Why Regina Halmich is celebrated on social media today

Boxing
Why Regina Halmich won this fight twice

Stefan Raab staged his return to German television as a big show in which everything revolved around him. His opponent Regina Halmich is being celebrated all the more online for this.

Luckily, Regina Halmich had negotiated well, as she announced before the boxing match against Stefan Raab. She is set to earn around 600,000 euros from the TV spectacle, including fees and advertising revenue. “I was supposed to be an extra on the show. I knew that and I got paid very well for it,” she told the “Bild” newspaper after the show. A large part of the sum can be seen in retrospect as compensation for pain and suffering – less for the hits in the ring, but for the way the former flyweight boxing world champion was treated on Saturday evening. Many people found the show disrespectful.

Had war happened? After a nine-year break from television, the cult presenter returned to the public eye. This was preceded by months of secrecy with mysterious videos that showed Raab in a fat suit on a deserted island or at a plastic surgeon's. Even Regina Halmich knew nothing about her opponent's physical fitness.

Ego show by Stefan Raab

The plan worked, the excitement grew from week to week, and everyone was expecting a big PR spectacle. Nevertheless, it was surprising how much Raab celebrated on Saturday evening in the Düsseldorf Arena – with video clips from his career, a pyrotechnic show, an endless staircase and hymns to himself.

And Regina Halmich? She had to wait. Half an hour lay between her entrance and the start of the first round of the boxing match – half an eternity in competitive sport. Halmich was in danger of cooling down – and was increasingly becoming a marginal figure, an extra. She had prepared meticulously for the exhibition fight. While the competitive athlete took it seriously, it increasingly threatened to become a PR gag and an ego show for Stefan Raab.

Many viewers expressed their outrage on Instagram: “Leaving her standing in the ring and waiting for 30 minutes was tough and not really fair. It wasn't a game of chess, but an extreme physical and mental challenge,” wrote one viewer. Despite the adversity, Halmich won the six rounds on points. Nevertheless, the fight continued disrespectfully.

Sayings below the belt

When Halmich criticized Raab after the fight for not having contacted him or shown up even once beforehand, he countered: “I'm not a geriatric nurse.” Murmurs in the hall, first comments online. Now, being disrespectful is part of Stefan Raab's model for success. But some people had the impression that the entertainer went too far on Saturday evening and used Halmich for his own ends. His humor seemed to many to be out of date.

One viewer wrote in the comments: “I feel sorry for Regina Halmich, she was almost made a fool of. It has nothing to do with show when the opponent makes such jokes at her expense, even though he is fighting against her and wants to use the whole thing for his comeback.” Another added: “The jokes were very unpleasant. Didn't see the signs of the times.”

Much respect for Regina Halmich

Halmich is being celebrated all the more today for her achievement, after a 17-year break from competition and despite all the distractions, to have won against a man who is much bigger and heavier than her. One spectator writes: “Great from Regina Halmich. Unfortunately, far too little appreciation before, during and after the fight. Regina always kept her head up, spoke kindly, respectfully. Clearly the winner, not just in the fight.”

It seems as if Regina Halmich has won this duel twice.