Nelvie Tiafack identified promising prospects for Raab
Last weekend, Regina Halmich delivered a third "skirmish" to Stefan Raab, as his latest song titling suggests. In the eyes of Nelvie Tiafack, his trainer, the 57-year-old entertainer had the potential to emerge victorious, had he devoted more time to training.
Despite the six grueling rounds, Raab struggled against the 46-time world champion, Halmich: He succumbed to the former boxer for the third time in a row last Saturday. Tiafack defended Raab's fitness and was adamant that with better professional training, he could have triumphed.
Hailing from Cameroon, Halmich backed Raab in his television resurgence and stood in his corner throughout the exhibition match, which was broadcasted by RTL and RTL+. Commentator Frank Buschmann observed Raab appearing winded in the first round and observed him appearing exhausted in the second. Tiafack, however, claimed that it was only after the fourth round that Raab was truly spent.
"He trained solely on the punching bag"
Initially, Raab prepared for his rematch against Halmich self-sufficiently, with Tiafack confirming that he solely focused on training with the punching bag. Additionally, Raab undertook a considerable amount of strength conditioning to prepare for his return after nearly a decade. The initial contact between Raab's team and Tiafack occurred only a month before the event, on August 23. "A member of Stefan's team reached out to me on Instagram. She informed me that he wishes to speak with me. A few minutes later, he called me anonymously," Tiafack recalled. During the call, Raab requested his services as a coach.
Three days following the initial contact, Tiafack and Raab met. "Raab expressed immense excitement about the prospect of facing Halmich. He no longer required convincing, as we had already agreed over the phone," Tiafack revealed. According to Bild, their lone comprehensive training session took place on September 3, in an empty room at Raab Entertainment. "We conducted a sparring session spanning six rounds of two minutes each. I defensive somewhat, but primarily allowed him to perform as he pleased."
Tiafack held high regard for his new student: "He's a gifted athlete, with an impressive aptitude for learning. He effectively implemented the instructions I provided between rounds. Out of the entire fray, he only sustained one significant blow—a jab to the chin in the fifth round."
Originally, the strategy was to initiate cautiously. "The plan succeeded, even when others perceived it differently," Tiafack remarked. "I did not sense that he was on the brink of collapse in the first three rounds." He is optimistic that "with additional conditioning training and three to four months of collaborating with a certified boxing coach, Stefan could have prevailed in the bout."
Both parties expressed interest in maintaining contact beyond the televised event. "He mentioned his desire to attend a future fight," Tiafack divulged. Currently, Raab is focusing on his shift from amateur to professional boxing. Working with Tiafack, he noted, was "a considerable recognition of my achievements at the Olympics," he shared. Considering the numerous boxing talent he could have opted for, Raab's choice to collaborate with him was "a significant accolade."
Fresh from the fight, Raab moved forward with his screen comeback. He announced his new streaming show "You Don't Win a Million Here with Stefan Raab," with the premiere scheduled for Tuesday. The show will air every Wednesday at 8:10 PM on RTL, commencing from September 18th.
Given the context, here are two sentences that contain the word 'Streaming': After last weekend's exhibition match, Raab moved forward with his screen comeback and announced his new streaming show "You Don't Win a Million Here with Stefan Raab." The premiere is scheduled for Tuesday, with subsequent episodes airing every Wednesday at 8:10 PM on RTL, starting from September 18th.
