By Per Ake Persson

41-year old Italian Leonard Bundu (33-1-2) won the vacant EBU welterweight title in Florence last night (April 22) with a nine round stoppage of Finland´s Jussi Koivula (19-3-1). Koivula was second best throughout and was floored twice in the eighth.

Bundu held the EBU title 2011 through 2014 and fought Keith Thurman for a version of the WBA title in 2014.

Koivula came in as a sub for Gianluca Branco, who relinquished the title officially due to injury but persistent rumors had it that he didn´t want to fight Bundu at any cost and that´s why promoter Mario Loreni had Koivula, ranked # 20 by the EBU, on a spot on the undercard ready to step up the moment Branco pulled out, which he did last week.