20.02.07 – By Per Ake Persson: The cancellation of Universum´s show in Oberhausen February 24 has strengthened the undercard to Spotlight Boxing´s promotion in Cuxhaven February 27. Added to the bill is top class cruiser prospect Aleksander Alekseev who takes on Costa Rican Henry Saenz. Middleweight Gennadyi Golovkin, another genunine comer, is in against South African Simon Mokoena. Lightheavy Aleksyi Kuziemski will face Frenchman Karim Bennama, who along with Kai Kurzawa is co-challenger for the vacant EU title. Russian supermiddle Denis Inkin fights Emmanuel Duma. Headlining the show is WBO # 1 middleweight challenger Khoren Gevor in what is expected to be his last fight before challenging for the title..
Arena Box Promotion will now do the big show in Istanbul June 23 and not June 16 as was planned. The change is due to the basketball playoffs that weekend in Turkey. Sinan Samil Sam tops the bill in the 15 000 seat venue in a defence of the WBC Int´l heavyweight title. Cuban heavy Juan Carlos Gomez will co-headline.
Last week the city council in Mariehamn on island of Aaland turned down a request from John Holmberg to arrange a professional boxing show April 21. Holmberg have previously acted as site promoter for the now defunct Modern Sports & Events, who back in 2002-04 did a few shows in Mariehamn with the now retired Paolo Roberto as headliner. MSE was headed by former two-time EBU heavy champ Steffen Tangstad and it was indeed Tangstad who was behind this show as well that would have featured cruiser Thomas Hansvoll, superbantam Reidar Walstad, heavyweight Aldo Colliander as well other fighters from the Nordic countries. “I´m not sure on what we do now” says Tangstad, as puzzled as everyone else by the no from the local council. It appears that they have a long standing rule of not allowing martial arts or proboxing in sportshalls run by the town of Marieham – the exceptions made may have had something to do with how the political winds have been blowing.
Serbian lightheavy Drago Janusevic outscored Croatian Josip Jalusic February 17 in Trstenik.
Danish cruiser Johny Jensen square off against the President of the Latvian Federation, Aleksej Kosobokovs on the undercard to Abazi vs Guerrero on Friday in Copenhagen.