By Per Ake Persson

Super middleweight and former WBA "interim" champion Vincent Feigenbutz (28-2) stopped South African contender Ryno Liebenberg (19-5) in the headliner of Sauerland Event´s show at the MHP Arena in Ludwigsburg last night.

Referee Massimiliano Bianco called a halt to the fight 2.57 into the sixth round with Liebenberg cut on the forehead.

It was a highly controversial stoppage though. Liebenberg, coming down from light heavyweight, forced the action and after a slow start forced Feigenbutz to retreat with solid body shots and followed up with right uppercuts to the head.

Liebenberg suffered a vertical cut on the forehead in the fifth but the referee didn't appear to make any ruling on what caused it and neither did he call for an inspection from the ringside physician. 

Blood trickled down on the nose of the South African but it didn´t seem to get in his eyes and he was the aggressor and looked to be winning the rounds.

Liebenberg was bleeding but he was still on top and pressured his opponent - when the referee made a decision late in the sixth to stop the action, inspected the cut and stopped the fight in what looked to be a bad mistake.

Liebenberg must have been ahead on points at the time of the stoppage and looked good in a tough, physical fight.

As a result, Feigenbutz retained the IBF I/C and GBU titles.

He won the WBA 'interim super middleweight title against Peruvian veteran Mauricio Reynoso in July 2015. Later that year, Feigenbutz defended his title against Giovanni De Carolis, winning a controversial decision. He was knocked down in the first round of that bout. An immediate rematch was agreed to, for the WBA's regular championship, and the second fight was won by De Carolis with an 11th-round TKO.