 In 2005 he beat local hero Alexander Petkovic and his career picked up momentum.His big breakthrough was entirely unexpected, though, as he managed to not only dominate but also KO unbeaten Russian fringe contender Grigory Drozd.For that he got a title shot in July 2007 and captured the interim WBA cruiserweight title with a split decision win over yet another Russian in Valery Brudov.