Juergen Braehmer vs. Eduard Gutknecht: Fight Time, Date, Live Stream and TV Info

Juergen Braehmer defends his WBA light heavyweight title against a familiar face in Eduard Gutknecht in Neubrandenburg, Germany, on Saturday.

The two have history—they previously fought each other in February 2013. Braehmer (47-2, 35 KOs) came out on top via unanimous decision on that occasion, reclaiming the European title in the process.

This time, however, Gutknecht (29-3-1, 12 KOs) not only has a shot at revenge, but also the chance to become a world champion.

When: Saturday, March 12, 10 p.m. GMT (5 p.m. ET)

Where: Jahnsportforum, Neubrandenburg, Germany

TV: SAT.1 (Germany) Sky Sports (UK)

Live stream: SkyGo (UK—subscription required)

The Other Champion

Boris Streubel/Getty Images

Braehmer reaches a notable milestone on Saturday—the fight with Gutknecht will be the 50th of his professional career.

Only two men have beaten him as a pro—Mario Veit, back in 2005 (a defeat that was avenged the following year), and Hugo Hernan Garay in 2008.

The 37-year-old from Schwerin will make the sixth defence of the WBA regular belt he claimed by beating Marcus Oliveira on points in December 2013. However, he just so happens to find himself in a division that is dominated by the presence of two fighters: Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson.

Braehmer is the other world champion at the 175-pound weight limit. Kovalev is even above him with the WBA, as Krusher is rated as the organisation's super champion.

Still, Braehmer is firmly ensconced as a star in his homeland, having fought all but one of his bouts on German soil (his solitary road trip was to Hungary).

The titleholder had originally been scheduled to face Tommy Oosthuizen in November 2015.

The initial date was cancelled when Braehmer picked up a hand injury, while the rescheduled bout bit the dust when the South African challenger was pulled out by his team for personal reasons, per FightNews.com.

Gutknecht is an excellent replacement. He narrowly lost the first fight between the duo, and there was obvious tension between the pair at the final pre-fight press conference.

Per the official Sauerland Promotion website, Braehmer said: "Eduard talks too much. He reminds me of my wife. Everything he says goes in one ear and out the other." The southpaw will have the chance to silence Gutknecht on the night he brings up his half-century.

Revenge Mission

After being handed an unexpected chance to fight for a world title, Gutknecht is out to settle an old score.

He still feels aggrieved at being on the wrong end of all three scorecards after the first bout with Braehmer, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com: "I know I didn’t lose out first fight. Juergen Braehmer didn’t beat me. The belt was taken from me by the judges. But this time I will leave the decision in no doubt. This opportunity has come at the perfect time for me, and I couldn’t be more motivated."

Energy Eddy—who was born in Kazakhstan but is now based in Germany—may sound confident, but there is little on his record to suggest he can cause an upset.

He suffered a TKO loss at the hands of Dmitry Sukhotsky after the Braehmer defeat, then returned six months later to draw with Pablo Sosa, who was appearing in just his ninth pro fight at the time.

Despite four successive victories since then, the standard of opposition has been questionable at best. His three opponents in 2015 had a combined total of 38 losses, hardly ideal preparation for a title tilt.

Still, the one thing Gutknecht does have going for him is experience. 

The 33-year-old has been involved in a world title fight before—he challenged WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz in 2010 but lost on points.

It was the same result against Braehmer three years later, even if he believes the outcome should have been different.

Gutknecht insisted at the final media conference that he is willing to do "whatever it takes to win" the belt, according to Sauerland Promotions.

In simple terms, he needs to produce a career-best performance on what is a make-or-break night for his career. Considering he is an 11-2 underdog, per Odds Shark, it would be a major surprise if he levelled the score with Braehmer and made it one win apiece. 

Prediction

Braehmer insists he wasn't at his best for the first meeting due to an 11-month absence, per Rafael's story for ESPN.com. He does, however, have form going into the rematch.

In his previous five defences, four have finished inside the distance. Enzo Maccarinelli, Robin Krasniqi and Konni Konrad were all forced to retire, while he knocked out Pawel Glazewski in Round 1.

In contrast, Gutknecht's recent ring history doesn't suggest he can cause an upset. He will be brave and will force his opponent to work hard for the win, but Braehmer's reign will not be coming to an end just yet.

A stoppage in the second half of the fight is possible, though perhaps Braehmer's most likely method of victory is by a landslide decision on the scorecards.