On Saturday night World Boxing Association middleweight champion Felix Sturm will give his comeback after 14 months of ring absence by defending his title against Giovanni Lorenzo in Cologne, Germany.
On the undercard ARENA CEO Ahmet Öner will present some of his upcoming German stars such as middleweight Benjamin Simon and super middleweights Dennis Ronert and Mike Keta. German heavyweight amateur standout Erkan Teper (146 amateur fight, 130 wins) will give his pro debut against fellow German veteran Marcel Zeller. “The Highlander“ Zeller has won 22 out of 29 pro-fights and will certainly give Teper a lot to think about in his very first pro appearance. Teper was originally scheduled to fight Pavel Siska (32 fight, 25 losses) from Czech Republic.
„I changed the opponent because I didn’t want Erkan to go the usual way of fighting useless bums in his first 10 or 15 fights“, says promoter Öner. „Zeller is a decent test for a young fighter without any pro experience. If Erkan can master this challenge I am sure that he will make his way to the top.“
“I am up for that challenge“, says Teper. “At the amateurs you often don’t know who you’re fighting the day before you actually enter the ring so the change of names doesn’t impress me much. I want to show a good performance and prove Ahmet right in signing me for a long-term contract.” Teper and ARENA agreed on a five-year deal.
There was also a last-minute change of opponents for middleweight contender Benjamin Simon. After Colombia’s Juan Camilo Novoa (14-5-1) was neglected visa to travel to Germany Öner brought in Russian Magomed Abdurakhmanov (15-4).
Ronert will face Frank Kary Roth from Neuwied, Germany. Keta faces Atilla Kiss from Czech Republic. In his first fight in Germany former Turkish amateur star Murat Öner (1-0) takes on Czech Patrik Hruska.