LONDON: Seven months after a double hip replacement and two years after being shot, Manuel Charr has become the world’s first Arab heavyweight boxing champion.
Beirut-born Charr, who fled to Germany as a five-year-old, defeated Alexander Ustinov by unanimous decision on Saturday night to win the WBA heavyweight title.
The victory capped a remarkable comeback from three setbacks which might have ended the career of a less-determined boxer.
He was stabbed in the back when he was 16 and in September 2015, he was left fighting for his life after being shot in the stomach following an altercation at a kebab restaurant in Essen.
Charr returned to the ring just seven months later, bearing the scars of the attack on his abdomen.
Then came another blow earlier this year when both hips had to be replaced.
“In the last two years, I have experienced everything that one possibly can,” said Charr. “From being shot to having two new hips, but I gritted my teeth. The doctors told me, it is a medical miracle.
“I have experienced much more than fits in a life. I’m like a cat with seven lives. I’ve used five so I have to change something.”
On Saturday night, he showed all his resolve and skill to emerge as the clear winner of the WBA bout in Berlin. Charr rocked Ustinov in the seventh round when he had the taller fighter against the ropes and tried to finish off the bout.
The Russian weathered the punches but seemed disorientated, allowing Charr through again and again with his left.
Charr finished the eighth by catching Ustinov with a vicious left blow that left the Russian on his knees with blood streaming below his left eye. The bell provided respite.
Ustinov displayed remarkable resilience as he lumbered through the next rounds but Charr had already done enough.
The judges scored the fight 114-111, 116-111 and 115-112 to the Lebanese-born puncher. Charr has now won 31 of his 35 fights, with 17 KOs.
He could now face Anthony Joshua, the reigning WBA Super heavyweight champion, in a super fight.
Raised in Berlin and Essen, this was Charr’s second shot at a world title. His previous attempt ended in a fourth-round defeat when he was stopped by ex-WBC champion Vitali Klitschko in 2012.
He dedicated this victory over Ustinov to his adopted home country.
“What can I say, Germany — we are world champions,” Charr roared.
“I dedicate this title to Germany, the country which gave me a chance and built me up. This is my gift to you all.”
Charr is Germany’s first world heavyweight champion since Max Schmeling reigned from 1930-1932.
Refugee ‘Rocky’ becomes first Arab heavyweight champ
Refugee ‘Rocky’ becomes first Arab heavyweight champ
Johnson, Castle shine as Spurs rout Thunder 130-110
- The Thunder fell to 26-4 after the loss, while the Spurs improved to 22-7 to stay in second place in the West
- Anthony Edwards rattled in 38 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the New York Knicks 115-104 in Minneapolis
LOS ANGELES: Keldon Johnson and Stephon Castle combined for 49 points as the San Antonio Spurs produced a second-half scoring blitz to rout the NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder 130-110 on Tuesday.
Ten days after eliminating the Thunder from the NBA Cup semifinals, the Spurs once again proved too strong for the Western Conference leaders as they powered to their seventh straight victory in San Antonio.
Starting shooting guard Castle finished with 24 points including four three-pointers but the key contribution came from Johnson, who added 25 off the bench including five threes.
The Thunder fell to 26-4 after the loss, while the Spurs improved to 22-7 to stay in second place in the West.
San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points while reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder scoring with 33 points.
“It shows how serious we are — we’ve got the same aspirations that they have, we just want to come out and compete every time we play them,” said Castle, who poured in 10 of his 24 points during the fourth quarter in which the Spurs outscored the Thunder 43-28.
The Denver Nuggets meanwhile missed the chance to close the gap on Oklahoma City after losing a thrilling duel 131-130 against the Dallas Mavericks on the road in Texas.
Mavericks prodigy Cooper Flagg once again stole the show, with the gifted 19-year-old No.1 draft pick scoring a game high 33 points with nine rebounds and nine assists.
Flagg’s performance was backed by 31 points from Anthony Davis as Dallas outdueled Nuggets duo Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, who accounted for 60 Denver points.
The Nuggets almost snatched victory at the buzzer, but Peyton Watson’s wide open three-point attempt bounced out after hitting the rim.
“We’re just coming together, trying to have each other’s backs,” Flagg said. “Obviously Jamal and (Jokic) had it going — so we were just trying to take those guys away and make somebody else beat us.”
Dallas improved to 12-19 while the Nuggets slipped to 21-8 in the West.
Flagg, meanwhile, took encouragement from another hard-fought win by the Mavs, who last week took down the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
“We’re learning from all of these experiences,” Flagg said. “You know we’ve been in a lot of really close games, so just trying to take stuff from those games and learn from it and get better.”
Elsewhere on Tuesday, Anthony Edwards rattled in 38 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves took down the New York Knicks 115-104 in Minneapolis.
Edwards knocked down four three-pointers while teammate Julius Randle added 25 points as the Wolves eclipsed a 40-point performance from Karl-Anthony Towns.
Knicks star Jalen Brunson, who scored 47 points in Sunday’s win over Miami, missed the game with a right ankle problem.
