Boxing News

There was a massive show at Sparkassen Arena in Kiel last night with three world title belts at risk.

The big winner was Zsolt Erdei who moved up a weight class to unseat reigning WBC cruiser champion Giacobbe Fragomeni by majority decision.

Hungarian Erdei had held the WBO light heavy belt for 11 successful defenses over five years but saw 40 year old Fragomeni as vulnerable despite the 25 pound weight differential.

Italy's Fragomeni won the WBO crown during a technical decision over Rudolf Kraj last year but was held to a draw by ex-IBF titlist Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in May in which iron-chinned Fragomeni was floored, a rare occurrence. More...

© Chris Royle - Hoganphotos / Golden Boy Promotions

England's David Haye pulled off a major upset last night at Arena Verischerung in Nuremberg, Germany, taking the WBA heavyweight title from Nicolai Valuev via majority decision.

It wasn't pretty or particularly entertaining but Haye delivered the kind of mature performance many thought him incapable of beforehand, simply outboxing the massive Russian in every round.

Much smaller and lighter than the 7'0, 316 pound champion, Haye proved to be nearly impossible for Valuev to hit and the former cruiserweight titlist used his quicker hands to counter well. More...

WBA welter champ Vyacheslav Senchenko proved his title winning effort in April was no fluke as the 31 year old made his first defense on Saturday at Sportspalace Drusba in Donetsk.

Challenging Senchenko was Japanese visitor Motoki Sasaki, who brought a seven bout win streak to Donetsk.

Sasaki, a reigning OPBF champion from Tokyo, tried to take the fight to the taller champion but ate significant amounts of leather for his trouble.

The challenger was frustrated by his inability to pierce Senchenko's defense and had two points taken away in the sixth frame for headbutting. More...

After two tours of duty as European champion and a shot at the WBA belt, Sebastian Sylvester clawed his way to a world title tonight at Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenberg, Germany.

The 29 year old local man, nicknamed "Hurrikan", started fast as expected against opponent Giovanni Lorenzo of New York but had difficulty navigating the distance Lorenzo maintained during the early rounds.

The American based visitor repeatedly picked off the German with sharp punches and seemed to be on the way to controlling the contest until Sylvester's pressure began to pay off. More...

Big show tonight at Neubrandenburg's Jahnsportforum with the vacant IBF middleweight belt and the European Union heavyweight strap on offer.

Ready to rip for Arthur Abraham's vacanted IBF crown are two-time European kingpin Sebastian "Hurrikan" Sylvester, 31-3 (15), and Giovanni Lorenzo, 27-1 (19).

Greifswald based Sylvester had a shot at the big time last November but failed to lift Felix Sturm's WBA trophy in a brave 12 round effort and currently holds the IBF International title.

Lorenzo makes the trip all the way from New York, having won an IBF title eliminator by knocking out Dionisio Miranda in two this past February after narrowly losing to Raul Marquez in 2008. More...

Denmark's favorite son laces up the gloves tonight as Mikkel Kessler defends his WBA super middle crown against unheralded challenger Gusmyr Perdomo at The Messecenter in Herning, Denmark.

The highly accurate "Viking Warrior" regained the WBA bauble in 2008 following his only career loss to the "Welsh Wizard", Joe Calzaghe in 2007, and made a successful defense against Danilo Haussler last October.

Continuing the line of lesser opposition since the Calzaghe loss, Kessler, 41-1- (31), faces Venezuelan southpaw Perdomo, 16-2 (10), tonight. More...

Tonight at Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, one of the biggest names on the German scene saw his popularity go through the roof as Marco Huck toppled WBO cruiserweight titlist Victor Emilio Ramirez.

European champ Huck came out all guns blazing and put the normally aggressive Argentine in the unexpected position of having to go defensive to weather the storm.

But Ramirez did just that and turned the tide starting with the third frame, nailing the overly enthusiastic Huck with some big shots.

Huck made an adjustment however and began to box smarter, throwing combinations that allowed him to regain his earlier momentum.

Ramirez stuck to the game plan of trying to level Huck with every punch but by now Huck could see them coming and picked off the champion to win most of the exchanges. More...

At Gerry Weber Stadium in Halle, Germany tonight, popular cruiserweight Marco Huck gets another crack at a world title as he challenges reigning WBO champ Victor Emilio Ramirez.

25 year old Ramirez, 15-1 (12), earned his nickname "El Tyson del Abasto" while coming up through the ranks in his native Argentina but the Buenos Aires slugger didn't hit the big time until his most recent bout.

Ramirez posted a split decision over hardened Ukrainian Ali Ismailov at Buenos Aires' famed Luna Park Stadium in May to annex the WBO cruiserweight title.

For his first defense, Ramirez has to face Huck, 25-1 (20), in the European champ's adopted home country, which should be a stern trial by fire. More...

WBO super middle titlist Karoly Balzsay was well on his way to outboxing challenger Robert Stieglitz last night at Syma Sport and Leisure Center in Budapest, Hungary when disaster struck.

That unlucky occurrence took the form of a bad laceration on the champion's forehead in the early part of the ninth frame, changing the entire complexion of the bout.

Gone were Balzsay's edge in reflexes and coordination and Stieglitz knew it. The Russian veteran put his Hungarian foe under a wave of pressure and the same punches that Balzsay had previously slipped were now landing flush.

Balzsay got through the remainder of the ninth but rest between rounds didn't improve things for the champion, who was battered across the ring so badly in the tenth that his corner refused to allow him to answer the bell for the 11th frame.

Seasoned Stieglitz had wisely conserved his energy for the later rounds and that reserve allowed him to step on the gas to hammer the reeling Balzsay. More...

WBO super middle champ Karoly Balzsay makes the second defense of his title when he faces off against Robert Stieglitz at the Syma Sport Centre in Budapest, Hungary.

Hamburg based Hungarian Balzsay, 21-0 (15), won the WBO belt with a surprising unanimous decision over favored opponent Denis Inkin in January and KO'd aging but still dangerous ex-WBA middleweight champ Maselino Masoe in April.

German based Russian Stieglitz, 35-2 (21), was stopped in a rematch against Alejandro Berrio in 2007 for the vacant IBF super middle crown and suffered the same fate against Librado Andrade in an eliminator for the same title a year later.

Tonight in Budapest, southpaw Balzsay is the definite favorite to keep his WBO strap and the advantage of an adoring home crowd won't hurt either but Stieglitz has nothing to lose as this bout represents what is likely to be his last crack at a world title.

Balzsay should box his way to a unanimous decision but Stieglitz could upset the applecart if the champion suffers any defensive lapses.

WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm once again had a subpar performance in a title defense and was lucky to walk out of Nuerburgring Race Track with his world title still intact after a clash with Khoren Gevor.

Gevor worked his strength advantage over the taller Sturm as soon as the bout commenced as the former IBF title challenger got in close and stayed there, whipping in body shots and uppercuts as Sturm largely shelled up and fought in spurts.

The challenger outworked Sturm over the first half of the contest, landing with both hands while Sturm allowed Gevor to set up shop on the inside and was just not busy enough.

As the second half of the fight started, Gevor paid the price for such an energy expenditure and was picked apart by the accurate Sturm, who was no longer under constant fire. More...

Tonight at Nuerburgring race track, in Nuerburg, Germany, WBA middleweight champ Felix Sturm puts his belt at risk for the 7th time when he meets former IBF title challenger Khoren Gevor.

Sturm, 32-2-1 (14), is coming off a seventh round stoppage over Japan's Koji Sato in April and this contest against Gevor fits the reoccurring pattern of Sturm's defenses against respectable but not top of the line opposition.

Stocky southpaw Gevor, 30-3 (16), shook off two early losses to Lukas Konecny seven years ago to capture regional title belts before getting KO'd in 11 by IBF champion Arthur Abraham in 2007.

Sturm should win this on points but is mercurial enough in his bouts that he could be in for a tough time of it from the seasoned Gevor.

The undercard features a vacant Interim WBC middleweight title clash between undefeated WBO Intercontinental belt holder Sebastian Zbik, 26-0 (10), and WBC International titlist Domenico Spada, 29-1 (14).

Last night at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany, American heavyweight Eddie Chambers outboxed previously undefeated Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko to win a WBO title eliminator.

Also on the card were two world title fights featuring reigning world champs Susi Kentikian and Alesia Graf.

After losing to Alexander Povetkin during an initial trip to Germany last year in another title eliminator, Chambers got right back on the horse and the diligence paid off.

Dimitrenko towered over Chambers and looked to establish his dominance early but the Ukrainian slugger found the shifty American visitor difficult to hit. More...

The most accomplished women's boxing champion in the world today was in action last night as Natascha Ragosina outpointed Laura Ramsey for the WBA and WBC super middleweight titles at the Soccio Center in Lagenhagen, Germany.

The towering Kazakhstan born Mageburg resident Ragosina, 21-0 (12), saw off America's much shorter Ramsey, 9-4 (4), via ten round points verdict 100-90, 91-99 and 98-93.

Super bantam Esher Shouten, 24-5-1 (13), picked up the vacant WIBF bantam belt with a tenth and final round TKO against opponent Bettina Voelker, 6-4-3 (2). More...

In what may be his last fight at middleweight, IBF champ Arthur Abraham clashed with tough challenger Mahir Oral last night in front of 7,000 fans at Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin, Germany.

Oral, a former sparring partner of Abraham's, showed that he was well acquainted with the style of the champion in the early going, peppering Abraham with jabs and combinations that didn't seem to have much effect other than winning the rounds for Oral.

Abraham was slower than usual in warming up, perhaps conserving whatever energy he had left following his efforts to continue making 160 pounds.

But "King Arthur" awoke at the end of the fourth stanza to blitz the challenger to the floor with heavy artillery but he couldn't finish off Oral. More...

© Jane Warburton / Saddo Boxing

All eyes in the boxing world will be on Veltins Arena tonight in Gelsenkirchen, Germany as WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko puts his belts and top standing in the division on the line against WBA champion in recess Ruslan Chagaev.

Klitschko, 52-3 (46), comes into the bout after having trained for ex-cruiserweight world champion David Haye and now must adjust for a completely different opponent in the form of Chagaev.

Where Haye is a big punching, fast-handed right hander who likes to go after opponents with all guns blazing, Chagaev, 25-0-1 (17), is a crafty, patient southpaw with less power than Haye but better pure boxing skill. More...

Former world title challenger Juergen Braehmer retained his European light heavyweight title last night at the Koenig Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany.

The 30 year old southpaw needed just one round to snuff out the ambition of European Union titlist Antonio Brancalion, 32-7-2 (8), who saw a seven bout win streak evaporate.

Braehmer, 33-2 (27), bounced back from a failed WBO title bid against Hugo Hernan Garay last November to stop Rachid Kanfouah in the fifth to capture the vacant European title in March.

Brancalion had previously never been stopped in his 40 bout career that began in December, 1996. More...

At Salle Marcel Dufour in Louvoil, France, Salem Bouaita, 20-14 (7), regained his old European Union super bantam belt by knocking out Spain's Jorge Perez, 7-2-1 (4), in the eighth round.

Sala Rapid in Bucharest, Romania, saw undefeated light welter Jo Jo Dan, 25-0 (13), retain his NABA and WBC Continental Americas belts by outpointing Walter Sergio Gomez, 19-8-1 (8), over 12 frames.

On the undercard, Viorel Simion, 11-0 (4), decisioned David Kiilu, 30-10-2 (16), over 12 for the WBC Mediterranean featherweight crown.

In Wolomin, Poland, big punching super feather Samuel Kamau, 12-1-1 (11), stopped Krzysztof Cieslak, 10-1 (2), in the sixth for the vacant IBF Youth title at Osir Huragan Arena.

At Edwin Scharff Haus in Neu Ulm, Germany, lightweight Rola El Halabi, 8-0 (4), won the vacant WIBA and WIBF titles by posting a ten round split decision over her opponent Loli Munoz, 8-6-1 (5).

The disarray caused by David Haye dropping out for his June 20 challenge of world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has been put to rest with the announcement that WBA "champion in recess" Ruslan Chagaev will step into the breach for the bout, scheduled for Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Chagaev himself was scratched from a proposed rematch with Nicolai Valuev this past weekend when he allegedly failed a mandatory pre-fight Finnish medical board examination.

No official explanation as to why Chagaev allegedly failed the examination has been released and therefore it's unknown whether or not the 30 year old Uzbek southpaw will have similar problems leading up to the Klitschko bout.

On the line June 20 will be the IBF,WBO, IBO and WBA titles.

Despite the headlining Ruslan Chagaev vs. Nicolay Valuev WBA heavyweight title rematch being called off, the show at Hartwell Arena in Helsinki, Finland went on as planned last night.

Local man Juho Tolppola, 22-6-1 (9), failed in his bid to win the European Union light welter title from Italian evergreen Giuseppe Lauri, 48-6 (28), when he was DQ'd in the tenth round.

On the undercard, Colombian born Norway resident Cecilia Braekhus, 12-0 (2), defended her WBA/WBC female welterweight crowns with a points verdict over American puncher Amy Yuratovac, 6-3 (6).

Undefeated Russian light welter southpaw Denis Shafikov, 20-0 (11), gunned down Australia's John Cotterill Jr, 23-8 (10), at 2:00 of the first round while Germany based Swede heavyweight Robert Helenius, 8-0 (4), KO'd former British champ Scott Gammer, 18-4-1 (9), in the sixth of a scheduled eight rounder. More...