European Boxing News: Braehmer, Golovkin, Anyanwu, Rossitto, Giacon

By Per Ake Persson

WBO light heavy champ Juergen Braehmer was today sentenced to 16 months in jail – without probation – for his part in an assault affair in Schwerin that dates all the way back to September, 2008.

There was to begin with two different affairs but one case was settled out of court. In the second case however the prosecutor refused to allow the complaint to be withdrawn citing public interest.

It will be the third time the champ has to do hard time and he was on probation from a previous sentence when this incident took place. I was told in Magdeburg this past weekend that public prosecutor in Schwerin has worked very hard to put Braehmer away.

WBA middleweight mandatory challenger Gennadyi Golovkin has joined the long list of boxers who have a contractual dispute with Universum. Golovkin, a very talented fighter, has reportedly already had talks with promoters in the US but Universum still claim promotional rights.

As to why Universum all of a sudden have a whole bunch of fighters that want to leave is I believe connected to the expiring TV deal with ZDF.

Another problem is marketing of the likes of Golovkin, Sergey Dzinziruk and others. They are the real thing boxing-wise but not German where Universum´s main market is.

TV in Kazachstan, Ukraine and elsewhere in the ex-USSR does have some money but not enough to carry a major league boxer and that leaves everybody unhappy.

Dutch junior lightweight Innocent Anyanwu takes on Spaniard Sergio Palomo February 7 in the Netherlands with the EBA title at stake.

Cruiser Vincenzo Rossitto and Mohamed Ali Ndiaye make their debuts for new promoter OPI 2000 January 29 in Pontedera. Rossitto faces Lithuanian spoiler Remigijus Ziausys while Ndiyae is in against Latvian Jevgenijs Andrejevs.

OPI 2000 have also signed up featherweight Luca Giacon, who up until now has resided in Spain and fought there and in Panama. He´s now based in Cagliari where he trains under former EBU fly champ Franco Cherchi.

The new WBFederation (not to be confused with the still existing WBFoundation) have appointed Albanian Ylli Ndroqi has Honorary President. Ndroqi promotes Kreshnik Qato, who holds the WBFederation middleweight title. The WBFederation will hold its first world convention in April of 2010 in Tirana, the capital of Albania.