01.12.03 – Mario Veit and Steven Küchler, two accomplished fighters of Hamburg’s Universum Box-Promotion, are looking forward to an exciting event in their career. The two Germans want to follow in the footsteps of their famous stable mates Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko and gain some attention overseas when they fight on the undercard of the heavyweight elimination contest between Vitali Klitschko and Kirk Johnson next Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Mario Veit is a 29-year-old super middleweight contender with an impressive 41-1 (22) record. Veit is currently on an eleven fight winning streak since losing a world title shot to WBO champion Joe Calzaghe in April 2001. Veit is holding the IBF intercontinental belt and the championship of the European Union at 168 pounds.
Former amateur star Steven Küchler (261 amateur fights, 235 wins) is a welterweight contender who started his professional career last year and is currently 4-0 with 2 knockouts. Küchler will be fighting in the US for the second time after he knocked out Oklahoman John Nelson in the second round last December in Las Vegas.
“In New York I represent my promoter Universum. This is an honour and I feel obliged to have a great performance”, Küchler said who is sharing the same coach with the Klitschko brothers, the reputable 56-year-old Fritz Sdunek. “During the past year I was handicapped with my shoulder injury. But I left that behind me and I want to fight much more frequently now. My career must go on!”
For his stable mate Mario Veit it’s the first time that he steps into the ring in the “Promised Land”. However, it’s everything but his first fight outside of Germany. The experienced 6 foot 4 German fought three times in England and once in Wales, in Switzerland, in Hungary and in Poland.
Whereas Veit scored highly convincing victories on six of his seven trips to foreign countries he suffered a devastating defeat in Wales where WBO champ Calzaghe shocked Veit with hard punches right after the first bell and knocked him out before the opening round was over.
“I just missed the first bell”, Veit remembers. “My attention wasn’t there and I took those hard shots. He put me down but I always got back up. Several things in training had gone wrong and I also changed trainers at a bad moment.”
But according to Mario Veit (WBO #3, IBF #10, WBA #14) all that is past. Next year the lanky super middleweight contender eyes a European title shot against reigning champion Mads Larsen from Denmark. With an impressive performance at Madison Square Garden he wants to underpin that he belongs to the world’s best at 168 pounds.
“My aim is to fight for a world title again. I’ve learned from my mistakes. I fine tuned my skills and I got rid of several bad habits”, Veit said. “I would welcome a rematch against Joe Calzaghe. But I’m more than willing and ready to take on any other world champion as well.”
Live Punchstat on December 6
The fight between Vitali Klitschko and Kirk Johnson will be broadcasted live by many television channels all over the world (HBO in the US, ZDF in Germany).
Boxing.de will complement the television broadcast with a live punch statistic on the internet. Move your computer or notebook close to your TV, open www.boxing.de and watch live how many punches Klitschko and Johnson are throwing and landing. You can also vote who won the last round in your eyes. Submit your vote between rounds.
Klitschko-Johnson Live Punchstat Timetable
Location: www.boxing.de
December 6
19:00 Los Angeles
22:00 New York
December 7
03:00 London
04:00 Berlin
05:00 Kiew
06:00 Moscow