By Per Ake Persson: Universum will stage a big event in Rostock on October 10. Headlining is WIBF and WBC jr feather champ Ina Menzer who will take on Dutch girl Esther Schouten in a rematch. This is also a Universum-Spotlight eliminator. Menzer won the first fight on points after a good fight. At flyweight Susi Kentikian defends her WBA and WIBF titles against former stablemate Julia Sahin. In the third headliner WBA I/C heavyweight champ Dennis Boytsov defends the title.. The show also feature the debut of Olympic gold medal winner Rahkim Chakhiev.
WBA lightheavy champ Gabriel Campillo´s defence in Kazachstan on Saturday against Beibut Shumenov appears to be on despite a Spanish court order for Campillo not to go through with the fight. I was probably not the only one to raise an eyebrow when American promoter and agent Sampson Lewkowicz sent out a press release saying that Campillo was signed to his company. Well, it appears that the Spaniard at home is promoted, managed and trained by Rimer Boxe and Ricardo Sanchez Atocha and in the US by Sampson Boxing. For the fight against then WBA lightheavy ruler Hugo Hernan Garay in Argentina Campillo stepped in at short notice when Russian Devi Gogiya pulled out. Gogiya´s agents, Tundra vs Barcelo, then got in touch with Rimer Boxe and a deal was made. To further complicate matters Garay had been signed to a promotional deal with Universum. If they have options on Campillo or not is a matter of dispute but the Muhammad Ali Act is only valid in the US. In Europe options have never been ruled illegal.
WBC and WBA welter queen Cecilia Braekhus defends her titles against German-based Italian Lucia Morelli September 12 in Herning in the chief support to Kessler vs Perdomo. Braekhus will spar with another female champ, Jessica Balougun, for two weeks beginning August 17 with more sparring coming in.
SES reports that Robert Stiegliz, who challenge WBO supermiddle champ Karoly Balszay August 22 in Budapest, has over 100 rounds sparring under his belt and is in the shape of his life. Stieglitz, 35-2, looked like the real thing early on his career but failed in the most important fights of his career, a challenge against then IBF champ Alejandro Berrio and then in a IBF eliminator Librado Andrade.
Supermiddles Lukas Wilaschek and Dmitri Sartison will both be featured on the undercard to Balszay vs Stieglitz
The late Chris Gaffney, a former Golden Glove champ, wrote many great songs during his career and one of the best is “If Daddy Don´t Sing Danny Boy”. There´s a tribute CD to Gaffney out now called “Man of Somebody´s Dreams” where Tom Russell perform “If Daddy Don´t Sing Danny Boy”. The song is about Barry McGuigan taking on Steve Cruz in Las Vegas in 86.
Paolo Vidoz has a new co-challenger for the vacant EBU heavyweight title and it´s Pole Albert Sosnowski who has stepped in and replaced Sinan Samil Sam. The EBU have set September as deadline for purse bids or agreement.
Marco Huck has, not surprisingly, relinquished the EBU cruiser title. Huck fights WBO champ Victor Emilio Ramirez August 29 in Halle / Westfalen.