By Per Ake Persson

WBO super middle champ Robert Stieglitz defends the title January 9 in Magdeburg on a SES promotion. In the chief support Ina Menzer will defend the WBC, WIBF and WBO featherweight titles against Ramona Kuehne, who holds the WIBF crown at junior light. For Stieglitz it will be the first defence of the title he won in August with a come from behind win over Karoly Balzsay. More...

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...

By Per Ake Persson

Jurgen Braehmer is now "full" WBO light heavy champion as Zsolt Erdei has relinquished the title to go for the WBC cruiser crown against Giacobbe Fragomeni November 21 in Kiel. More...

By Per Ake Persson

So was ex-heavyweight champ Nikolai Valuev exposed by David Haye and before that by Evander Holyfield and Ruslan Chagaev as "just" a giant, incapable of boxing? Some seem to think so, not me though. I think it´s a case of a fighter who´s getting old, simple as that. More...

By Per Ake Persson

PI 2000 have won the rights to stage the fight for the vacant European light heavy title between Nathan Cleverly and Antonio Brancalion. OPI bid 63,100 Euros while Frank Warren came in second with a bid for 60, 000 Euros. Date and site is to be announced.

WBO interim light heavy king Juergen Braehmer defends the title December 19 at home in Schwerin. By then it´s likely he´s "full" champ as Zsolt Erdei will by then have challenged WBC cruiser king Giacobbe Fragomeni. Co-headlining is WBC interim middleweight champ Sebastian Zbik, who takes on Italian Emanuele Della Rosa. More...

Fresh off his demolition job of former NABO and WBO title challenger DeAndrey Abron, Yusef Mack now feels he is ready for anyone in the division.

He has now chalked up 5 impressive wins which include 3 by stoppage and now is quickly becoming recognised as one of the top challengers at light heavyweight.

“I will fight anyone, I feel I am the best in the division and with my team behind me I am unbeatable, first on my list would be Chad Dawson," said Mack.

"He is obviously currently regarded as the best and that is the spot I want, title or not Dawson would be my first pick, it looks like he will now fight Johnson so I might have to wait and get the winner. More...

The North American television debut of light heavyweight sensation Beibut Shumenov starts tomorrow and continues this summer with airings of the taped May 9th show from Shumenov’s hometown of Chimkent, Kazakhstan.

2004 Kazakhstan Olympian Shumenov (8-0, 6 KOs), 2008 WBC Asian Boxing Council Organization’s Boxer of the Year, captured the vacant IBA World title with an impressive fourth-round stoppage of former two-time world champion Byron “Slama from Bama” Mitchell (27-5-1, 20 KOs). More...

By Per Ake Persson

It´s rumored that WBO light heavy champ Zsolt Erdei´s next defence will be in Germany on September 5 and the opponent will none other than Universum stablemate Juergen Braehmer, the current European champ.

Braehmer defends that title June 6 in Oberhausen against Italian Antonio Brancalion and if all goes well - and Juergen is a firm favourite - the last hurdle for a showdown with Erdei should be done with. More...

Light heavyweight sensation Beibut Shumenov, fresh off of his impressive fourth-round stoppage of former two-time world champion Byron “Slama from Bama” Mitchell on Saturday night in Kazakhstan, has set his sights on a major world title fight against WBO champion Zsolt Erdei or WBA title holder Hugo Garay.

Saturday’s show in Shumenov’s hometown of Chimkent, Kazakhstan, presented by the Shumenov brothers, Beibut and Chingis, was taped live for airings, schedule soon to be announced, in North America and Internationally. More...

In a stunning upset, WBO Super Middle Champion Denis Inkin was outpointed on Saturday by undefeated challenger Karoly Balzsay at the Bordelandhalle in Madgeburg.

Inkin had come into the bout fresh off a twelve round handling of Colombian knockout artist Fulgencio Zuniga last year for Joe Calzaghe's old WBO title but the Hamburg based Russian was at odds when confronted with the Hungarian southpaw's quicker hands.

Balzsay punished Inkin with sharp counters and controlled the pace of the fight despite being the less experienced man.

With the win, Balzsay improves to 20-0 (14), and wins the WBO Super Middleweight title in convincing fashion by scores of 116-112 twice and 115-113, while Inkin loses for the first time in his career to fall to 34-1 (24).

On the undercard, Zsolt Erdei, 30-0 (17), stayed perfect by defending his WBO Light Heavy crown for the 11th consecutive time with a unanimous decision over Yuri Barashian, 25-5 (17), after twelve rounds.

Super middle contender Robert Stieglitz, 34-2 (21), stayed busy with an fourth round stoppage against Estonia's Dmitri Protkunas, 10-28-1 (1), and former WBA Super Middle title challenger Dimitri Sartison, 24-1 (15), posted an eight round points verdict over Vasily Andriyanov, 7-18 (1).

WBO Light Heavyweight title challenger Yuti Barashian, 25-4 (17), ruled out any chance he may have to win Zsolt Erdei's title in their clash tonight at the Bordelandhalle in Magdeburg, Germany as the 29 year old southpaw was unable to make the divisional weight limit of 175 pounds yesterday.

The native born Armenian won the European title last year with an eight round KO of Thomas Ulrich before losing a wide points decision to Argentina's Hugo Hernan Garay for the vacant WBA title in his most recent action.

Erdei, 29-0 (17), puts his eight year win streak on the line against Barashian but will retain his WBO title if he loses the bout, scheduled for twelve rounds.

Another WBO title bout takes place on the bill as Russian super middleweight Dennis Inkin, 34-0 (24), makes his first defense of the crown he won against Colombian slugger Fulgencio Zuniga last September by facing the challenge of undefeated Hungarian southpaw Karoly Balzsay, 19-0 (14).

Balzsay comes into the bout as the reigning WBO Intercontinental beltholder and has stopped his last two opponents, leading to what should be a very competitive bout with Inkin.

Super middleweight contender Robert Stieglitz, 33-2 (20), is on the undercard and will face Dmitri Protkunas, 10-27-1 (1), in an eight rounder, just one month after narrowly posting a split decision over previously undefeated Lukas Wilaschek to win the WBC International belt. More...

Two WBO titlists will put their belts at risk on January 10 in Magdeburg, Germany as newly minted Dennis Inkin and longtime champ Zsolt Erdei see action on the bill.

Light heavy kingpin Erdei, 29-0 (17), has held the WBO crown for almost five years now and has successfully navigated his way through ten title defenses over that span of time.

The 34 year old "Firebird" has had a rocky reign, posting a majority decision and split decision over current WBA titlist Hugo Hernan Garay in two bouts, a split decision against Tito Mendoza and was veering very close to a loss before stopping ex-WBA titlist Mehdi Sahnoune in the final round of their contest.

Erdei has also made a lot of defenses against less that top flight competition and on January 10 will continue that tradition against Ukraine based Armenian Yuri Barashian, 25-4 (17).

29 year old southpaw Barashian is coming off a loss for the vacant WBA title challenge to cagey Argentine Garay in which he was soundly outboxed and widely outpointed.

Prior to that, Barashian won the European title by knocking out Germany's Thomas Ulrich but once past that victory, the resume of wins becomes very thin. More...

By Per Ake Persson

IBF, WBO and IBO Heavy Champ Wladimir Klitschko weighed in 109.3 kg / 241 lb at yesterday's chaotic weigh-in at a major shopping center in Hamburg, Germany that took place at noon.

Challenger Tony Thomnpson came in at 247.5 lb / 112.3 kg. Thompson didn´t take of his shirt, which led to some speculation that he had something to hide - but I was told that yesterday evening at 10 PM, he worked out hard and impressively in the gym at the Maritim Hotel. More...

Last night at the Freiberger Arena in Dresden, Germany, WBO Light Heavyweight Champion Zsolt Erdei put on a boxing clinic against challenger DeAndrey Abron, posting a wide points decision over the ambitious American and WBO Light Middle boss Sergiy Dzinziruk managed a hard fought majority decision over Lukas Konecny after twelve rounds.

Erdei, 29-0 (17), needed a rebuilding fight after almost losing his belt to Tito Mendoza last November and got exactly as he patiently dodged the big punching efforts of Abron and picked off his fellow competitor with stinging counters all night long.

It wasn't until the twelfth and final frame that Erdei finally went after Abron, who showed a great deal of heart and toughness in weathering the heaviest shots that the champion could throw to finish the bout on his feet.

"The Firebird" of Budapest won all three scorecards by margins of 119-109, retaining his WBO belt for the tenth time and is looking for a unification bout with IBF/IBO titlist Antonio Tarver. More...

There is a big show at Freiberger Arena in Dresden, Germany tonight as WBO Light Heavyweight ruler Zsolt Erdei and WBO Light Middle kingpin Sergiy Dzinziruk put their title belts at risk on a Universum promotions bill.

Hungarian Erdei, 28-0 (17), will look to make his tenth title defense after a close call against Panama's Tito Mendoza last November. "The Firebird" will be facing 35 year old American prospect DeAndrey Abron, 15-1 (10), from Youngstown, Ohio who won the WBO NABO title last September by turning back the previously undefeated Shane Benfield.

This will be Abron's first bout outside the US and he'll be taking a big step up in facing Erdei, who has yet to suffer defeat over the course of a seven year pro career. More...