Juergen Braehmer's WBA world title defence against Eduard Gutknecht is live on Sky Sports
Saturday 12 March 2016 22:11, UK
Light-heavyweight world champion Juergen Braehmer's rematch with Eduard Gutknecht is live on Sky Sports on Saturday night.
The German holds one of the world titles at 175lbs, along with world No 1 Sergey Kovalev and rival Adonis Stephenson.
Braehmer has been linked with Britain's Nathan Cleverly now he is back up at light-heavyweight, but before he takes on any of them, he has to deal with Gutknecht, live from 9.45pm, Saturday on Sky Sports 2.
This time I will be going into the ring full of confidence. I know what I'm capable of and I believe I'm a better fighter now than I was three years ago, but I'm not sure the same can be said of Gutknecht
He will be making his sixth world title defence in Neubrandenburg, Germany, on Saturday, three years after he beat his Kazakhstan-born rival take the European title away.
Braehmer (47-3-KO 35) edged a unanimous decision back in February 2013 but had not boxed for a year and admits he was far from his best.
The 37-year-old won the WBA belt shortly after and ahead of his sixth defence, has warned Gutknecht (29-3-1-KO 12) that he will be a better fighter second time around.
"There was a lot of uncertainty before our first fight,'' said Brahmer.
"I was returning after almost a year out of the ring and I didn't know how much I still had in the tank.
"A lot of people wanted to write me off and there was a lot of pressure on me to perform, but that night I proved my potential, and not only did the win lead me to a shot at the World title, it also allowed me to prove, to myself and to the fans, that I still had a lot to give."
"This time I will be going into the ring full of confidence. I know what I'm capable of and I believe I'm a better fighter now than I was three years ago, but I'm not sure the same can be said of Gutknecht.
This opportunity has come at the perfect time for me and I couldn't be more motivated. I don't believe Braehmer has improved since our last fight
The scorecards in their first fight read 111-116, 113-114 and 110-117 in Braehmer's favour but Gutknecht is still adamant he should have kept his European title and then move onto the world scene first.
The fighter known as 'Energy Eddie''s next fight saw him pick up the WBA Inter-continental title but then lost and drew his next two and has worked his way back into contention four wins on the bounce.
"Juergen Braehmer didn't beat me, the belt was taken from me by the judges, but this time, I will leave the decision in no doubt.
"This opportunity has come at the perfect time for me and I couldn't be more motivated. I don't believe Braehmer has improved since our last fight. He's 37-years-old so I can't see how this is possible. Of course, he's a good fighter but he's on the decline and his stamina is gone.
"I think if Juergen and his coach look at my best performances and compare it to his recent fights, even they must know the truth.
"I'm at the stage of my career where there can be no more excuses. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I know I have what it takes to win this fight, and on Saturday, I will prove that Braehmer's time is over and I will be crowned world champion!"
Watch Brahmer v Gutknecht live from 9.45pm, Saturday, Sky Sports 2, with former world champion Darren Barker and former European champion Spencer Oliver in the studio.
