Marco “Captain” Huck (29-1, 22 KOs) made a successful third defence of his WBO Cruiserweight Title when he stopped Brian “The Beast” Minto (34-4, 21 KOs) in the tenth round of their clash in Oldenburg, Germany. Fighting in front of a boisterous crowd of 3,500 fans, Huck landed his trademark power punches in every round. His huge right did most of the damage, knocking Minto down in the third and fifth round. But the American refused to give up. He hung in and fought back – only for Huck to land even more punches. The 25-year-old German hammered in huge combinations to body and head before another right sent Minto down again the ninth. He came back to his feet but his corner ultimately decided he had taken enough punishment.
“It was a spectacular fight and I really take my hat off to Minto,” Huck said. “I was surprised how many shots he could take. I knocked him down three times but he refused to give up. He has a big heart and you have to give him a lot of credit for carrying on. I am very pleased with my performance. It was the third defence and I am keen to inflict some more damage to my opponents at cruiserweight and unify the belts..”
Minto was taken straight to hospital after the fight. “Huck is very strong,” he said. “He can punch really hard. He deserved to win tonight.” Coach Ulli Wegner also liked what he saw. “Marco is incredibly explosive and powerful,” he said. “This was a good test. Minto came back all the time, so it was important that Marco controlled his power and stamina. He did well. But he can still improve as a fighter.”
Manager Wilfried Sauerland called Huck “the most spectacular fighter in Germany”. He said: “Marco´s fights promise non-stop action. He is so explosive and powerful and that is what the fans love to see. And he is just 25 years old – there is a lot more to come from him.”
On the undercard, WBO Intercontinental Light Heavyweight Champion Karo Murat retained his title with a unanimous points victory over Tommy Karpency. After a second-round knock-down following a big left to the head, Murat was ahead 116-111, 116-111 and 117-110 on the scorecards. Middleweight hopeful Dominik Britsch scored his 19th win in as many fights, clearly outpointing Alessio Furlan, while Kubrat Pulev defeated Evgeny Orlov by DQ in round 7.