Euro news 4-22-08
Per [perake.persson@comhem.se]
German jr light Vitaly Tajbert have accepted a position as mandatory challenger for EBU titleholder Sergey Gulyakevich. Tajbert will still go through with the defence of the EU title against Portugese Joao Bento May 10 in Halle / Saale. On this bill local fighter Norman Schuster face Georgian Koba Karkashadze for the vacant WBO I/C welter title. Hightlight of the undercard is middleweight prospect Gennadyi Golovkin.
Finnish middleweight Amin Asikainen is the new official challenger for EBU champ Sebastian Sylvester. The two are 1-1 in but a third showdown is unlikely as Sylvester eyes a fight against WBA ruler Felix Sturm.
German cruiser Alexander Frenkel fight Cory Phelps for the vacant IBF Youth title in one of the headliners of Sauerland Eventīs show in Bayreuth May 17. Heavies Rene Dettweiler and Cengiz Koc fight in what effectively is an internal eliminator. The previously announced EE-EU titlefight between Enad Licina and Aleksander Gourov is off though as Gourov has pulled out.
Spaniard Sergio Blanco and Oleg Yefimovich clash for the vacant EBU featherweight title July 5 in Donetsk, Ukraine. Blanco will have a tuneup May 23 in Hospitalet de Llobregat.
Frenchman Jerome Parodi and Hungarian Zsolt Bedak are co-challengers for the vacant EU superbantam crown.
Veteran heavy Henry Akinwande, 42, have been signed up by Arena Box Promotion. Henry, last seen with Sauerland Event, have spent a long time waiting for a EU titlefight to materialize but for one reason or another the fight - regardless of co-challenger - fell through. Akinwande is, writes Arena in a press release, the tallest and oldest heavy in the stable but the question is how much he has left.
EBU welter champ Jackson Osei Bonsu is training very hard as always, says trainer Renald De Vulder. Jackson defends the title May 3, again at home in Antwerp, Belgium, against Ukrainian Viktor Plotnikov and have become a big hero in his hometown. Itīs not just his nice personality that get people to come: the champ is a devastating puncher with either hand and can end any fight at any given time. At the same time - as with many punchers - Osei Bonsu is a little stiff and donīt set up the opponents enough to find space for the finisher.
Former German heavy champ Andreas Sidon fights the national federation, BDB, in German courts. The 45-year old Sidon was stripped of the title and had his license revoked following a devastating ko loss against Odlanier Solis last year. Sidon did well in a Hamburg court and had his license back and was all set to fight this past weekend in Ochtendburg but no opponent could be found.
ABU welter champ Hassan Saku, based in Stockholm, Sweden, face Italian Emmanuele Della Rosa April 24 in Rome. Saku have lost two straight fights on the road recently.
Antonio Lauri have pulled out of the planned all Italian EU title at welter against Daniele Petrucci June 7 in Rome.
IBF I/C jr middle champ Hamlet Petrosyan defends the title against Cedric Vitu May 17 in Creil in a fight that goes out live in Europe on cablenetwork EuroSport.
Swedish heavy Attila Levin will continues his comeback mid-May, again in Kissimee, FL.
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