IBF International heavyweight champion Alexander Dimitrenko had a massive scare when his last fight on December 22 ended in a controversial split draw, but that result has now changed.
Dimitrenko fought Miljan Rovcanin in Hamburg and the fight ended in a draw (96-90 Dimitrenko, 92-94 Rovcanin, 93-93). What was controversial was the fact that Rovcanin had a total of three points deducted, two in the third round and one in the seventh. According to the German Boxing Federation (BDB), Rovcanin should have been disqualified because he had a third point deducted.
Dimitrenko filed a protest to the BDB and the German Federation has overturned the result. The split draw is now a DQ win for Dimitrenko, improving his record to 41-3. The result not only keeps Dimitrenko's impressive record intact, but it keeps him in line to eventually challenge for the EBU title currently held by Agit Kabayel because Dimitrenko is the mandatory challenger.
The change in the fight's result also meant that Rovcanin suffered his first career loss (18-1). Rovcanin, a former World Boxing Federation International cruiserweight champion, won the Serbian national title earlier this year.
Despite holding the IBF International title, Dimitrenko still won't likely sniff a world title fight anytime soon. He is ranked No. 8 in the IBF rankings and champion Deontay Wilder will likely fight WBO champion Joseph Parker next and has other fights, such as against Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury, likely to take place after the fight against Parker. Dimitrenko is riding a three-fight win streak since losing to Parker in a WBO Oriental heavyweight title fight in 2016.
