European Boxing News: Valuev, Virchis, Mormeck, Haye

New mandatory challenger for European heavy champ Vladimir Virchis is no other than former WBA heavyweight ruler Nikolai Valuev. The deadline for pursebids is July 30. A Virchis vs Valuev showdown is a very interesting matchup.

The Ukrainian is big enough and can punch hard enough to score an upset over Valuev, who needs to do a lot better than he did against Ruslan Chagaev if he is to make it back to the top. Virchis, it must be noted, hasn’t made any mandatory defences of the title he won in July of last year.

French flyweight Brahim Asloum could be on his way to a third shot at the WBA title. Asloum is currently training with Dan Birmingham in the Winky Wright camp in Las Vegas and will have a tuneup September 6 in France. The plan is then to have Asloum challenge current champ Takefumi Sakata in December in Le Cannet. Sakata beat Luis Parra, who clearly beat Brahim, so this is a big gamble by promoter Michel Acaries.

WBC and WBA cruiser champ Jean Marc Mormeck’s planned defence against Brit David Haye could be on for September 28 in Levallois, France , writes netboxe.com.

German junior middle champ Norman Schuster returns after an injury layoff on the undercard to Krasniqi vs Thompson July 14 in Hamburg.

Ex-IBF welter king Michele Piccirillo squares off against Frenchman Christophe Karagoz July 11 in Varese, Italy in a fight made at junior middle.

Spanish feather Sergio Blanco headlines a small show July 20 in Hospitalet de Llobregat (near Barcelona). Blanco is the official challenger for European Union champ Domenico Urbano.

The GBA and partners are putting on a giant martial arts/proboxing event August 18 in Berlin. All in all there will be over fifty fights in the different styles – as for now there are around 17 pro fights scheduled.

Swedish heavy Aldo Colliander, 12-1, will after all be the opponent for Cuban star Odlanier Solis, 2-0, July 6 in Hamburg. Colliander will earn a career best payday and promises to beat the touted Cuban. The fight is scheduled for four rounds.

Colliander has been in in Hamburg since late last week and has sparred with Cisse Salif – but not with Solis. The two have trained together though and Aldo feels he´s in with a good chance but acknowledges that Odlanier has the power, speed and timing to make it a dangerous fight. “To take out a guy like Mazikin so quick is impressive” says Aldo, “I sparred with Alexei a lot and knows he´s pretty good but I feel if I can make Solis miss early I will get him frustrated, the key to beat a puncher like that is to be ahead of his every move.”

Arena Box Promotion have now announced the full program for their show July 6 at the bigger of their two gyms in Hamburg. It´s a mammoth 12 fight bill that partly will be televised on EuroSport. In the main bouts big heavies Alexander Ustinov and Pedro Carrion clash for the International German title, the same title is at stake at 160 when Ebubekir Bulut and Roman Aramian square off.

Taking over as trainer for Solis, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Yan Barthelemy and Mahir Oral is veteran Werner Kirsch, who previously trained the SES stable.

WBO Intercontinental champ Alexander Dimitrenko gets American Malcolm Tann as opponent in the chief support to Krasniqi vs Thompson.

WBC bantam champ Hozumi Hasegawa will reportedly face Italian Simone Maludrottu in December in Japan.

What´s next for European middle ruler Sebastian Sylvester? A voluntary defence against Italian Simone Rotolo could be in the cards.