Following one of the best fights in recent years in Germany, Abass Baraou (9-1, 6 KOs) lost a controversial split decision to former World Champion Jack Culcay (29-4, 13 KOs) at the Harvel Studios in Berlin.

Despite the lack of fans allowed in the arena, the atmosphere was just as electric as the action between the ropes as Baraou used his speed and skill to land numerous heavy blows to the body and head.

Baraou was fighting under the tutelage of Adam Booth for the first time and the 25-year-old showcased ring generalship that belied his years as he consistently landed the thudding jab and dictated the pace of the fight with a constant supply of pressure. 

The experienced ‘Golden Jack’ displayed his courage and grit as he soaked up Baraou’s attacks, before launching his own flurries in the back half of the fight. The 154lbs bout was billed as ‘Fight of the Year’ and it lived to it’s pre-fight hype as the two German contenders gave the fans a ferocious 12 rounds to remember.

Following a dramatic final round Baraou and his team celebrated as they were confident they had done enough to claim a career best victory but controversially Culcay was the victor with the judges scoring the bout (116-113, 113-115 and 114-115).

A clearly disappointed Baraou was defiant after the result.

“It was a great fight and I felt like I did enough to get the decision,” said Baraou. “I’m disappointed I didn’t get the victory but I know I will come back stronger.”

Following the contentious decision fans around the world took to social media to voice their disbelief at the result, a sentiment shared by Baraou’s stablemate, featherweight contender and Olympic bronze medalist Michael Conlan.

“What a fight Abass Baraou, you won that my brother!,” tweeted Conlan. “These are some messed up scorecards, run that back ASAP!”.

Nisse Sauerland, who has promoted Baraou since he turned professional, was in a defiant mood after the fight. 

“Abass did himself, Team Sauerland and Germany proud tonight with that performance. He’s put in a phenomenal effort and he should have had his hand raised at the end of the night. I’m more confident than ever that Abass Baraou will become a World Champion. 

“Jack is a great competitor and a true gentleman. I know that he knew he lost the fight. We will be back soon – the rematch is our main objective.”

Abass Baraou (9-0, 6 KOs) and Jack Culcay (28-4, 13 KOs) both made weight ahead of their hotly anticipated ‘Fight of The Year’ which takes place tomorrow night at the Havel Studios in Berlin.

The IBF eliminator will see Germany’s #1 and #2 ranked super welterweights clash, with 25-year-old Baraou looking to topple former World Champion Culcay.

IBF Super Welterweight Eliminator:
Abass Baraou: 69.5kg
Jack Culcay: 69.7kg

IBF Intercontinental Middleweight Title:
Vincent Feigenbutz: 71.8kg
Jama Saidi: 71.4kg

The event will take place on August 28th at the Havel Studios in Berlin and will be broadcast live on SPORT1. 

Team Sauerland’s exciting super welterweight contender Abass Baraou (9-0, 6 KOs) will challenge former World Champion Jack Culcay (28-4, 13 KOs) in a mouth watering 50/50 clash on August 28th at the Harvel Studios in Berlin.

The fight, already being billed as the ‘Fight of the Year’ in Germany, will see Baraou fight under the tutelage of esteemed trainer Adam Booth for the first time, having linked up with the Englishman in early March.

Baraou kicked off the year with a devastating four round demolition of Mexico’s Abraham Juarez in Hamburg on January 25th, and the 25-year-old was scheduled to take on Nick Klappert (28-3, 15 KOs) on April 4th in Hamburg, Germany, however this fight was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I am really looking forward to the fight and I’m more than ready” said Baraou. “I would also like to thank the Sauerland team for the trust they have placed in me. Jack is a big fighter with a lot of experience, but I’m sure I can and will beat him. I will leave nothing to chance on the way to becoming number one in Germany.”

Former interim WBA World Super Welterweight Champion Culcay makes a quick return to the ring having claimed a unanimous decision victory over Howard Cospolite on June 12th, and the 34-year-old Berliner is confident he will remain Germany’s No.1 rated super welterweight. 

“It will be a great battle for the fans and a tough battle between the best super welterweight fighters in Germany,” said Culcay. “I am number one in the German rankings and it will stay that way even after the fight. Thank you AGON Sports & Events for fulfilling my wish. Let’s win this together!”

Team Sauerland promoter Nisse Sauerland is looking forward to seeing Germany’s #1 rated super welterweight take on #2, with the winner of the fight being elevated to number 2 in the IBF world rankings.

“I am very pleased that AGON and the Sauerland team were able to work together to make such a great fight,” said Sauerland. “It’s admirable that Abass has the courage to face a world-class boxer like Jack in just his tenth fight. Jack was previously a Team Sauerland fighter so we know what a great fighter he is.”

The event will take place on August 28th at the Havel Studios in Berlin and there will be further announcements shortly.

New York, NY (April 17, 2019) World ranked middleweight contender Sergiy “The Technician” Derevyanchenko (13-1, 10 KOs), of Brooklyn, NY, was victorious this past Saturday night, April 13, against former world title challenger Jack Culcay (25-4, 13 KOs), of Davie, FL, at the Minneapolis Armory in Minneapolis, MN, taking home a 12-round unanimous decision. Scores for the bout, telecast nationally on FoxSports1, were 116-112 twice, and 115-113.

The victory earned Derevyanchenko, co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions Inc., the status of mandatory challenger for the IBF Middleweight World Title currently held by Brooklyn rival Daniel Jacobs. On October 27, 2018, the former Ukrainian amateur standout lost a hard-fought controversial 12-round decision to Jacobs for the vacant title at Madison Square Garden.

With Jacobs headed to a middleweight unification showdown versus Canelo Alvarez on May 4, Derevyanchenko looks to make a quick return fighting any of the top middleweights.

“I felt very good against Culcay; he was a very tough opponent, but I prevailed by listening to my corner and staying focused,” said Derevyanchenko. “I’m going to take just a short time off and return to the gym. My focus is staying active and fighting the best in the middleweight division. My fight versus Danny Jacobs proved I can compete with anyone. Now it is time to win a world championship.”

“Sergiy defeated a very game Jack Culcay on Saturday and proved that he remains one of the best middleweights in the world,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “With the win, he is now the mandatory challenger for the IBF world title, and we will continue to seek out the biggest and best opportunities for Sergiy to compete against the elite of the middleweight division ASAP.”

MINNEAPOLIS (February 21, 2019) – Former world champions will go toe-to-toe as Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin faces Minnesota-native Caleb “Golden” Truax in a 12-round IBF super middleweight title eliminator that headlines Premier Boxing Champions on FS1 and FOX Deportes Saturday, April 13 from The Armory in Minneapolis.

Televised coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT and will feature top middleweight contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko taking on Jack Culcay in a 12-round IBF title eliminator, plus unbeaten rising prospect Chris Colbert will compete in an undercard attraction.

Tickets for the event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing and TGB Promotions, go on sale Saturday, February 23, and can be purchased at the Armory at http://ArmoryMN.com/ and through Ticketmaster.

“Quillin vs. Truax is a true 50-50 matchup of former world champions looking to put themselves in position to grab another world title,” said Leon Margules, President of Warriors Boxing. “Truax will have the hometown crowd in Minnesota behind him, but Quillin has fought at the highest level against top competition for years. It has all the makings of a dramatic fight, and combined with the Derevyanchenko vs. Culcay middleweight eliminator, it’s going to make for an action packed night at the Armory and on FS1 and FOX Deportes.”

“Both of these are fantastic matchups because there are championship implications on the line,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “That adds to the motivation for each of the guys stepping into the ring. For Qullin and Truax, they both know what it means to be a world champion and this is their opportunity to return to that status. There is always a lot of energy in the Armory for these types of matches and that really carries over to the FS1 and FOX Deportes broadcast for those watching at home. It promises to be a very entertaining evening for all boxing fans.”

A former middleweight champion, Quillin (34-1-1, 23 KOs) delivered in his second bout at super middleweight, defeating J’Leon Love last August by unanimous decision. Born in Chicago and raised Michigan, Quillin has called Brooklyn, N.Y. home throughout a pro career that saw him win a world title against Hassan N’Dam in 2012 and defend it three times. His only loss came to Daniel Jacobs in 2015 after battling former champion Andy Lee to a draw earlier that year.

“I’m approaching this fight very seriously because I know Truax is a durable guy who knows how to fight,” said Quillin. “He comes from a background where people don’t give him credit for what he’s done, and those are the most dangerous guys. I’m no stranger to fighting in my opponent’s backyard. My job is to go into the ring and go home with the win. I’m looking to walk away with some of his fans on my side by winning the fight and putting on a great performance.”

Fighting out of Osseo, Minnesota, Truax (30-4-2, 19 KOs) pulled off one of 2017’s biggest upsets when he traveled to London to defeat James DeGale and become a 168-pound world champion. The 35-year-old lost a hard-fought rematch to DeGale in 2018 and most recently scored a third-round stoppage of Fabiano Soares at the Armory in August.

“Peter Quillin is someone I’ve wanted to fight since I first sparred with him in 2012,” said Truax. “I walked away from that experience confident that I could get the job done if we were ever matched together. The fact that it’s taking place at home in Minnesota is even better because my fans are going to give me a huge advantage. My goal is to get back into title contention and win my second world title.”

A 2008 Olympian for his native Ukraine, Derevyanchenko (12-1, 10 KOs) has made his home in Brooklyn, N.Y. since turning pro in July 2014. The 33-year-old was unbeaten in his first 12 fights, earning a world title fight with a final-round stoppage of Tureano Johnson in 2017. He most recently dropped a narrow split-decision to Daniel Jacobs in a middleweight title fight in October.

Culcay (25-3, 13 KOs) is originally from Ecuador, spent much of his career fighting out of Germany, and now lives in Florida. He enters this bout on a three-fight winning streak after picking up a trio of wins in 2018. He had previously held an interim 154-pound titles before losing close decisions against Demetrius Andrade and Maciej Sulecki.

Representing his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., Colbert (10-0, 3 KOs) has begun to make a name for himself showing off tremendous skills across his first 10 pro victories. The 22-year-old most recently dominated Josh Hernandez on FS1 in January and he will return to fight at The Armory for the second time after defeating then unbeaten Austin Dulay on FS1 last April.

Fans can live stream the fights on the FOX Sports app, available in English or Spanish through the FOX, FS1 or FOX Deportes feeds. The fights are available on desktop at FOXSports.com and through the app store, or connected devices including Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV, Xbox One and Roku.

For more information: visit www.premierboxingchampions.com, http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/homepage and www.foxdeportes.com, follow on Twitter @PremierBoxing, @PBConFOX, @FOXSports, @FOXDeportes, @WarriorsBoxingProm, @TGBPromotions, and @Swanson_Comm or become a fan on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/PremierBoxingChampions, www.facebook.com/foxsports & www.facebook.com/foxdeportes.