Press Release: Sebastian Sylvester clinched a dramatic 11th-round technical knockout victory over Amin Asikainen to reclaim the European middleweight belt on Saturday night. It was in June 2006 that the unbeaten Finn had surprisingly stopped the German in the eighth round of their meeting in Hannover. But 385 days plus 11 hard-fought rounds later, the Hurricane eventually restored his pride. He sent Asikainen to the canvas three times, first in the seventh with a left hook and then again in the eleventh when two rights connected. "I can't believe it," the newly-crowded champion enthused afterwards. "It was a tough bout. But I never stopped believing in myself. I learned from my mistakes last year and stuck to my game plan. It feels great."

It was a close encounter from the first bell on, with Asikainen getting the better off his opponent early. He even knocked the German down at the end of round one. "I was a bit overconfident afterwards," Asikainen admitted. "It was a very hard fight. I was not careful enough and his shots were well-placed."

As the fight went on, Sylvester made good use of his speed and punching power to land numerous shots, but Asikainen remained dangerous, especially from close range. "Sebastian simply had to wait for his chance," coach Hartmut Schroeder lauded. "We knew it would come in the later rounds. Sebastian has strong legs and can punch very hard."

Sylvester rocked the building - and his opponent - in the seventh when a crisp left hook sent Asikainen down. Four rounds later, it was a right that dusted the Finn for a second time. He scrambled back to his feet but found himself in the dust straight away follow another right, which prompted the referee to call the bout to a halt. "Sebastian dominated Asikainen late in the fight," manager Winfried Spiering praised. "We are very pleased with his performance. We have very high goals with him."