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05/16/2006 Archived Entry: "Euro-Beat Update: Abdoul to Challenge Haye & More!"
Euro-Beat Update: Abdoul to Challenge Haye & More!
By Per Ake Persson
Courtesy of Boxing Press
It seems like that newly crowned EU cruiser champ Ismail Abdoul will challenge EBU ruler David Haye June 29 in London. Abdoulīs best weight is at 175 but he comes off two wins over respected Dutchman Don Diego Poeder.
Universum will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce a big show July 15 at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg. Topping the bill is WBA 160 lb champ Felix Sturm.
Oktay Urkal, mandatory challenger for newly crowned WBA welter champ Richie Hatton, will fight on the Valuev vs Beck show in Hannover June 3. Urkal vs Hatton is to take place inside 120 days from the Hatton vs Collazo fight. Should Hatton be unavailable there could be an interim titlefight with Urkal vs the highest available challenger.
Riad Menasria takes on Slawomir Ziemlewicz May 18 in Berne
Belgian welter Jackson Osei Bonsu, official challenger for the vacant EU title, keeps busy with a tuneup May 30 in London.
Beyer in Stitches
WBC supermiddle champ Markus Beyer needed 50 stitches to close the gash under his right eye from the fight last night in Zwickau against Sakio Bika that ended in a techincal draw in the fourth round.
Itīs official: jr middles Reda Zam Zam and Pablo Navascues clash in an interesting matchup on the undercard to Kessler vs Tsypko June 9 in Copenhagen.
French jr welter veteran Gabriel Mapouka captured the vacant IBF Mediterranean title with a close points win over compatriot Christophe Carlier May 13 in Massy.
Belgian lightweight Rachid Mokhtari won the BeNeLux title with a fifth round knockout over Hovhannes Zhamkochyan in Geraardsbergen in what was the first Delannoit Brothers Memorial.
Ruben Diaz won the Spanish 168 lb title with a seventh round stoppage over Alfonso Sanchez in Gijon. Diaz was previously national middleweight champ as well.
The two German Federations, BDB and GBA, have reached an agreement and will for instance honor each otherīs suspensions, which include one on former WBC cruiser champ Juan Carlos Gomez. There will still be two Federations in Germany and the BDB still holds the EBU membership.
Latvian heavy Edgar Kalnars, now based in Berlin with Elite Box Promotion, is on the lookout for a clash with one of the top ten heavies in the EBU ratings.
Patterson's passing moves Swedes
Floyd Pattersonīs death gets big headlines in Swedish media and itīs not just because his career was closely linked to Ingemar Johanssonīs. Floyd became in the early sixties "Swedish Floyd" and became extremely popular with his quiet, softspoken ways.
His popularity took off in 1960 after beating Johansson and regaining the World heavyweight title. He toured Sweden later that year and was treated like a royalty. Floyd would return several times in the sixties and beat Eddie Machen in an eliminator in 64 in Stockholm. He also fought Jimmy Ellis in 68 in Stockholm losing a controversial call.
Floyd would return many other times for reunions with Ingemar Johansson and ran the Stockholm Marathon in 83 and 84 with his former opponent, who today sadly also suffers from Alzeheimerīs. The two were always presented over here as the best of friends were never really that close. His brother Raymond, a decent pro in 60īs and 70īs, settled in Sweden in 65 and still resides here.
Hungarian jr light Janos Nagy departed today for Los Angeles and final preparations for his fight against WBO champ Jorge Barrios May 20. Stable mate, supermiddle Joszef Nagy (no relation), will be featured on the undercard.
Norwegian heavy Rune Lillebuen, 11-1, plans to continue boxing and expects to be back, again, during the fall. The 36-year old has had an on- and off career that never really been taking off despite some good wins.
German welter Michel Trabant have not very surprisingly vacated the EU title to go after the EBU crown currently held by Frenchman Frederik Klose. Left waiting for a new opponent is the mandatory challenger, Belgian puncher Jackson Osei Bonsu, who predicted this outcome when I spoke with him a few weeks back.
Hungarian jr middle Attila Kovacs have been sparring with WBO champ Sergej Dzindziruk. Kovacs takes on IBO ruler Steve Conway June 3. He is trained by Istvan Levai, who back in the 1980 Olympics beat Swedenīs Anders Eklund.
Italian feather Alberto Servidei is sidelined with a cut and his fight for the vacant EBU title against Cyril Thomas that was set for May 20 in Saint Quentin is off.
The undercard to Kessler vs Tsypko June 9 in Copenhagen features welterweight Thomas Damgaard in his first outing since the Gatti fight as well as highly ranked supermiddle Rudy Markussen. Team Palleīs female fighters, Anita Christensen and Frida Wallberg are both back after long injury layoffs.
EBU 168 lb champ Mger Mkrtchyan is to make a voluntary defence of the title in July but where and against who is still to be announced.
Former WBO 140 lb champ Giovanni Parisi makes another comeback tomorrow night in Prague on the Konecny vs Bilic show. Parisi takes on Slovakian Lubomir Wejs.
