Featured Image: Torsten Helmke
International Liberian-German boxer Freddy “Pretty Boy” Kiwitt (22-3, 12KOs) defeated Venezuelan Ivan Rafael Matute (30-10, 25KOs) on Sept. 10 in Hamburg, Germany at the Universum Gym; a super welterweight fight.
8 round super welterweight
According to TNS Sports, leading up to the match, Kiwitt made weight but his opponent, Matute, did not. It was uncertain if the fight would go on if Matute did not lose four kilos. Although Matute was late on the night of the event, he made his weight and the event went on as planned.
Matute did not seem to put up much of a fight, but the match lasted all eight rounds. In the end, Kiwitt won by unanimous points making this his fifth consecutive professional win since his last loss in 2019.
Health challenges
Six months prior to Kiwitt’s win, the likelihood of entering the boxing ring looked slim. Kiwitt has been open about his past injury and his rehabilitation process. On his Instagram, he shared that he was recovering from a slipped disc. Popular German news site Bild also published a story mentioning Kiwitt’s herniated disc diagnosis. Despite the injury not being boxing related, Kiwitt’s doctor informed him of a more serious risk should a second injury happen. Thankfully, through injection therapy and iron rehabilitation, Kiwitt’s health recovered.
Pretty Boy Kiwitt remains an avid supporter of Liberian boxing. When Kiwitt was unable to box, he participated in the Save More Kids – Run Liberia Half Marathon from Flensburg, Germany to raise money for a boxing ring in Liberia.
Congratulations to the Liberian boxer for overcoming and believing. Watch Freddy Kiwitt’s full fight here 1:13:55.
Well done