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After Vitali Klitschko declassed “Kingpin” Kevin Johnson Saturday night in Bern, Switzerland, Arena CEO Ahmet Öner is convinced that his heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis will be next in line to challenge the WBC champion.
“I hope that this was the last living sandbag Vitali had to fight before facing a real challenge next year”, said Öner. “His next mandatory challenger will be Odlanier Solis. And I can promise that Solis will not only try to survive but go for the kill when he finally faces Klitschko.”
Solis is currently rated #3 in the WBC but will advance automatically after #2 Oleg Maskaev’s shocking first round TKO loss against Nagy Aguilera Friday night in California.
Originally the WBC had ordered an elimination bout between Maskaev and #1 rated former champion Ray Austin. Now Öner hopes that Solis will take over Maskaev’s spot and fight Austin to determine the next mandatory.
“We will try to make this fight happen as soon as possible”, states Öner. “Solis will knock out Austin first and then go on to beat up Vitali. Odlanier is the only fighter out there who is a real threat to either Klitschko. He would have knocked out Johnson if they had fought back in October and he will even take out Vitali with his speed, power and accuracy.”
Solis would be the second mandatory challenger for Vitali Klitschko promoted by Ahmet Öner after his fellow Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez lost to the WBC champion back in March.
“Gomez showed a solid performance against Vitali but he proved not to be the man to end the Klitschko’s reign”, says Öner.
“With Solis it’s a different story. He is the next generation of heavyweight boxing. He is hungry, aggressive and ready to show the world that he is the best boxer in the world.”
