European Boxing News: Mustafa, Lora, Jorgensen, Evensen, Shafikov, Hurtado

By Per Ake Persson

Light heavy Vigan Mustafa takes on Sofiane Sebihi on Friday in Florence, Italy, with the vacant IBF International light heavy title at stake. Sebihi steps in for Bernard Donfack, who first agreed to the fight then made financial demands that couldn´t be met.

Tough Spain-based Dominican lightweight Felix Lora fights local man Dejan Zlaticanin in Novi Sad, Serbia, February 25. The vacant WBC Mediterranean title is at stake. Lora has by now been involved in good fights all over Europe and stands a good chance to win this one.

Just what boxing needs is another sanctioning body right? Well, check out CODA, Champions of Dignity Association. Most of the people behind CODA were formerly associated with the GBU but have now decided to form an all new organisation. There are very close ties to the Retired Boxers Association and ex-fighters such as Azumah Nelsen, Wayne McCullough, Tim Witherspoon, John David Jackson, Donny LaLonde and Milton McCrory are all working actively within CODA. Check out codaboxing.com for more info.

Norwegian Geir Inge Jorgensen takes on Tommi Schmidt March 19 in Ribe, Denmark, with the vacant GBC Intercontinental lightweight title at stake. The show is promoted by Larsen Boxing and Troja Boxing Group and is to be sanctioned by the GBA, the German Boxing Association. This will be the first GBA show in Denmark – if it gets off the ground that is.

Super middle Niko Jokinen is out and P3 Boxing have entered featherweight Andreas Evensen and junior welter Denis Shafikov to the undercard of Asikainen vs Wilczewski March 4 in Helsinki. For Evensen it´s his first fight since losing to Ricky Burns for the WBO junior lightweight title. Shafikov is waiting for a shot at the vacant European title with Giuseppe Lauri as co-challenger.

Spanish promoter Maldito Rodriguez has already booked Diosbelys Hurtado and Amaro Dialo to fight for the vacant WBFed junior middle title September 2 in Las Palmas, Spain. Both men have good records but both are coming into this “world” title fight with over two years out.

The Swedish Federation have investigated the “fight” December 11 last year in Riga, Latvia, where it was first claimed that Akilles Adnan had fought and stopped “Vame Kartveli”. It first just rumored and later confirmed that “Kartveli” hadn´t fought that but was replaced by a gymmate, an amateur fighter, from Stockholm. As for what had happend the stories are very different. “Kartveli”, whose true identity remains a questionmark, claims he wasn´t even there.

Vassili Boguslavski, trainer for the team, says “Kartveli” weighed in but fell ill and Boguslavski replaced him with the amateur fighter. The Latvian Federation only confirmed that a fighter licensed in Sweden (Adnan) and one in Poland (“Kartveli”) had fought but couldn´t determine who was who. All in all a mess, Boguslavski have been suspended for 24 months and Adnan for nine months while “Kartveli´s” case is left for the Polish Federation to sort out. “Kartveli´s” true idenity appears to be a matter for the Swedish immigration authorities.

European Union heavy champ Robert Helenius is still to fight mandatory challenger Yakup Saglam April 2 in Halle / Westfalen but, Saglam has apparently not signed the contract yet and might lose out on a good payday (and a safe loss) if he doesn´t act soon. The matter is to be decided by the EBU.