With a personality and smile that belie his toughness as a boxer, Lukáš Konečný, the new WBO and IBF Super Welterweight Inter-Continental Champion of the World, hoisted his oldest daughter onto his shoulders and paraded victoriously around Sazka Arena ring before more than 9,500 adoring fans.

Konečný (31-2-0, 15 KOs), the wise and wily 27-year-old veteran fighter from Ústí, north Bohemia, had, by his own account, just revived his career by defeating previously unbeaten 22-year-old knockout artist Ante Biliç (6-1-0, 6 KOs) May 9 in a 12-round unanimous decision at the first professional boxing event at Sazka.

The event was held in association with promoter Spotlight Boxing of Hamburg, Germany, and Eurosport Live!

Coming off a recent disappointing 12-round loss to Michele Piccirillo of Italy for the European Boxing Union Championship in Bergamo, Italy, in March — only the second loss of his career — the father of three was considering retiring if he didn't get past Biliç, the tough youngster from Split, Croatia.

"If I couldn't beat this guy," Konečný said the week before the fight, "then I was really considering hanging up the gloves."

Using all of his veteran skills and boxing acumen, Konečný displayed an impenetrable castlelike defense and fought only in flurries throughout the fight. As early as the end of the third round, it seemed like Konečný had exhausted the Croatian fighter's resources.

Biliç appeared to be struggling to figure out what more he could do against the senior fighter. With each successive round, Biliç became increasingly frustrated with his inability to score effectively or hurt Konečný.

Konečný scored more often, and with more authority, and always tried to steal each round in the final 10 seconds by furiously unloading head and body punches from every angle imaginable.

The Croatian ultimately was never able to solve the more experienced Czech fighter's well-designed game plan.

By the end of the 10th round, Konečný was comfortably ahead on all the judges' scorecards. Though Biliç was awarded the last two rounds, Konečný won by a convincing margin: 116–113, 116–113 and 116–112.

"I don't think that Ante ever figured out my tactics," the newly crowned champion said after the fight. "I just fought the way I needed to to win."

More Czech champions crowned

Two other Czech fighters, both undefeated, scored notable wins. The heavy-handed Cruiserweight Rudolf Kraj from Mělník, central Bohemia, won the International CZ Championship by dominating his opponent in an extremely impressive fashion, and Prague's Ladislav Kutil captured the IBF Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight Championship belt.

The 28-year-old Kraj, a silver-medalist in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, improved his record to seven wins, including six by knockout. After struggling with some shoulder problems in recent years, Kraj appeared completely healthy in exhibiting an awesome array of power punches against a very game, but physically overmatched, Jindřich Velecký.

Kraj's performance put the world's Cruiserweight division on notice that he will be someone to be reckoned with in the future.

Ladislav Kutil won every round in a unanimous 12-round decision over Hungarian Istvan Varga, who provided a ready target for the 30-year-old Kutil by relentlessly moving forward and stalking the popular fighter from Prague. Kutil's record remains unblemished, and he now holds an international championship belt.

Big-time boxing's return

"This is a great time for Czech boxing," Konečný said at the post-fight press conference. "Now the Czech Republic has three international titles."

Konečný's manager, Ulf Steinführt, of Hamburg, agreed: "It was the biggest night for me, and I hope that something like this will be organized again."

Some said the card was the biggest event for Czech boxing since the successful World and European amateur championships a few years ago, and that the sport was entering a boom era.

But other promoters weren't so sure.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a 'boom,' " said Rudolf Měchura, owner of Prague's OK-KO Promotions since 1991 and the most active promoter of professional boxing cards in the country in recent years.

"There is still only a small base of amateur boxing talent in the Czech Republic to tap into for the professional ranks," he said. "So I really wouldn't use the word 'optimistic' in this regard."

Still, the state of professional boxing in the Czech Republic is as healthy as it's ever been. A future card by OK-KO Promotions is set for May 19 in Prostějov, central Moravia, and another is scheduled for October in Prague.

In addition, officials for Spotlight Boxing in Hamburg were so pleased with last week's promotion that they are already talking about another card at Sazka Arena in the fall.

— Michal Bezděka contributed to this report.