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© M.A. Sayer / Arena Boxing
“I am only thinking about Friday night – there is nothing else on my mind right now“, states Sinan Samil Sam. “I am very well prepared for Paolo Vidoz.”
The “Bull From Bosporus” and the “Titanium Jaw” from Italy will fight for the vacant European Heavyweight Championship at Büyük Anadolu Hotel in Ankara, Turkey tonight.
At the weigh-in yesterday, Sam tipped the scales at 252.5 lb while Vidoz brought 250 lb.
For four weeks, Sam has been training in Ankara for his “last chance”. “Sinan is extremely disciplined and focused,” states his trainer Karsten Röwer. “He worked very hard, did more than 70 rounds of excellent sparring with Herbie Hide and Henry Akinwande. He will be at the top of his game tomorrow night.”
“This fight is very important for me”, adds Sinan. “I have to beat Vidoz to have the chance to earn money for my family. I promise all my fans that I will be European champion again – and then I can go on and hopefully get a shot at the world title.”
Both Sam and Vidoz have held the European title before and they know each other quite well. “We fought as amateurs in 1995”, states Sinan. “The fight was in Italy and I was robbed. Now this is my chance for a late revenge. Also we did some sparring later at the pros. And I have always been the better man – as I will be tomorrow.”
The co-main event of the night will be the WBC International Cruiserweight Championship between defending champion Herbie Hide and dangerous challenger “Albanian Tyson” Nuri Seferi.
At yesterday’s weigh-in, Hide, who tipped the beam at 199.5 lb, offered Seferi, who registered 197 lb, a special “winner-takes-it-all”-deal.
“If you beat me you get my purse”, said the “Dancing Destroyer”. “But if I beat you – which I will – I take all the money. I will knock you out and walk out of Ankara as rich man!”
Seferi abandoned the offer but said “You talk the talk, I will walk the walk. We will see who will walk out and who will be carried out of the ring.”
Other anticipated fights in Ankara: former world heavyweight champion Henry Akinwande, 249 lb, faces strong Czech Ondrej Pala, 243.5 lb, middleweight prospect Mahir Oral, 160 lb, faces Latvia’s Jurijs Boreiko, 160.5 lb, Olympic Silver Medallist Atagün Yalcinkaya, 123.5 lb, steps into the ring with Vladislav Sagalarov, 123 lb, and Cuban world amateur champion Erislandy Lara, 158 lb, will face Russian Ivan Maslov, 158.5 lb, in his pro-debut.
The show starts at 7:30p.m. local time will be broadcasted live in Turkey on FOX, on German sports network DSF and as online-PPV on secondsout.tv.
© M.A. Sayer / Arena Boxing
