Today ARENA-CEO Ahmet Öner announced that he will not continue his cooperation with Gary Shaw Productions in the US. Together ARENA and GSP had featured Cuban rising superstar Yuriorkis Gamboa on “HBO Boxing After Dark” on May 17th and October 4th. “We’ve had two great shows with GSP”, states Öner. “And I personally thank Gary for his friendship and the good work he and his whole team has done. But now the time has come to move on. ARENA will go its own way. I am sure that Gary will understand me and I hope that there will be no bad blood at all..”
Öner made clear that GSP will not be representing any of his boxers including “El Ciclon” Gamboa (12-0) who just knocked out previously unbeaten Marcos Ramirez (25-1) in his second HBO appearance.
European Boxing Roundup By Per Ake Persson
WBO supermiddle champ Denis Inkin is likely to defend the title in February of next year against stablemate Karoly Balzsay.
Former WBA superbantam champ Mayhar Monshipour returns to action December 1 in Poitiers. Opponent is yet to be announced but is promised to be among top ten in Europe. If all goes according to plan Mayhar will fight January 24, March 14 and in June of next year. Monshipour, 28-3-2, retired in March of 2006.
Italian veteran Cristian Sanavia is the new official challenger for EBU supermiddle champ – and stablemate – Karo Murat. Sanavia is thus out of the planned fight against EU ruler Lolenga Mock which was set for November 13 in Denmark. Next available challenger for Mock should have been Mads Larsen but Sauerland Event have different plans for Larsen though and they all involve a shot at a world title either against IBF ruler Lucian Bute should he beat Librado Andrade or move in on WBA king Mikkel Kessler, should he beat Danilo Haussler, which he is very likely to do. As for Mock a new opponent have yet to be announced.
Robert Roselia and Woilid Guarras square off in “la Petite Finale”, the fight for the third place, of the Grand Tornoi in Paris November 24. The fight is made 75 kg. It´s a good matchup and the tournament as a whole have been a success for French boxing and AMI Production. In the finals Affif Belgecham and Hassan N´Dam square off at a date to be announced. Also on the November 13 show is a French titlefight at cruiser between Merick Roberge and Rachid El Hadak.
Francesco Pianeta is likely to defend the EU heavyweight title October 25 in Oldenburg in a supporting bout to Kessler vs Haussler. Opponent have yet to be announced.
Ivan Pozo and Christophe Rodriguez clash December 13 in Vigo, Spain, for the vacant EBU title.
Heavies Paolo Vidoz and Matt Skelton fight for the vacant EBU title December 19 somewhere in Italy.
Late news: Hector Constance, originally from Trinidad and Tobago, but based in Vienna for decades passed away April 3. Constance was a true journeyman deluxe through the 40´s, 50´s and 60´s taking on all comers just about everywhere winning some, losing some. In retirement Constance trained some of the best Austrian fighters.
WBO lightheavy champ Zsolt Erdei won´t defend his title until next year but reportedly remains standby to replace Jurgen Brahmer should there be further problems prior to his November 22 showdown against WBA ruler Hugo Hernan Garay. Erdei´s next defence should be against Brit Dean Francis. On the November 22 show female champs Ina Menzer and Alesia Graf will both defend their respective titles.
Oliver Guettel will now face Dominican Felix Lora for the WBC Youth welteweight title in the headliner of SES show in Barleben October 10. On the undercard Polish middleweight prospect Gregorz Proksa take on Romanian Mihai Macovei. Jr middle Marco Schulze is in against Austrian trialhorse Thomas Hengstberger while comebacking heavy Timo Hoffmann battle Kenyan Raymond Ochieng.
French welter champ Frank Harroche Horta defends the title against veteran Louis Mimoune November 21 in Blagnac.
Top Prospect Bhatia On Oct 17 Fight Card
As Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe wind down their spectacular careers, there are a gaggle of hot prospects in the UK, bursting at the seams to prove themselves the worthy and rightful successors to such highly decorated world champions.
Some of these hopefuls have already captured British or Commonwealth crowns but perhaps the best emerging fighter in England today is featherweight Akaash Bhatia, who will put his razor sharp skill on display at London’s York Hall on Friday, October 17, 2008 in support of the Ian Napa vs. Carmelo Ballone European bantamweight title bout.
Bhatia only had a brief amateur career but still managed to make it to the ABA featherweight finals in 2006, losing only a close contest to eventual Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist Stephen Smith and promptly turned pro just two months later.
Since that time, Bhatia has been kept busy by promoter Frank Maloney, rarely going more than three months between bouts but still found the time to win the Sony Entertainment Television Asia Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2007, an achievement that exploded the 25 year old’s popularity in his native Sikh community of London.
While the University graduate is a model citizen outside the ring, he’s a nightmare for opponents inside the square circle, bristling with an aggressive, high volume style that mixes crafty, accurate combinations upstairs with a shattering body attack that has taken Bhatia to a 12-0 (3) mark to date and will no doubt allow the “Harrow Hurricane” to achieve great things over the next decade.
Frank Maloney Promotions presents “Dapa Napa”, Ian Napa vs. Carmelo Ballone for the Bantamweight Championship of Europe at York Hall, London, England on Friday, October 17, 2008.
Tickets are priced at £75 and £35 and are available by logging onto www.frankmaloney.com or by calling the Box Office at 0871 226 1508.
Sky Sports will televise the action live on SS1 starting at 9:30pm.
For further information or press credential requests contact the NEW address ftm.press@gmail.com
Akaash Bhatia and Babatunde Ajayi photo ©Jane Warburton/MMG and free for use only with credit given to same.