(DEC 9) A dream came through for 20 year old Susianna Kentikian at the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle, in her home town Hamburg Friday night. After 10 hard fought rounds, she defended her WBA Flyweight Belt and won the newly vacated WIBF Belt, that her great idol, Regina Halmich, held for over a decade.

This was a rematch. The two met in May this year resulting in a split decision in favour of Kentikian. So a highly competitive fight could be expected, and that was exactly what the two boxers gave the 3800 strong crowd in the Alsterdorfer Sporthalle as well as the 1,7 million TV viewers.

Kentikian gave away 5 inches in height, and had to cope with Hockmi's longer reach. Particularly in the first rounds, the home town girl succeeded with combinations to the body of the taller Frenchwoman, often ending with one or two blows to the head once the guards came down. Hockmi scored most with her left jab, and looked best when she was able to keep the aggressive Kentikian at length. The good skills of Hockmi became evident, when she was under pressure on the ropes. Susi Kentikian has stopped many of her former opponents, when she managed to catch them on the ropes and peppering them with punches from all angles. But Hockmi's good defensive skills, enabled her to weather the storm and only let fairly few punches slip through her guard, when Kentikian had her backed up against the ropes.

Kentikian's quick reflexes made her difficult target for Hockmi, while her fast hands found their target frequently and adding up on the scorecards. But it was far from one-way traffic. Hockmi got through with some telling right hands as well as her left jab, and looked especially strong in the 5th and 8th round. Kentikian suffered a small cut over her left eye in the ninth round, while Hockmi was bleeding from the nose throughout most of the fight.

The judges scores reflects how close the fight was. 97-94, 96-94 and 97-95 in favour of Kentikian is a pretty accurate picture of the fight.

The new WIBF and defending WBA world champion certainly got a taste of what it takes to become and remain a champ. Last night she proved she has the determination and the fighter heart to hang on to the belt. But with opponents in Hockmi's class waiting in the aisles, she is no doubt aware, that she cannot afford an off day.