European Championship Boxing Preview

There are three European title fights taking place across the continent tonight and we start off at Lotto Arena in Antwerp, Belgium where that country’s top boxer, Jackson Osei Bonsu, meets undefeated Ukrainian Viktor Plotnikov over twelve rounds.

Born in Ghana, the 27 year old Bonsu, 27-1 (23), nicknamed “Sugar The Ball Brains”, won the European Welterweight title last year with an eight round KO of French Champion Nordine Mouchi and has since stopped Cristian De Martinis and Mouchi again before posting a rare twelve round appearance in defeating another Frenchman, Brice Faradji, this past January.

Bonsu has the reputation as one of the top pound for pound sluggers in the world today and will hold a massive advantage when he defends against Plotnikov, 19-0 (9), who has never fought outside of his native Ukraine.

Plotnikov has seen the competition stepped up over his last three appearances and has risen to the occasion by winning the IBF Eastern European/Central Asian and GBU belts against the likes of Eugenio Monteiro, Carlos Donquiz and Marat Khuzeev but Bonsu represents a much higher grade of opposition and Plotnikov must pull off a performance of a lifetime if he is to walk away with the European crown.

In neighboring France, European Cruiserweight king Johny Jensen will be making his maiden defense when he meets local hero Jean Marc Monrose at the Palais des Sport in Marseille.

Danish stylist Jensen, 23-0-2 (10), won his belt with a second round KO of reigning two-time champ Vincenzo Cantatore of Italy in Rome last December which followed his twelve round points victory over former WBA Light Heavyweight titlist Lou Del Valle.

Challenger Monrose, 23-1 (14), has come a long way since losing his pro debut in 2003 and the former French and IBF Youth Cruiser kingpin will ride a 23 bout win streak into the Palais des Sport.

Neither Jensen or Monrose have been past the eight round limit much in their careers with Jensen going past that point just once in a 12 rounder against Del Vall and Monrose going 10 twice so stamina issues may decide the contest if it goes long.

We finish up this preview at the Pala Santoru in Sassari on the Italian island of Sardegna where local European Flyweight Champion Andrea Sarritzu, 27-3-4 (10), squares off with Bernard Inom in a rematch to their June, 2007 European title fight which ended in a draw in France.

32 year old Sarritzu first came to prominence in 2002 when he dropped a split decision during a challenge of WBO Flyweight supremo Omar Andres Narvaez and followed that with an even better performance to force a draw for the same title during a rematch with Narvaez eight months later.

Sarritzu’s next big chance came in 2005 when the Italian failed to lift the European Flyweight trophy from Ivan Pozo in Spain but climbed off the canvas a year later to stop Pozo in the 12th and final frame to annex the European title.

Frenchman Inom, 18-1-1 (9), is a former French and European Union Flyweight titlist who also lost to WBO Champ Narvaez but nearly took Sarritzu’s title when the pair clashed in Inom’s hometown of Ajaccio almost a year ago in what was also a WBO title eliminator.

Inom is 34 and Sarritzu clocks in at 32; both these aging warriors are aware that their world title dreams are nearing an end so expect career best performances from each.