By Per Ake Persson

Universum are set to announce title defenses by WBO light heavyweight champ Zolt Erdei and WBO super middleweight ruler Denis Inkin before the week is out. The show will go ahead January 10 at the Boerdeland Hall in Magdeburg. Opponent for Erdei will most likely be Ukrainian Yuri Barashian while Inkin is likely to take on stablemate Karoly Balzsay.

 

Giorgio Marinelli is off the fight against EU jr welterweight champ Giusppe Lauri December 18. Replacing Marinelli is probably Finn Ville Piispanen, fresh off an easy first round stoppage against Mexican Christian Chavez Friday night in Helsinki.

 

Former EBU welterweight champ Jackson Osei Bonsu is preparing for the WBC eliminator against Carlos Baldomir in Atlanta, Georgia. Jackson returns home to Antwerp on December 8 and takes on Baldomir December 20.

 

Former heavyweight champ Riddick Bowe will face another ex-heavyweight champ in German fighter Gene Pukall on the undercard to Klitschko vs. Rahman on December 13 in Mannheim. Pukall held the obscure WAA title a few years back. The show also feature Ukrainian jr. middleweight Zauebek Baysangurov, who´s in line for a IBF eliminator.

 

WBA interim welterweight champ Yuri Nuzhnenko will take a non-title fight on December 20 on K2 East´s "Big Boxing" show in Zaporizhzhja. Opponent is to be announced.

 

Bulgarian amateur star Kubrat Pulev is still tied up with his army contract and will have to wait until 2009 before turning pro.

 

SES announced right after EBU welterweight champ Rafael Jackiewicz had beaten Jan Zaveck on a close split decision on Saturday night in Katowice that they would be make an official protest to the EBU. It was scored 116-113 and 115-114 for Jackiewicz and 116-113 for Zaveck. To get the decision overturned, unless there´s a formal mistake in the scoring, is close to impossible but the EBU can order a rematch.

 

Former WBA 122 lb champ Mahyar Monshipour returned last night in Poitiers and won on a sixth round disqualification over Italian Emiliano Salvini. Monshipour is now fighting at bantamweight.