European Boxing News: Vidoz, Skelton, Petranyi, Roth, Woods

By Per Ake Persson

OPI 2000 won today´s purse bids in Rome for the right to promote Paolo Vidoz vs Matt Skelton for the vacant European Heavyweight title. OPI 2000 bid 107,000 Euro. Site and date is to be announced.

Former heavy champ Riddick Bowe didn´t show up in Budapest but his planned opponent, promoter, manager, agent and boxer Zoltan Petranyi will still run the show tonight in Gyor with himself as headliner against Mihaly Nemeth in a fight for the vacant national title.

Swedish female jr middle Maria Lindberg have been licensed by the German EBU member, the BDB. Lindberg suffered a bad head injury as an amateur but later recovered. She was denied a license to fight as an amateur in Sweden, which led to attempts to turn pro and Maria did get two fights in the US before the Swedish Federation was able to get her suspended with the ABC and EBU.

She has passed all medical tests required by the BDB. The Swedish Federation have made a protest to the EBU (that is not likely to help). Lindberg´s story told to a local paper here is quite scary though: first she was in a coma, then suffered loss of memory and even eyesight. It took six months of sick leave before s he was allright enough to go back to work.

Unbeaten German heavy Dieter Roth faces Latvian Edgar Kalnars tomorrow night in Lvov, Ukraine, on the undercard to Kotelnik vs Kimura. Working the corner for Kimura is Issei Nakaya, who have travelled in Europe for months now watching boxing wherever he´s had the chance. From what I know he has been ringside everywhere possible from Slovakia to Sweden with more to come.

Former IBF champ Clinton Woods and French veteran Rachid Kanfouah are co-challengers for the vacant European light heavyweight title.