Nielsen ruled out with injury, Mann defends WBO title against undefeated Peil

Danish cruiserweight Micki Nielsen (25-1, 15 KOs) has been forced to withdraw from his WBO International title contest with Artur Mann (13-0, 8 KOs) on June 2 at the Swiss Life Hall in Hannover, Germany after injuring his hand in sparring.

“I’m really disappointed,” said Nielsen. “It was an accident in sparring. I hit my opponent on the top of the hip and piece of bone came loose in my left hand. I’ve been to the hospital for X-rays, and I hope the injury won’t keep me out of the ring for long.”

Mann, who headlines his hometown arena, will instead meet undefeated countryman Alexander Peil (10-0, 6 KOs) in an all-German duel for the WBO International belt.

“It’s a pity Micki got injured. I was looking forward to that fight,” said Mann. “I had prepared perfectly, but now it’s Alexander Peil who stands in my way, and the audience can now look forward to an exciting contest between two undefeated German fighters.”

Despite taking the fight at late notice, both Peil and his manager Rainer Gottwald have expressed their delight at landing this title challenge at the Swiss Life Hall in Hannover.

“We’ve been wanting to fight Artur Mann for a long time and now we finally get him,” said Gottwald. “Even though the preparation time is very short for Alexander – we’ll give everything in Hanover to take the title!”

“Finally I get to fight Mann. I am very happy about that,” adds Peil, the 28 year-old from Hennef, Nordrhein-Westfalen, who returns to the ring following a first-round stoppage victory over Tibor Varga at the Ufgauhalle, Karlsruhe on March 3.

Tickets for the WBO International Cruiserweight Championship contest between Artur Mann and Alexander Peil are available online via www.eventim.de. All the action from the Swiss Life Hall in Hannover will be shown live and exclusive on Sport1 in Germany.

Via Sauerland Promotions

Date:  Saturday, January 25, 2014

Title:  WBO Jr. Heavyweight Championship

Location:  Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany

Promoter:  Sauerland Event/Wilfried Sauerland

Supervisor: István Kovács

Referee:  Mark Nelson

Judges:  Andre Van Grootenbruel, Don Trella, Terry O’Connor

Result:  Huck won by technical knockout in the sixth round over Firat Arslan.

Date:  July 13, 2013

WBO Sup. Middleweight Championship

Location:  Dresden, Sachsen, Germany

Promoter: Sport Events Steinforth

Supervisor:   Francisco Valcarcel

Referee:   Celestino Ruiz

Judges:     Alejandro Lopez Cid (100-89), Terry O’Connor (99-90), Ingo Barrabas (99-90)

Results:   Robert Stieglitz retained Sup. Middleweight Title by unanimous technical decision. After he battered Yuzo Kiyota for 10 rounds, a cut caused the referee to stop the fight and leave the decision to the scorecards.

WBO Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel announced today the referee and judges who will work this Saturday’s world title fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Francesco Pianeta to be held at the SAP-Arena in Mannheim, Germany in a K2 Promotions presentation. The referee will be Ernest Sharif from United States. Judges will be Patricia Morse Jarman and John Lawson, both from United States, and Roberto Ramirez Sr., from Puerto Rico. The WBO supervisor will be Paco Valcarcel himself.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/klitschko-pianeta-officials-191765

Born in Russia but resides in Germany, Robert Stieglitz began his professional career in 2001 defeating Petr Pokorny by unanimous decision. Stieglitz went on to knock out nine of his first twelve opponents. Only a year in to his professional career, he won the vacant IBF Youth Light Heavyweight title. After making three successful defenses, he vacated his title and went down to the Super Middleweight division. On February 2004, he defeated Galen Brown by technical knockout for the vacant IBF Youth Super Middleweight title. His first world title opportunity came against Alejandro Berrio for the vacant IBF Super Middleweight title but he came up short, losing by technical knockout in the 3rd round. Two years later (2009), Stieglitz got another shot, this time against Karoly Balzay for the WBO Super Middleweight title. Stieglitz won by technical knockout in the 11th round.

Lost his title in a 12-round unanimous decision against Arthur Abraham on August 25, 2012.

On March 23, 2013 regained his title against Arthur Abraham by Technical Knockout in the four round at the GETEC Arena, Magdeburg, Germany

REGIONAL TITLES:

1. IBF Youth Light Heavyweight Champion

2. IBF Youth Super Middleweight Champion

3. IBF Inter-Continental Super Middleweight Champion

4. WBC International Super Middleweight Champion

WORLD TITLES:

1. WBO Super Middleweight Champion

Photo: fightnews.com

WBO Super Middleweight Championship Rematch ARTHUR ABRAHAM vs. ROBERT STIEGLITZand 2013 Debut of Undefeated No. 1 Heavyweight Contender ROBERT HELENIUS.

NEW YORK (March 4, 2013) — World championship boxing returns to EPIX this month. Two- division world champion “King” ARTHUR ABRAHAM will defend his WBO super middleweight crown against the former champion he dethroned, ROBERT STIEGLITZ, in a rematch of their “Fight of The Year”-contender of last summer. Abraham-Stieglitz II will be televised live ringside from GTEC Arena in Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany on Saturday, March 23, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT, exclusively on EPIX, the premium entertainment service. EPIX will stream the fights live on EpixHD.com and on the EPIX app on Xbox consoles and Roku players as part of a special free trial offer for boxing fans.

These two gladiators boast three world titles between them and a combined record of 79-6 (52 KOs) — a winning percentage of 93% and a victory by knockout ratio of 66%.

In addition to the Abraham- Stieglitz world super middleweight championship rematch, the live EPIX telecast will feature undefeated No. 1 heavyweight contender ROBERT “The Nordic Nightmare” HELENIUS, risking rank and record in the co-main event.

Abraham (36-3, 28 KOs), a native of Armenia who lives in Berlin, certainly lived up to his ring name, King Arthur, when he ruled the middleweight division as an undefeated world champion. He captured the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) middleweight crown in 2005, knocking out Kingsley Ikeke in the fifth round. He successfully defended his title 11 times – seven by way of knockout – during his four-year reign. The contenders he defeated as middleweight champion had a combined record of 298-18-6 when he fought them, including Shannon Taylor, Kofi Jantuah, Edison Miranda, Lajuan Simon and Raul Marquez. In search of bigger challenges, Abraham vacated his title and moved up to super middleweight to compete in the Super Six tournament in 2009. After knocking out former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor in the opening bout, he lost his next three and was eliminated from the tournament. In 2012 he righted his ship, knocking out Pablo Farias in the fifth round to claim the WBO European super middleweight title. Two fights later, he upset Stieglitz, winning an exciting 12-round unanimous decision. In his last fight, Abraham successfully defended his new title, knocking out Medhi Bouadla in the eighth round last December 15.

Stieglitz (43-3, 24 KOs), a Russian native who fights out of Magdeburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany, enters his title challenge having won 12 of his last 13 bouts. Stieglitz captured the WBO super middleweight title in 2009, knocking out undefeated defending champion Karoly Balzsay in the 11th round. He successfully defended the title six times against contenders who had a combined record of 160-23-7 when he fought them during his three-year reign. He lost the title to Abraham last August 25. In his last fight, Stieglitz traveled to Barcelona, Spain and knocked out Michal Nieroda in the third round on January 26.

Helenius (18-0, 11 KOs), a native of Sweden who fights out of Berlin, Germany, boasts knockout victories over former heavyweight champions Lamon Brewster and Samuel Peter as well as top contenders Dereck Chisora, Siarhei Liakhovich, and Attila Levin en route to becoming the WBO’s No. 1 heavyweight contender. In his last fight, on November 10, 2012, he defeated Sherman Williams by unanimous decision.

http://philboxing.com/news/story-81020.html

WBO/WIBF female flyweight champion Melissa McMorrow (8-3-3, 1 KOs) has signed with the SES boxing stable in Magdeburg, Germany. McMorrow, who lives in San Francisco, is in great demand since dethroning Susi Kentikian in May 2012 in Frankfurt (Oder). Most recently, she successfully defended her WBO title against Yahaira Martinez in Kissimmee, Florida. On March 23 McMorrow will be back on the German boxing stage on the undercard of the rematch between Arthur Abraham and Robert Stieglitz. “Germany has brought me good luck. This is a great country for my career,” said Melissa.

SES has also signed another American in super middleweight Dario Bredicean. German heavyweight icon Axel Schulz discovered Bredicean in Florida and brought him back to Germany where he will make his pro debut in Potsdam on Saturday on the card headlined by Ramona Kühne.

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/ses-boxing-inks-two-americans-174963

The “Captain” returns to the cruiserweight division. It will be the ninth time that Marco Huck (34-2, 25 KOs) will put his WBO title on the line when he steps into the ring on May 5. Huck still has fond memories of the Messe Erfurt, having won his previous fight at the same venue against the American Matt Godfrey back in August 2010 by KO in the fifth round.

His opponent in the capital of Thuringia is an old acquaintance – current interim world champion Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KOs) lost on points against Huck back in December 2009. He is desperate to take revenge. “Marco did not win the first fight, I lost it,” according to the Brit. “Back then the environment I surrounded myself with was not as professional but now I am with K2 and the Klitschkos. Fritz Sdunek is my coach. All this provides me with the mentality of a champion and I am ready to take out Huck.”

Of course Huck had something to say to this statement: “The Klitschkos should refrain from sending over their employees, and take me on themselves. The spectators will be right behind me and will carry me to victory.” The world champion did not stop there. “It is all or nothing for Afolabi. I am here to win. It is fine to take risks but all I want is to defend my title.”

Promoter Kalle Sauerland firmly agreed with the boxer´s evaluation of the fight. “After the narrow victory of the last bout it is guaranteed that this will be an exciting fight,” he stated. “The cruiserweight division is full of great fighters who are all more or less on the same level. This is the biggest difference in comparison to the heavyweights. Therefore, looking at it from a sporting point of view, the cruiserweight division is much more interesting.”

Huck´s coach Ulli Wegner gave away that they are planning on spending some time of their training camp in Zinnowitz at the Baltic Sea. After hearing that, Afolabi could not constrain himself and had a little dig at the coach. “I do not just prepare myself from Monday to Saturday, I even spar with the priest at church on a Sunday,” said the Londoner with a grin on his face.

If you take the word of the world champion as well as the interim-champ, May 5 is going to be one hell of a fight. Both coaches, Ulli Wegner and Fritz Sdunek will be preparing their fighters the best way possible and set their tactics straight, but as Afolabi mentioned later on: “Ulli, it is not you versus Fritz inside the ring, It is me versus Marco. Either I will end the fight inside the distance or he will knock me out.” The WBO Champ agreed with his opponent’s comment: “We will take the ring apart.”

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51371

WBO Interim cruiserweight world champion, Ola Afolabi just arrived in Germany today to start the final preparation for his May 5 rematch with WBO Cruiserweight champion Marco Huck. Both fighters will be present at the official press conference scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3 in Erfurt, Germany.

Afolabi, 19-2-3 with 9 KOs, started his preparation two weeks ago for this much anticipated rematch. He has been training with fitness expert Harold Parker at the world famous Gold’s Gym in Venice, California. He will continue with the second phase of his training in Germany with world renowned boxing trainer, Fritz Sdunek. Afolabi lost a close points decision in the first fight with Huck in December 5, 2009.

Afolabi: “I have waited for this fight for the last 2.5 years. Huck has done everything possible to avoid fighting me again, he even moved to heavyweight to delay this fight.  This time, I will not leave any doubt and I will become WBO cruiserweight champion.”

Tom Loeffler, managing director of K2 Promotions: “I promised Ola another world title shot when he signed with us. Now that he has been training with Vitali Klitschko’s trainer, Fritz Sdunek, Ola has become a completely different fighter. Even though Huck lost to Povetkin, he showed a lot of heart and proved why he is considered the top Cruiserweight in the world. This time, Ola will be much better prepared and I am convinced that he will be world champion on May 5.”

Fritz Sdunek: “I believe Ola will win if he keeps his focus. He has much more natural talent than Huck. Since I have been with him, we have worked to improve many things, including his punching power. He just needs to perform like he is capable and he will beat Huck.”

Afolabi is the only fighter from the UK with a claim to a world title, beside Nathan Cleverly. He is proud of his English heritage and hopes the fans will turn up to support him in his fight in Germany. His fights have been televised in the UK and worldwide as the co-feature of the huge Klitschko promotions in the last years. Ola also received “KO of the year honors” for his 1st round KO of UK champion Terry Dunstan on the Klitschko vs Haye fight last July.

The fight will be promoted by Sauerland Event in association with K2 Promotions and will be broadcast live in Germany on ARD television network.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51335

Sparkassen-Arena, Kiel, Germany – “King” Arthur Abraham (34-3, 27 KOs) continued his renaissance after two disappointing years of defeats and letdowns, with his second win this year and once again versus a capable opponent. WBO #2 and WBA/IBF #4 Abraham used his power and some brute male force to beat down Polish contender Piotr Wilczewski over twelve, fairly one-sided rounds. All three judges saw the fight almost the same: 118-109 (Zoltan Enyedi and Michael Leu) and 119-108 (Ingo Barrabas) for the defending WBO European champion, who didn’t look his best or his his worst either, while BoxingScene had it a bit closer at 116-111.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=51282

WBO/IBF/WBA Heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko will make his 12th title defense in a rematch against mandatory challenger Tony Thompson on July 7 after the sides made a deal Monday, Klitschko adviser Shelly Finkel told ESPN.com.

An IBF purse bid was scheduled for Tuesday, but it was canceled when they came to an agreement. IBF championship committee chairman Lindsey Tucker said the organization received a letter from the fighters’ handlers letting him know a deal had been made.

“There is no purse bid because we made a deal,” Finkel said.

Had it gone to a purse bid, Klitschko would have been entitled to 85 percent of the winning bid with Thompson due 15 percent. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The fight is slated to take place at a soccer stadium in Berne, Switzerland. Klitschko, who is from Ukraine, usually fights in Germany — where he has fought his last seven fights — although his older brother, fellow heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko, made a 2009 title defense against Kevin Johnson at a hockey arena in Berne.

Klitschko (57-3, 50 KOs), who turned 36 on Sunday, will be meeting Thompson (36-2, 24 KOs), 40, of Washington, D.C., in a rematch. He first faced Thompson on July 12, 2008 in Hamburg, Germany and dominated. Klitschko led 99-91, 98-92 and 98-92 on the judges’ scorecards before scoring a crushing 11th-round knockout.

Since then, Thompson has won five consecutive bouts, each by knockout, to again become Klitschko’s mandatory challenger.

Dan Goossen, Thompson’s promoter, had hoped to make a deal to the bring the fight to Washington, but Klitschko was not interested because the money would be greater in Europe.

The likely American broadcaster for Klitschko-Thompson II is premium network Epix, which also televised Klitschko’s fourth-round destruction of Jean-Marc Mormeck on March 3, as well as Vitali Klitschko’s title defense on Feb. 18, a unanimous decision against Dereck Chisora.

If Wladimir Klitschko defeats Thompson, he does plan to return to the United States for a tentative Nov. 10 title defense against American Cristobal Arreola at Madison Square Garden in New York in a fight that HBO is interested in broadcasting.

Klitschko’s last fight in the U.S. was also at the Garden, where he won a lopsided decision against Sultan Ibragimov in a title unification fight on Feb. 23, 2008.

By Dan Rafael | ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/boxing/story/_/id/7741883/wladimir-klitschko-make-12th-title-defense-rematch-vs-tony-thompson

WBO Jr. Heavyweight Champion Marco Huck (34-2, 25 KOs) will make his mandatory defence against interim champion Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KOs) in Erfurt, Germany on May 5. It will be the second time the two fighters face each other in the ring, with Huck clinching a close points victory in their first meeting in December 2009. “I had just won the title against Victor Emilio Ramirez and then had to make my first defence against Afolabi,” Huck said. It was a tough fight and I won on points. Afolabi has been victorious in all of his fights ever since. He seems to have gotten stronger. I will be prepared for a hard night on May 5.”

After challenging WBA Heavyweight Champion Alexander Povetkin in February, Huck will have to lose weight again. “He weighed around 95 kilos prior to the Povetkin fight,” coach Ulli Wegner said. “Now he has to lose five kilos. That is something new for him. He has a lot of muscles, so it won´t be easy. But we will get it done during the hard preparation.”

Team Sauerland General Manager Chris Meyer is happy to bring the fight to Germany. “We look forward to fighting in Erfurt again,” he said. “Huck has great memories of the city. In August 2010, he stopped Matt Godfrey at the Messehalle. After long negotiations with K2´s Tom Loeffler, who represents Afolabi, all important matters have been agreed on. Now the contracts are ready to be signed.”

Author: SAUERLAND EVENT

http://boxeomundial.net/boxeo.php?category=english&id=28124

Team Sauerland has announced that Mikkel Kessler’s next fight in Copenhagen has been postponed to May 19. The Viking Warrior has not yet regained the necessary fitness following last year´s hand surgery, forcing him to pull out of the April 14 clash with WBO Super-Middleweight Champion Robert Stieglitz. Details about the new opponent will be announced at a press conference next week. “I hate to keep my fans waiting and I am really sorry about the delay,” Kessler said. “As a boxer, my fists are my biggest weapon. To fight and to win at the highest level, I need my hand to be fully recovered. Unfortunately, the April 14 date comes just a little too early but I will be ready on May 19. I have kept my shape and can´t wait to be fighting again in front of my Danish fans.”

Said promoter Kalle Sauerland: “Although I believe that Mikkel would defeat 90 percent of the super-middleweights out there with just one hand, we will not let him into the ring when he is not fully recovered. His health has always been our top priority. The five-week delay is disappointing but it´s not the end of the world. On May 19, Mikkel will come back in style and put on a great show.”

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/kessler-pulls-out-of-stieglitz-fight-110117

WBO/WBA/IBF heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (57-3, 50KOs) has confirmed that his next opponent is going to be mandatory challenger Tony Thompson (36-2, 24KOs). Klitschko previously knocked Thompson out in eleven rounds in 2008. Since then, Thompson has won five straight, all by knockout.

After a Thompson fight in the summer, he would like to face Chris Arreola or WBA “regular” champion Alexander Povetkin at the end of the year.

“In New York, the new Barclays Arena will be opening up, and they have a great desire to [stage] a fight with one of the Klitschko brothers. We have already been approached with an appropriate proposal. The question regarding my opponent [for Barclays] is completely open. I know that in the summer I will have a mandatory defense against Tony Thompson. At the end of the year my opponent may be Arreola or Povetkin, or someone else,” Klitschko said.

By Ruslan Chikov

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50272

WBO/IBF/WBA Heavyweight Champion Wladimir Klitschko dominated Jean Marc Mormeck this past Saturday at the ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany en route to a fourth round knockout. In round two, Klitschko landed a hard right hand, which dropped Mormeck to his knees. Finally, in the fourth round, Klitschko landed a hard right hand, followed by a left which sent Mormeck down to the floor again. Mormeck struggled to stand up, and referee Luis Pabon stopped the fight at 1:12 of round four.

ESPRIT arena, Düsseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany – Ola Afolabi (19-2-3, 9 KOs), originally from Nigeria but now representing the United Kingdom, is once again the “interim” WBO world cruiserweight champion. It became clear after Afolabi, 31, had taken the Russian contender and former interim titlist himself Valery Brudov (39-4, 28 KOs) to school in devastative fashion. Referee Gino Rodriguez saved Brudov from his own bravery after the fifth round and rightfully so.

Brudov, who accepted the fight two weeks ago, was rusty but willing to bring some heat to WBO #1 Afolabi, who was also ranked #4 by the WBA and #7 by both the WBC and the IBF (Brudov was rated #8 by the WBO in advance and he was also WBA #14). He marched forward and threw looping shots but the British Nigerian easily slipped them with his supreme defense. He kept Brudov at the end of his jab, while adding stinging right swings on ocassion and left hooks to the body to make Brudov’s diet a bit more diverse.

In round three, Afolabi went after Brudov and landed two right hammering shots to put him down on his knees. Brudov, 35, refused to surrender and continued to fight on. The fourth stanza was also in Ola’s favor. He wasn’t very active but when he opened up he tagged the Russian once again. Punishment continued to accumulate in the fifth. Midst into the round, Afolabi landed several left and right hand bombs, and Brudov went down for the second time. He got up and went on, trying to harm Afolabi at all costs. Costs were cheap, however, as the Nigerian landed several huge right hand bombs at the bell. Brudov didn’t go down but he was too wobbly, and referee Rodriguez did a right thing by bringing a halt to the contest.

Next up for Afolabi could be a showdown with WBO full champion Marco Huck, if the champion decides to stay at the cruiserweight limit.

By Alexey Sukachev

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50232

Wladimir Klitschko weighed in almost 30lbs heavier than Jean-Marc Mormeck ahead of their clash in Dusseldorf on Saturday, but the heavyweight champion admits he would still prefer to be fighting a bigger opponent.

The Ukrainian puts his WBO, IBF and WBA titles on the line against the Frenchman on Saturday night, aiming for a 14th straight victory.

Klitschko tipped the scales ahead of the contest at 244lbs, while his opponent – who will be making only his fourth appearance as a heavyweight – weighed in at 216lbs. Despite his obvious weight advantage, and the fact he is taller and boasts a longer reach, Klitschko says he feels uncomfortable when squaring up to smaller fighters.

“It’s a tough job to fight shorter guys,” he told boxingscene.com. “It’s a lot of energy for bigger guys. People say the weight is the advantage, but it’s not that much of an advantage. It’s a smaller target to hit, so you have to be precise, like surgery. Bigger targets are easier to hit, they’re slower and I can work with bigger guys.”

In the pre-fight build-up, Klitschko has likened Mormeck to Mike Tyson, and the 35-year-old says he will have to get on the front foot early against his squat, powerful foe.

“Jean-Marc will keep coming forward and throwing punches,” he said. “He is a great athlete in tremendous shape. I’m not going to wait too long to get my attack off the ground.”

Emanuel Steward, Klitschko’s trainer, is expecting his charge to experience a difficult night’s work and says his fighter is in a “no-win situation” with the fans.

“We’re fighting a style unlike anything Wladimir has had to face. Mormeck has a bob-and-weave style, one of the most difficult styles to prepare for. One of the biggest problems I’ve always had with my tall fighters is the head movement.

“I understand the fans’ opinion but style wise it’s not going to be that type of fight [a mismatch]. According to all of the experts, if the fight goes more than three or four rounds it was a terrible performance. If Wladimir knocks him out in a minute, it was expected. We’re going in to this fight facing a no-win situation.”

http://www.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/story/139029.html

The weights are in for Saturday’s big heavyweight contest, as Wladimir Klitschko (56-3, 49KOs) will defend his WBO/WBA/IBF titles against former cruiserweight king Jean Marc Mormeck (36-4, 22KOs) at the ESPRIT arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. Both fighters got on the scale. Klitschko weighed 111 kilograms [244.7-pounds]. The much smaller Mormeck was 98 kilograms [216-pounds]. Photos by Michael Sterlingeaton.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50190

British-born cruiserweight Ola Afolabi will attempt to pick up the interim WBO cruiserweight title for the second time in his career and hopes a victory over Valery Brudov at the ESPIRIT Arena in Dusseldorf on Saturday will lead to a rematch with WBO full title holder Marco Huck.

The 31 year-old, who has 18 wins in his 23 contests with two losses, knocked out Enzo Macarinelli as a huge underdog in 2009 to claim the belt for the first time and eventually lost to Huck on a tight points decision nine months later in what was a controversial decision.

The California-based boxer now faces three-time world title challenger Brudov, 35, and is fully focusing on becoming the interim champion to place himself first in line to face the recently defeated Huck, who lost out to Alexnader Povetkin in a heavyweight title challenge last week.

“The Brudov fight is a tough fight, he is a good fighter,” Afolabi told World Boxing News.

“I just have to stop looking ahead to Huck and focus on this guy. I’ve seen him fight and he’s legit so I have to show him the respect he deserves.”

6ft 2ins Brudov has lost out twice in full world title challenges against Virgil Hill in 2006 and more recently, Guillermo Jones in 2010 and goes into the fight at the weekend on the back of second round stoppage win over journeyman Jim Franklin.

By Phil D. Jay

Phil D. Jay covers boxing for worldboxingnews.net

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50143

It was officially announced today that WBO Europe super middleweight champion Arthur Abraham (33-3, 27 KOs) will take on Piotr Wilczewski (30-2, 10 KOs) at the Sparkassen-Arena in Kiel, Germany on March 31. “It´s all or nothing for Arthur,“ promoter Kalle Sauerland said at a press conference in Kiel. “He needs to beat Wilczewski to put himself back in a position to fight for the world title.” Abraham, who celebrated a successful return in January when he knocked out Pablo Farias in the fifth round, knows it´s make or break. “I know there is a lot of pressure but I will make a good fight and beat Wilczewski,” he stated. “I have high goals. I want to be world champion again.” Added coach Ulli Wegner: “We don´t fight any push-overs or easy opponents. It´s very simple, I expect a good fight from Arthur and a victory.” Said Wilczewski, a former European Super-Middleweight Champion: “I´m coming here to win. Arthur is a strong guy but I will defeat him.”

http://www.fightnews.com/Boxing/abraham-wilczewski-presser-109216

Former WBA interim-cruiserweight champion Valery Brudov (39-3, 28 KOs) will soon get another opportunity to capture a meaningful belt. Don King-promoted Brudov, 35, a native of Pskov, is set to fight hard-hitting and elusive (at the same time) Nigerian Ola Afolabi (18-2-3, 8 KOs) for the interim WBO title at 200-pounds. The fight is booked take place at ESPRIT Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany, as a part of the Wladimir Klitschko vs. Jean-Marc Mormeck undercard. Previously mentioned contenders BJ Flores and Latif Kayode have reportedly rejected a bout with Afolabi for various reasons.

Brudov is ranked #8 by the WBO and #14 by the WBA. His first attempt at a world title was nullified by the great Virgill Hill, who one-sidedly outpointed Brudov in January 2006. The Russian came back in December of the same year and stopped Panamanian Luis Andres Pineda to get the WBA interim belt. He lost it half a year later by dropping a close split decision to Germany-based Turk Firat Arslan. In his second world title opportunity, Brudov was stopped late by another Panamanian, Guillermo Jones; Brudov lost the fight via TKO 11 due to a bad cut.

WBO #1 Ola Afolabi (also WBA #4 and WBC/IBF #7), 31, is also a former world champion. He came back to the ring in 2008 after a lengthy hiatus to stop highly touted prospect Eric Fields. A year later, Afolabi was trailing on judges’ scorecards up until the ninth-round of his fight with former WBO champion Enzo Maccarinelli, before he put the Welshman down for the count with a terrifying left hook, getting the WBO interim belt. He lost it several months later with a close decision to Marco Huck in a WBO unification. This time, K2-promoted Nigerian will get a crack at interim title.

By Alexey Sukachev

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50071

Berlin – Heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko is targetting his 50th career knockout when he takes on outsider Jean-Marc Mormeck in Duesseldorf on Saturday.

Ukrainian Klitschko, whose older brother Vitali beat Briton Dereck Chisora on points earlier this month to retain his WBC crown, holds the WBO, IBF, and WBA versions of the title.

“I am ready for this challenge,” Wladimir told a news conference in Duesseldorf on Monday. “I still have the hunger and I do not take this fight lightly.

“When you see how he talks, looks and moves then that shows he has the will and determination to become the first world heavyweight champion from France.”

The 35-year-old warned the Frenchman, nicknamed “Mini Tyson” because of his build, would be no pushover even though he was 17 centimetres shorter at 1.81 metres than the Ukrainian.

“It is extremely difficult to box against a man who is a lot shorter,” said Wladimir. “It does not make my job easier.”

Vladimir, standing 1.98 metres tall, has notched 49 knockouts in his 59 professional fights, and has lost three.

The fight had to be rescheduled from its original Dec 10 2011 date after Vladimir pulled out to undergo surgery to remove a kidney stone.

Mormeck, the 38-year-old former cruiserweight world champion, said he did not fear the Ukrainian, who will have a much wider reach due to his height.

“I have an iron will and am tough. I fear no one and that is my mental strength,” he said. “Does he have that as well?”

Compared to brother Vitali’s controversial bout against Chisora, which featured Chisora slapping the WBC champion during the weigh-in and exchanging punches with British boxer David Haye in a post-fight press conference, preparations for this bout have so far been peaceful.

“But it is still Monday and a Vitali’s press conference also was peaceful. Let’s see what happens at the weigh-in,” Wladimir said.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50050

WBO/IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (L) goes face to face with former cruiserweight king Jean-Marc Mormeck at a press conference at the InterContinental hotel in Duesseldorf, western Germany. Klitschko of Ukraine will defend his titles against Mormeck of France on March 3rd in Duesseldorf. EPIX will televise in the United States.

http://www.boxingscene.com/?m=show&opt=printable&id=50046