Muslim Gadzhimagomedov retained his World Boxing Association (WBA) bridgerweight crown by defeating Leon Harth by unanimous decision at the Ufa Arena in Ufa, Russia on Thursday. 

The champion of the pioneer organization made the first defense of his crown and won the cards of 120-108 by the three judges, which evidenced his tough dominance during the 12 rounds. 

It was a fight in which both boxers proposed but the local boxer was superior and was taking advantage at all times to take the win and remain the owner of the crown. 

The event was attended by the undisputed light heavyweight champion, Artur Beterbiev, who stepped into the ring to hand the belt to Gadzhimagomedov at the time of the official decision. 

The Russian remains undefeated in his professional career and reached 5 wins, 3 of them by knockout. Harth dropped to 22 wins, 6 losses, 1 draw and 13 knockouts.

Evgeny Tishchenko made history by becoming the first World Boxing Association (WBA) bridgerweight champion by defeating Leon Harth this weekend at the Agenda Arena in Dubai.

The Russian fighter finished the fight in the sixth round against a veteran like Harth and took the belt in the 200 / 224-pound weight class.

It was the first championship fight in this division and Tishchenko dominated the bout, winning every round and got a knockdown in the second round to cruise to victory.

Harth put a lot of heart in the ring but was outclassed by the Russian and lost his chance to become champion.

Tishchenko left his record at 13 wins, 1 loss. For his part, Harth now has a record of 22 wins, 6 losses and 1 draw.

German light heavyweight Leon Bunn (14-0, 8 KOs) claimed the IBF International title by defeating countryman Leon Harth (18-4, 12 KOs) via technical knockout last night at the Fraport Arena in Frankfurt.

Bunn was stronger, quicker and more skilful as he dominated his more experienced opponent until the referee waved off the fight in the ninth round. Having captured his first professional title in front of a capacity crowd in his hometown arena, the 26 year-old moves closer to a World title challenge.

“To achieve such a victory here in Frankfurt in front of my home crowd is outstanding,” said Bunn. “I’m incredibly pleased to win my first tittle and want to thank everyone who has accompanied me on this journey so far. I am now looking forward to the bigger the challenges that lie ahead.”

Bunn’s performance earned him the praise of his coach Ulli Wegner, who was delighted with his student’s performance. “Congratulations Leo, as I always call him,” said Wegner “Everyone knows that I’m rarely completely satisfied, but that was great. I’m very impressed with what Leo showed today!”

Promoter Nisse Sauerland shared in Wegner’s delight. “We at Team Sauerland are incredibly proud of Leon Bunn,” said Sauerland. “He has shown that he has great potential, and now the bigger fights can come.”

Abass Baraou (6-0, 3 KOs) secured his sixth professional victory and has now beaten two former World Champion in his last two fights. The classy German dominated his South African opponent Ali Funeka (40-11-3, 32 KOs), before finishing him with a flurry of punches in the fifth round.

Sophie Alisch (3-0, 1 KO) continued her journey to stardom as she comfortably overcame Bojana Libiszewska (5-35, 1 KO) to win every round on the judges’ scorecards, while Anthony Yigit (23-1-1, 8 KOs) claimed a fifth-round TKO win over Sandro Hernandez (15-8-3, 10 KOs) and Kem Ljungquist (8-0, 5 KOs) recorded a unanimous points victory over Dominik Musil (3-2, 2 KOs).

German rivals Leon Bunn (13-0, 7 KOs) and Leon Harth (18-3, 12 KOs) took to the scales today in Frankfurt ahead of their IBF International Light Heavyweight title clash tomorrow night at the Fraport Arena.

Bunn is looking to take the next steps in his promising career by claiming his first professional title, while Harth, a seasoned cruiserweight campaigner, is enjoying a fine run of form having moved down to light heavyweight, and will be hoping to further his World title claim with a victory in Frankfurt.

IBF International Light Heavyweight Championship:
Len Bunn: 79.0 kg
Leon Harth: 79.1 kg

On the undercard, super welterweight star Abass Baraou returns against former World Champion Ali Funeka, Sarah Bormann defends her WIBF crown versus Anne Sophie Da Costa, and Sophie Alisch is back for her third professional bout alongside top Scandinavian talent Anthony Yigit and Kem Ljungquist.

Super Welterweight – 10 Rounds:
Abass Baraou: 69.7 kg
Ali Funeka: 67.4 kg

WIBF Female World Light Flyweight Championship:
Sarah Bormann: 48.7 kg
Anne Sophie Da Costa: 48.7 kg

Featherweight – 6 Rounds:
Sophie Alisch: 56.7 kg
Bojana Libszewska: 57.1 kg

Super Middleweight – 4 Rounds:
Enis Agushi: 75.5 kg
Pavol Garaj: 74.7 kg

Super Lightweight – 8 Rounds:
Anthony Yigit: 64.5 kg
Sandro Hernandez: 62.9 kg

Heavyweight – 8 Rounds:
Kem Ljungquist: 106.7 kg
Dominik Musil: 117.0 kg

Lightweight – 4 Rounds:
Ahmet Cicek: 62.2 kg
Andreas Maier: 62.9 kg

Super Welterweight – 4 Rounds:
Tobias Nixdorf: 70.7 kg
Kamil Kroslak: 71.1 kg

Tickets for the IBF International Light Heavyweight title clash between Leon Bunn and Leon Harth at the Fraport Arena are available via www.eventim.de.

Leon Bunn (13-0, 7 KOs) and Leon Harth (18-3, 12 KOs) met today at the final press conference ahead of their IBF International Light Heavyweight title showdown on Saturday at the Fraport Arena in Frankfurt.

Bunn is gunning for first title as he headlines his hometown arena but will face stiff competition from his countryman Harth, who having made the move down from cruiserweight has claimed the IBO International and WBC Asian Light Heavyweight titles in his last two contests.

“There are no doubts about my victory, very good sparring partners, great preparation, no weight problems,” said Harth. “My switch from cruiser to light heavyweight was the best thing I could do – Leon Bunn will feel that on Saturday and I will take the belt to Munich.”

Leon Bunn was equally confident. “I’m boxing at home, my fans will drive me to victory, there’s no doubt about that,” Bunn said. “I’ll never stop. The title will remain in Frankfurt and I can’t wait for it to start.”

Harth’s head coach Alexander Bich believes his knowledge of Bunn will help his fighter become victorious. “I know Leon Bunn from the amateurs,” said Bich. “He is certainly a good boxer, but on Saturday Leon Harth will prevail, there is no doubt.”

Legendary trainer Ulli Wegner has other ideas. “We want and must win, said Wegner, who celebrated his birthday earlier this week. “I am looking forward to the fight, but I am very sorry for Leon Harth’s team. I like his team and himself and he’s a good boxer, but it will definitely be a win for Leon Bunn, even if it’s going to be a close fight.”

Harth’s promoter, Alexander Petkovic shared his thoughts. “You are playing great football here in Frankfurt and I hope that Eintracht will win against Chelsea today, but on Saturday the city of Frankfurt and Team Sauerland will lose,” said Petkovic. “The IBF International title will be ours!”

Promoter Nisse Sauerland reflected on Team Sauerland’s last promotion in Frankfurt. “I like to remember the fight between Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Steve Cunningham, I expect a similarly great fight between Leon Bunn and Leon Harth,” said Sauerland. “I’m sure that Leon Bunn will win the fight and get his first title. the Fraport Arena will be a cauldron and boxing fans in Frankfurt can look forward to many more great fights!”

Limited tickets for the Team Sauerland show at the Fraport Arena in Frankfurt are still available via www.eventim.de

Leon Bunn (13-0, 7 KOs) will face Leon Harth (18-3, 12 KOs) for the IBF International Light Heavyweight title on May 4 at the Fraport Arena in Frankfurt.

Bunn tops the bill in his hometown as Team Sauerland return to the Fraport Arena for the first time in seven years following a memorable cruiserweight showdown between Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Steve Cunningham in 2012.

The 26-year-old from Frankfurt is back in action after a unanimous points win over Viktor Polyakov on February 16 in Koblenz, and will have the chance to claim his first professional title as he goes toe-to-toe with countryman Harth.

“I would like to thank my promoter Team Sauerland for the opportunity and the confidence they’ve shown in me,” said the highly rated light heavyweight.

“To fight for my first title in my hometown is amazing! I’m looking forward to a great evening with a great atmosphere. Everyone knows that my fans support me everywhere I am boxing, but here in Frankfurt, it’s going to be even better!

“It’s time to step up. I want to climb the rankings and box for the big titles, and to do that I have to beat Leon Harth, even though I know he’s very strong.”

Having campaigned at cruiserweight, Harth has returned to light heavyweight, where he remains undefeated, and has captured the IBO Continental and WBC Asia 175lb titles in his last two contests.

The only blemishes on the Detmold-boxer’s resume come from defeats to former World Champions Murat Gassiev and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, and World title challenger Artur Mann, who meets Kevin Lerena for the IBO crown on March 16.

“It’s great that my promoter Petko’s Box Promotion with Team Sauerland has been able to agree this fight,” said Harth. “Leon Bunn is a good boxer with a good amateur pedigree, but I have fought at a higher level. My switch from cruiserweight down to light heavyweight has also served me well. Here, I can play to my strengths much better, as Leon Bunn will find out on May 4.”

Harth’s promoter Alexander Petkovic adds: “We worked very well with Team Sauerland at last June’s Petko’s Fight Night, and the negotiations for this fight were just as simple, within 24 hours we were in agreement. This is exactly the type of fight we have to deliver for the German audience. We know that Leon Bunn is a strong boxer and his fans will support him in many ways, but our Leon will fight bravely and produce a big fight for all boxing fans, I promise!”

Promoter Nisse Sauerland says: “Leon Harth will provide a tough test for Leon Bunn, but if he wants to step up, he must be prepared to face tougher opponents, and Harth is a tough opponent. I am very happy that Harth and Petko’s Boxing Promotions have accepted this fight. We look forward to returning to Frankfurt for an action-packed evening of boxing, and we will be announcing some great fights for the undercard in the coming weeks!”

Tickets for the Team Sauerland event on May 4 at the Fraport Arena in Frankfurt are on sale now and available online via www.eventim.de.