By Jim Dower: Making his first appearance inside the ring last year in July 2015, former EBU heavyweight champion Erkan Teper (16-0, 10 KOs) had a remarkably easy time on Sunday night in defeating American journeyman Derric Rossy (30-12, 14 KOs) by a one-sided 10 round unanimous decision at the Gellersenhalle in Lüneburg, Germany.
Teper, 34, looked heavier and not as well conditioned as he had in his previous fight against David Price last July. However, the 6’5” Teper’s punching power, hand speed, and explosive attacks were still very much present tonight against Rossy. The judges scored the fight 98-92, 97-93, and 96-94.
Rossy, 36, showed a good chin in taking Teper’s hard right hands and left hooks to the head without getting shaken up or hitting the canvas. Teper’a last opponent David Price of the UK fell apart completely under the German fighters’ power. Teper knocked Price out in the 2nd round. Teper subsequently tested positive for a banned rug after the contest.
The positive test resulted in the 6’5” Teper being stripped of his EBU heavyweight title. Teper also lost the high ranking he had with the International Boxing Federation. If Teper still had the high ranking, he’d be in position for a world title fight against the current IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
That would be a big payday for Teper, and a chance for him to match his extensive punching power with that of Joshua. Teper has the kind of talent that could get him ranked quickly with the four sanctioning bodies. All he needs is to stay active, fight some high quality heavyweight contenders, and make sure he avoids any other issues that could sideline him like his recent problems.
Teper is still young at 34, and he can get himself back to among the top heavyweights in a relatively short time. What Teper has going for him is size, power and an explosive attacking style that reminds some boxing fans of the later KO artist Corrie Sanders.
Teper has fast hands for a guy his size, and his punching power is very good. What makes Teper even better is his chin. He can take a good shot without getting hurt. Having a good chin will help him when he gets inside the ring with the top heavyweights like Deontay Wilder, Joshua, Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko. There’s a shortage of really good heavyweights with the power, skills, size and speed that Teper has going for him. The way Teper looked tonight against Rossy, he would have a very good chance of beating anyone in the division. This was a rusty Teper. He can be so much better when he’s in shape and well tuned.