Boxing News Boxing News
By Per Ake Persson
Universum´s big show in Oberhausen will all in all feature six titlefights. On top, reinstalled WBA middle champ Javier Castillejo defends against Felix Sturm, at light heavy WBA ruler Silvio Branco faces Stipe Drews and WIBF feather queen Ina Menzer fights Maria Andrea Miranda.
Outside of that, WBC International cruiser titlist Rudolf Kraj, WBO Intercontinental jr welter king Willy Blain, super middles Lukas Wilaschek and Mario Veit are also on the bill.
Union Box Team in Donetsk, Ukraine, promotes at a big show April 17. Super middle Stas Kashtanov face unknown Lithuanian Mantas Tarvyadas in a defence of the WBC Youth title. WBO Intercontinental feather champ Stas Merdov fights Daniel Kodjo Sassou, from Togo but fighting out of France, and lightweight Andrei Kudriavtsev take on Andrey Devyataykin in a EE-EU titlefight. Unbeaten welter Vyacheslav Senchenko squares off against Vladimir Khodokovsky, also in a EE-EU bout.
French bantam David Guerault probably reached the end of the line earlier this week in Madrid with an upset stoppage loss to Venezuelan Edinso Torres. Guerault won the European flyweight title back in 1997 and has belonged to the best in Europe at 112 and 118 since then. Last year, he was signed to Sports Network.
Against Torres, things seemed to be going well going into the sixth before he was hurt and floored and he didn´t really recover and was stopped in the eighth and final round. In the main event, Pablo Navascues beat Miguel Angel Pena on a split decision to win the vacant Spanish jr middle title. Welter prospect Amaro Dialo beat Domingos Nascimento over eight.
Belgian heavy Oleg Platov joins Michel Trabant on the undercard to Valuev vs Chagaev April 14 in Stuttgart.
Swedish heavy Aldo Colliander will step in for Johan Thorbjornsson and take on German Werner Kreiskott on Saturday in Gothenburg.
EuroBoxe put on a big show in Liege, Belgium, May 5, with supermiddles Michel Henrotin and comebacking Lansana Diallo in separate bouts on top. Also on the bill are newly crowned EBU female lightweight champ Nathalie Toro, Belgian middle ruler Jamel Bakhi as well as the likes of Alexandre Polizzi, Rachid Mokhtari and Geoffrey Batello.
Florida-based Swede Ismael Kone could be on his way back again and might fight in Stockholm May 19 on Innuendo´s mixed martial arts / proboxing event.
