By Per Ake Persson

Universum will stage a big event in Rostock on October 10. Headlining is WIBF and WBC jr featherweight champ Ina Menzer who will take on Dutch girl Esther Schouten in a rematch. This is also a Universum-Spotlight eliminator. Menzer won their 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.

 

WBC and WBA welterweight queen Cecilia Braekhus defends her titles against German-based Italian Lucia Morelli on 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 challenges WBO super middleweight champ Karoly Balszay on August 22 in Budapest, has over 100 rounds of 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.

 

Super middleweights 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 performs "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 have 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 on August 29 in Halle / Westfalen.