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"The Cobra" Better "The Cougar"? |
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17.10.2007: Gotthard
Hinteregger wasn’t
able to do it – now can Cristian
Frias break
his losing streak? That question will be answered on Thursday
night when ‘La Cobra’ Frias steps up to welterweight for a
10-rounder against Slawomir Ziemlewicz, 17-3-2 (3 KO’s), in
Ilawa, Poland.
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The
30-year-old Frias, 20-2-2 (16 KO’s), has lost his last two,
both clearly on points against Fedele Bellusci and Dennis
Shafikov respectively, and the native Dominican’s German
manager Olaf Schroeder of Fight Production demands a clear
improvement. “We know we are under pressure,” said the
Dutch-based fighter’s trainer Joseph de Palm, “but we are
positive Cristian can raise his game”. He will be up against
it, no question, and needs to produce the form that kept him
undefeated in 22 consecutive fights during his run in the
Carribbean and netted Frias the Netherlands Antilles lightweight
title.
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Six
days before Frias attempts to save his career, Fight
Production’s Austrian oldie Hinteregger entered the final lap
of his, getting stopped by another Pole in undefeated Grzegorz
Proksa in a scheduled eight-rounder that took place in Peterlee,
England on a card promoted by Matchroom Boxing, which saw Marcus
Portman retain his WBF ‘world’ superwelterweight title
against former champion Jozsef Matolcsi. The latter engaged in a
three-fight series with Hinteregger in 2004/05, which saw the
Hungarian emerge victorious by 2-1. In an ironic twist, both
men’s career now could have ended on the same night.
The
former IBF/WBO Intercontinental and still Austrian
superwelterweight champion nicknamed ‘The Cougar’ was out of
his league in his middleweight excursion against Proksa, 12-0 (8
KO’s), and the referee ended matters already in the second
round. This TKO loss dropped Hinteregger’s record to 29-14-1
(15 KO’s) and manager Schroeder in cooperation with the
40-year-old’s trainer Johann Senfter is now looking to stage a
farewell-show in December in Vienna to allow ‘The Cougar’ a
graceful exit to boxing, something the colourful character
Hinteregger certainly deserves.
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