifting out of the game, there’s still a friendly bond between the Vester and Schroeder families.

It may not be out of line to question whether both Hinteregger and Vester still belong in a professional boxing ring – but as odd as it may seem, the winner could actually build on what certainly is not the all-too-often “former star vs helpless prey” comeback for both.

Photo: Gotthard Hinteregger, trainer Johann Senfter and manager Olaf Schroeder (from left) plotting the strategy to upset Allan Vester: