By Jake Donovan

Life in the title picture proved better the second time around for Sebastian Sylvester. The squat German middleweight picked up a vacant alphabet strap after a well-deserved and strangely scored split decision win over Giovanni Lorenzo, Saturday evening in Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.

Scores were 115-113 and 116-112 Sylvester, and 116-112 on the third card for Lorenzo, though the dissenting card was originally announced 116-111 in favor of the Dominican.

The night began well for Lorenzo, who represented the Dominican Republic in the 2000 Olympics, but is now based out of New York. He appeared to jump out to an early lead while Sylvester struggled to find his rhythm. An accidental headbutt left Sylvester with a cut in the opening round, though it never became a factor in the fight.

What might’ve been the biggest factor of the night was the sold-out crowd of more than 5,000 on hand. At least if you ask the Lorenzo camp.

“We don’t want to take anything away from the Sylvester camp; he fought the fight of his life,” stated Lorenzo’s co-manager Rich Ryan. “Giovanni was the bigger puncher, but didn’t get enough credit for it. When he landed a power shot, the crowd was silent. When Sylvester threw a jab, the crowd went wild.”

The crowd had more reason to cheer, by all accounts, in the final five or so rounds of the fight, when Lorenzo appeared to fade and Sylvester picked up steam. The fight appeared to be even through eight rounds, with Sylvester rallying back valiantly after being stunned in the seventh.

Lorenzo, who needed two tries to make the 160 lb. middleweight limit, was the much bigger fighter in the ring, but it was the grit, determination and technical prowess of the 5’7 ½” Sylvester that carried him down the stretch.

With the fight seemingly slipping away, Lorenzo offered a brave last stand in the 12th and final round, but it proved to be too little, too late on two of the three scorecards.

Sylvester’s second chance at a lasting impression paid off, winning his third straight as he raises his record to 32-3 (15KO). All three wins have come in an active 2009 campaign after having dropped a wide decision against fellow middleweight titlist Felix Sturm last November.

As Sylvester was given another opportunity to shine, Lorenzo and his handlers hope to follow suit, and sooner rather than later.

“Sylvester was in a similar situation after last year’s loss to Sturm, in a much more decisive fight, and he got his second chance,” points out Ryan. “Hopefully Giovanni gets the same opportunity, but one thing is for sure – his stock definitely went up in this fight.”

While that much might be true, so too did the total in his loss column. The Dominican falls to 27-2 (19KO), with his two losses coming in his last three contests.

Some will argue that the title shot was his second chance, after winding up on the wrong end of a shocking upset in his title eliminator against aged Raul Marquez last June. The fight aired live on Showtime, making it the absolute worst time for Lorenzo to fall considerably short.

He picked up the pieces earlier this year, looking spectacular in a second round knockout of Dionisio Miranda to earn the shot at the title which was vacated by Arthur Abraham, who left the middleweight division after a near four-year reign to pursue bigger game in Showtime’s Super Six super middleweight tournament.

The only game Lorenzo seeks is a return go with the man against whom he fell just short of becoming a middleweight titlist. For now, he’s left with the bitter taste of disappointment after a fight in which he felt he did enough to win.

“It was a tough fight,” acknowledged Lorenzo, who was in good spirits while speaking with the US media via conference call shortly after the fight. “I thought I landed the harder shots and won the fight. If it was in the United States, it would’ve been a different story, but when you fight a guy in his hometown, you have to expect this.”

Lorenzo’s other co-manager, Kurt Emhoff, flirted with the idea of filing an appeal, at least for the sake of securing a rematch.

“We obviously agreed with (American judge) Valerie Dorsett’s scorecard,” which Main Events attorney Pat English stated was 116-112, despite the immediate announcement of 116-111, English’s version makes more sense considering there were no knockdowns or point deductions, nor were any of the rounds that decisive to merit a 10-8 score.

The fight wasn’t immediately available in the United States, though Main Events was already working on having it air via tape-delay, especially with a rematch already in pursuit.

“We’ve been talking to (Fox Sports New York) about airing the fight,” stated Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. “Now that feedback is coming in that it was a terrific fight, we might have an easier time getting the fight aired.”

Perhaps even easier than securing a rematch in a neutral venue.

Until that day comes, Giovanni Lorenzo is forced for the moment to view the title picture from the outside looking in. Sebastian Sylvester once stood in Lorenzo’s shoes, but proved to be wiser the second time around.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.