Jürgen Brähmer vs. Zsolt Erdei

"One for the real purists", as they say (often sneeringly) - but a damn appealing one.

...and overdue, as it happens. They were supposed to meet back in mid-2009 when Erdei held the WBO strap and Brähmer was European champ and WBO #10.

Those plans were scuppered when Erdei decided to move up to cruiser to challenge Giacobbe Fragomeni for his WBC title - successfully. Brähmer then claim Erdei's vacant title becoming first interim and then full WBO champ at 175lbs.


Both were stellar amateurs. (Brähmer 95-5 with victories over Carl Froch, Felix Sturm, and Ricky Hatton; Erdei 212-20 with an Olympic bronze medal)

Both have boxed professionally since about turn-of-the-century.

Both were previously with Universum (Erdei now with Lou DiBella; Brähmer with Sauerland) - including when they were supposed to fight each other!

Both are 2x world titlists.

Both are highly skilled but underrated and little-known outside Europe.

Both have funny looking faces.


Brähmer is four years Erdei's junior but has a year's experience and ten additional bouts, while Erdei has boxed nineteen more rounds.

Brähmer is orthodox; Erdei southpaw.

Brähmer lost to Hugo Garay; Erdei beat a younger Garay twice albeit in close and somewhat controversial fashion.

Brähmer has the smaller frame and has competed at super middleweight while Erdei has the larger frame and has competed at cruiser, but Erdei is shorter with a lesser wing span.


Brähmer just outclassed powerful but limited Marcus Oliveira to capture the WBA light heavyweight title.

Erdei just outclassed powerful but limited Denis Grachev and should have captured a berth in the Monaco Super Four Million Dollar Final with Edwin Rodriguez but got robbed.


Which of these stylists would take it nowadays? How about back in '09? :think Any difference?

 

:sad2

YMFDKSAB.

 

Loads of talent, but yeah, something...off.

Erdei on the other hand is and has always been a consummate pro, though he was somewhat protected. (not his wishes, faulty handlers)

Both are capable of putting on some absolutely beautiful displays of boxing and I'd really like to see whose jab and whose generalship of the ring got established as the superior, and whether that was temporary or the first stage of many with gradual shifts in momentum...as I suspect would be.

 

Yeah, he was a welter at one point.

If you find that strange, get a load of Guillermo Jones. :hey (welter to heavy just in the pros - of course, Jones barely had an amateur career compared with Brähmer or Erdei...)

:nod

Well...officially. That was really a travesty. http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?p=15059317

That said, Brähmer this past weekend pitched a virtual shutout (losing the 12th by dint of gassing, but literally in supreme command for the first eleven, similar to Martinez vs. Chavez) over Marcus Oliveira, who is probably a better scalp than Grachev. While he was screwed over and should probably still be the undefeated lineal champ as someone mentioned above, with a few million extra bucks in his pocket and Edwin Rodriguez's zero claimed for himself instead of belonging to Andre Ward - I'm not sure an 98-92 victory over Grachev is more impressive form than a 119-108 victory over Oliveira. :think

 

:thedevil1