Marco Huck came within a whisker of defeating Alexander Povetkin in a 2012 fight that could’ve led to a shot at a heavyweight title. Eight years later he wants to give it another try.
Huck, a dominating cruiserweight champion from 2009 to 2015, went back down to 200 pounds after the Povetkin fight, had mixed results and took a long break from boxing after a knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk in the World Boxing Super Series in September 2017.
The 35-year-old Serbian-German has had two nondescript heavyweight fights over the subsequent two-plus years but now, hungry and fit again, he seems serious about giving it a genuine go.
And he would like to pursue a heavyweight title in the United States if that’s possible amid the coronavirus pandemic. He had been working with trainer Andre Rozier in Brooklyn but is currently in Germany.
“I am excited about getting back in the ring soon,” Huck told BoxingScene.com. “I hopefully will be back in action in the coming months. That may be in Germany. We are just waiting for confirmation on this, but it could also be in the United States.
“I feel fresh and healthy. I have put my injuries and other issues behind me now and I am ready to make a charge at the heavyweight division. Everybody knows I am never in a bad fight, so I want to launch an assault on the heavyweight division and be involved in fights with some of the big names at heavyweight.
“If I have to fight in Germany because of the COVID-19 crisis, that is fine with me. I am excited to get back in the ring in the near future, but my plan is to head back to the United States this year to fight over there.”
Huck (41-5-1, 28 KOs) had a rough time when we last saw him on a big stage, losing three times in five cruiserweight fights.
He lost his 200-pound title to Krzysztof Glowacki by 11th-round knockout in a close fight he was winning in August 2015, won a fringe title when he stopped Ola Afolabi in the 10th round six months later, outpointed Dmytro Kucher and then lost back-to-back title fights against Mairis Briedis (unanimous decision) and Usyk.
He says he wants to experience the feeling of being champion again, this time at heavyweight.
“I know how it feels to be a world champion and have to win the belt back,” he said. “I did that in 2016 when I lost the WBO title but then I won back the IBO title. I know I had to dig deep to become a champion again and I did it, so I believe I can do it again.
“Becoming a world champion is amazing but you have to work hard to stay there. When I regained the world title against Ofalabi it was a different feeling, but it was incredible. Training with trainer Andre and trainer Terrence is really fun.
“I love training with Team Havoc in Brooklyn, and I plan to go back there to train with the team and fight in the United States. I am happy to fight any of the big names over there. I know Top Rank has lots of heavyweights, and if I have to beat them to get to the world title, I am happy to do that.
“I want to fight the likes of Tyson Fury. I am still getting better, I know that myself. So if I have to work my way to that fight, I am prepared to do that. It would be a massive fight all over the world. So I want to get the ball rolling to make these big fights happen.”