On Saturday, March 12, Juergen Braehmer (47-2, 35 KOs) will defend his WBA World light heavyweight title against Thomas “Tommy Gun” Oosthuizen (25-0-2, 14 KOs) at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Germany.
March 12 is a makeup date, and Germany is a new location. The fight was originally set to take place in November 2015 in Monaco, but Braehmer injured his hand, which forced the bout to be postponed.
The German-born southpaw is undoubtedly happy to have the bout take place in his home country.
“Neubrandenburg holds a very special place in my heart,” said Braehmer. “It was here that I beat Marcus Oliveira to become world champion for a second time. So of course I’m looking forward to returning to the Jahnsportforum and successfully defending my title against Oosthuizen.”
The 37-year-old champion is giving up 10 years to the South African challenger. Oosthuizen has never officially taken a loss, but he was involved in a controversial draw against Brandon Gonzales in June 2013.
Since then, the 27-year-old has strung together four-straight victories. Most recently he beat Robert Berridge via unanimous decision in June 2015. When he finally steps in the ring with Braehmer, it will be after a nine-month layoff.
“It is great news that the fight is going ahead,” he said. “Let’s hope Braehmer doesn’t come up with another excuse not to fight me! I’m definitely going to cash in on my skill, speed, youth, power and agility to win the fight. I’ll put him away for sure. You’ll hear nothing from the scorecards.”
Oosthuizen won’t just have the advantage of youth, he’s also 4½” inches taller than the champion with a 6½” edge in reach. Braehmer insists this won’t be an impossible impediment to overcome.
“His height doesn’t bother me. I have always done well against taller opponents,” says Braehmer. “Enzo Maccarinelli was a similar size and I stopped him inside the distance. Regardless of his size, whether by KO or points—I will be sending the South African home empty-handed.”
Braehmer’s last fight was in September 2015. He forced Konni Konrad to retire in the ninth round. It was his third consecutive win by stoppage.
The champion should have the advantage in power. He’s compiled a 71 percent KO percentage in his career compared to 52 percent for the challenger. It would appear Oosthuizen will want to keep his opponent on the end of his jab most of the night if he hopes to dethrone the champion.
The veteran Braehmer will likely do his best work on the inside as he attempts to chop down the long opponent. The clash of styles and physical statures could make this one of the better fights of the first quarter of the year.
Per BoxRec, there are no other bouts currently scheduled for the card, and no television information has been revealed up to now. Stay tuned as more information becomes available about the undercard and potential viewing details.
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
