By Per Ake Persson
Universum, will according to Bild, do a big show July 11 in conjunction with the Formule I race at the famous Nuerburg Ring. The main event could be a title defense by WBA middleweight champ Felix Sturm or the battle between WBA heavyweight kings Nikolai Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev.
2009 is the last year of the long running contract between Universum and ZDF. Bild writes that ZDF pays Universum 20 million EUR for around 12 shows a year. A new deal is expected to be signed but reportedly for less money.
IBF middlweight champ Arthur Abraham is sidelined with illness and Bild writes that if his health doesn´t improve over the weekend the planned March 14 defense will have to be postponed.
P 3 Boxing stage "Boxing Night II" in Tampere on February 14. Headlining the bill is Russian jr welterweight Dennis "Djingis Khan" Shafikov. Juho Tolppola, an unfortunate and controversial loser to EBU jr welterweight champ Gianluca Branco on December 19, makes a quick return to the ring in the co-headliner. Also on the bill are heavyweight Jarno Rosberg, jr welter Edis Tatli and comebacking cruiserweight Harri Hakulinen. In regards to Tolppola P 3 Boxing making a protest to the EBU about the loss to Branco, where the ringside physician deciced that a swelling on the side of Tolppola´s face was bad enough for a stoppage, it was of course a hopeless case but P 3 Boxing hopes Juho´s brave effort against Branco followed up by a win here will be noticed in the ratings.
SES promotes a show in Aschersleben February 27 with WBC Youth welterweight champ Oliver Guettel headlining in the third defence of the title he won last year.
French jr middleweight Christophe Canclaux, 38-2, faces dangerous Romanian spoiler Gheorghe Danut January 31 in Nice. Danut is somewhere around 8-14-6.
This year´s edition of the French Grand Tornoi opens February 5 at the Cirque d´Hiver in Paris. In the headliner national light heavyweight champ Nadjib Mohammed defends the title against Martial Bella Oleme. In the tournament - this year at welter - Husseyn Bayram face Frederic Serre while Ismael El Massouidi squares off against Yoann Camorin.
Amadun Ltd in Berlin stages a dinner show February 9 at the Eventcenter Bundesallee. Topping the bill is unbeaten jr welterweight Ahmed Zayab. Amadun have also signed up Kenyan female middleweight Conjestina Achieng, who´s off two close losses to Natascha Ragosina.
French cruiser Rachid El Hadak face Bulgarian Konstantin Semerdiev February 1 in Metz in an IBF Meditarranean title fight. At middleweight Pierre Moreno face Amar Amari with the same title at stake. Mahyar Monshipour continues his comeback on this bill in a scheduled ten-rounder but opponent isn´t announced yet. Finally , featherweight Kedar Djelkhir - a bronze medal winner in the Beijing Olympics - make his prodebut.
