Like Moses Itauma, who will box Jermaine Franklin on Saturday in Manchester, England, rising German heavyweight Viktor Jurk is also keen to get some rounds under his belt.
He has blasted out nine of 13 opponents in a round, while only two foes have managed to take him the distance.
Jurk stopped one opponent in just 15 seconds, and several opponents have not made it through the second minute against the 6ft 8½ins southpaw.
But Jurk is far from saying he is the finished article. In fact, the opposite is the case, and he sees himself as needing competitive fights to progress in his career.
“For sure. That’s the point,” said Jurk. “That’s also the thing about the right matchmaking and stuff like that. But I say, if you want to become a world champion or go to the top 10 of the world, you have to go through fire.”
In May 2024, Jurk went eight rounds – winning all eight – against Mirko Tintor, and he admits he learned more from that than any of his other bouts.
“Definitely,” he said. “When I fought this eight-round fight, let’s say I could knock him out, but I understood it’s hard because he tried to survive, always. Those guys who try to survive are dangerous in case he just lands the right punch. You can’t be silly with yourself and [make] mistakes. This can end dangerously for me as well. So in this fight, my coach told me also in the corner, ‘Listen, go the rounds, go the distance. Make sure you give him some good work, work on your jab, work on your feet. Just get the rounds done because when you fight in a 10-round fight, a title fight or something like that, and you never fought the distance, you kind of get in trouble because this is a kind of different condition you get through these rounds than finishing them always in the first couple of rounds.’”
Jurk pointed to WBO heavyweight titleholder Fabio Wardley, and his wins over Joseph Parker and Justis Huni, as examples of someone who had to go through fire while developing.
And although Itauma and Australia’s Teremoana Jnr seem to be leading the charge as the next crop of heavyweights, Jurk has domestic supremacy on his mind first.
“I’m from Germany,” he said. “My goal is to be Germany’s No. 1 fighter.
“My goal is to go to the UK and fight all those UK fighters. But, hey, at the end of the day, it’s a money game. So give me the right money and I’ll fight anyone. That’s the point I always say.”
Does he think he can win a world title in the future?
He has trained with many champions, having been in camp with Oleksandr Usyk, Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua and Agit Kabayel.
“I think 100 per cent I will be a world champion,” he said.
And Jurk is aware that there is work to do. The humble giant knows he has more to do.
“I wouldn't say I’m a big superstar,” he said. “Right now, I’m unknown in the normal community. My goal is maybe fighting Agit back in Germany in a few years. Why not? It’s the German against German in Germany for the world title. I have a dream. He’s there [at the top] and he was one day where I am now.”
Jurk has had a taste of fighting in the US. Last month, he made a quick stop in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the 25-year-old took 85 seconds to dispose of Elder Hernandez Garna, who was 7-6 going in.
He enjoyed the experience and the atmosphere. He boxed around Europe in the amateurs and was in Saudi Arabia to see Itauma defeat Dillian Whyte. But Jurk believes the British boxing fan base sets the UK apart.
Itauma, for many, is the next big thing in the division, and Jurk rates him highly.
“He’s a brilliant fighter, he’s very sharp,” said Jurk. “He’s quick. He’s talented. He’s southpaw, and all southpaws are dangerous.”
He figures Franklin should give Itauma some rounds this weekend, and that is where the similarities between he and Itauma enter the equation. They both want to get rounds in and build their ring time and levels of experience.
“Definitely. I would say that as well,” Jurk added.
“I like to fight rounds because when you fight the rounds, you see, alright, this works, this is not working. Like, you can develop, better than knocking them guys out quick. Of course, you get, like, big credits and people have been telling good things about you [if you KO opponents]. But like I said, Wardley against Parker went 11 rounds and you have to be prepared if this comes to you.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
