Local hard man Ryno Liebenberg may have lost his last outing in Sweden, a bloody, bruising 12-rounder against Erik Skoglund, but so impressed were the Europeans, they have asked him back again.
Liebenberg will now enter training camp for a fight against former amateur star Enrico Kölling of Germany, who has Olympic, world championship and European championship experience.
Kölling (130-35-4 as an amateur) turned pro immediately after the 2012 Olympics and has crafted an impressive 21-1 record that includes capturing the WBO Youth and WBA Inter-Continental titles. He isn’t a noted puncher, but reports out of Europe portray him as a consummate boxer with excellent defensive skills.
Despite losing to Skoglund, Liebenberg’s stocks shot up for the way he pushed the Swede and engaged in a memorable brawl that had the crowd on its feet.
Despite losing three of his last four fights, it should be pointed out that the fighters who beat Liebenberg had a combined 64 bouts with zero losses, which underlines just how tough the likeable South African has been matched.
He will get no favours in Germany, but Liebenberg won’t mind. He hasn’t met an opponent he’s been intimidated by and, besides, he’s yet to find an environment as tough as the one he grew up in on Johannesburg’s West Rand.
Trainer Colin Nathan likes his prospects in Germany. “Ryno’s had a good break and apart from some sparring against Micki Nielsen, he’s been well rested. Ryno gets restless when he’s not fighting, so this new goal is perfect. We’ll study the tapes and get to work. This is what we do.”
