PUNCHING THE WORLD OVER
20.01 - Fight Production head Olaf Schroeder has today announced the fight line-up for his top boxers, underlining the international flavour that has in recent times become a trademark for the German-based company.
For a start, WBC # 10-ranked superwelterweight Mihaly Kotai will open his 2003 account with a warm-up outing on February 1, when he returns to Las Vegas (site of his last outing in November ‘02). If all goes well, Kotai will then head to South Africa for another non-title fight before finally defending his WBC International title on April 5 in Germany on the undercard of the WBC supermiddleweight championship between Eric Lucas and Markus Beyer. That defence was actually planned for December, but when first Lucas and then Beyer got injured, a postponement was unavoidable. In early January, Kotai spend one week in Frankfurt/Oder, helping prepare Danilo Häussler for his EBU supermiddleweight defence against Glenn Catley. “We are in the process of naming a new trainer for Mihaly,” said manager Schroeder, “and therefore we have to stay flexible with his schedule for the moment.”
Undefeated Dutch heavyweight Richel Hersisia, who won the WBA Central American title in his last outing (thanks to his roots being on Curacao), has started preparations with trainer Mourad Louati for his biggest fight to date when he is scheduled to clash over 10 rounds with Balkan heavyweight champion Ratko Draskovic, 27-3-2 (15). Fight Production co-promotes this event on March 15 and returns to the Caribbean with the fight being staged on the island of Barbados. The WBF European heavyweight championship is expected to be the price for the winner.
Finally, ageless Czech cruiserweight Milan Konecny receives his first shot at an international title. He is pencilled in to contest the vacant IBO Intercontinental crown with Belgium’s Ismael Abdoul. Konecny, who is 21-11-1 (11), already grabbed the International Austria lightheavyweight title, plus the International Czech titles at lightheavy and cruiser, in an astonishing career that seems far from finished, despite the veteran’s age of 43.
PHOTOS: Richel Hersisia jokes with his manager Olaf Schroeder while Mihaly Kotai faces another Las Vegas test.
