By James Slater – WBO cruiserweight champion Marco Huck, a fighter who really does seem unwilling to remain out of action for anything approaching a significant amount of time, will make the sixth defence of his title on April 2nd, once again in his adopted homeland of Germany.
Challenging the Serbian-born 26-year-old known as “Kapt’n” Huck, will be 41-year-old Italian tough guy Giacobbe Fragomeni.. The WBO #3 ranked contender is known to fight fans for his relentless, pressurising style, and the former WBC 200-pound ruler is expected to give Huck a hard night’s work. But can the warrior from Milan beat Huck?
Fans may point to Fragomeni’s age and recent record and say no. But even though he is getting on in years, the stocky Italian hasn’t had too many fights, nor has he had an overly long pro career. A pro since the summer of 2001, Fragomeni has had just 31 bouts. Recently, though, the man who has rumbled with top names such as David Haye (L TKO 9), Rudolf Kraj (W TKO 8), Krzystof Wlodarczyk (twice, a 12-round draw and an 8th-round TKO loss) and Zsolt Erdei (L TKO 8) has failed to win the big one.
After beating Kraj and enjoying a brief stint as WBC champ, Fragomeni lost to Erdei after one retention – the draw with Wlodarczyk. Then, in a bid to regain the vacated belt, Fragomeni lost for a second time to the Pole. Since then, the Italian has won just once: a 6th-round stoppage victory over a guy who had a 17-33-4 record going in.
Still, all this considered, Fragomeni figures to give Huck a physically testing fight of some kind. For unless he has aged overnight, the tank-like challenger doesn’t look like being taken out quickly in April. Huck, though, is on a real roll right now. With excellent wins over good men Victor Emilio Ramirez, Ola Afolabi, Matt Godfrey and, last time out in a close affair, Denis Lebedev under his belt, Huck must be feeling supremely confident. Just that one loss to Steve “U.S.S” Cunningham remains to be avenged, before Huck can arguably make the claim that he is the world’s best at 200-pounds.
Fans want very much to see a Cunningham-Huck II (and with a Cruiserweight “Super-Six” in the planning stages, this fight, among others, could happen sooner rather than later), but for the time being the WBO boss remains busy with the fight against Fragomeni.
The Italian has been stopped just twice, and as a result there is no reason to doubt his chin. In a number of his fights, Fragomeni has gotten stronger as the rounds have passed. Can he use his bull-like strength and take Huck out of his gameplan in April? For at least a few rounds, yes, I think he can. But can Fragomeni keep up a high enough workrate to be able to stick in there and win a decision? I can’t see Huck being stopped by his latest challenger, but at the same time I don’t think Fragomeni will fall.
I go for Huck to retain on points in a good action fight.