By Per Ake Persson
Spaniard Ivan Pozo won the vacant EBU 112 lb title on July 8 in Vigo with an unanimous points win over Italian Andrea Sarritzu. It was scored 117-111, 116-111 and 116-111.
Fred Galiana, colourful character if there ever was one, passed away July 4 at the age of 74 due to pneumonia. He also suffered from Alzheimers. Galiana had about 209 pro-fights, won the Spanish titles at 135, 140 and 147 and also the EBU featherweight crown by stopping Johnny Famechon in Paris in 1955. Galiana was also a flamenco dancer, an actor and mixed with the likes of Ava Gardner and Ernest Hemingway.
OPI 2000 promotes in Campione d´Italia on July 22 with Luciano Abis vs Nicolas Guisset for the IBF Int´l 147 lb title as headliner. Cruiser Pietro Aurino takes on Ramdane Serdjane in the chief support.
Sauerland Event´s jr middle Alexander Sipos squares off against once-touted Frenchman Christophe Canclaux July 16 on the undercard to Abraham vs Eastman (WBA I/C 160). Heavyweight Cengiz Koc is in against American Marcus Rhode.
New weight divisions might not be what boxing needs but the European Boxing Union might introduce jr flyweight (108 lbs) to Europe and also a brandnew Junior Cruiser class with 185 lbs as maxweight.
When Universum promoted in Pula, Croatia on June 18, most of the country´s great boxing stars such as Zeljco Mavrovic and Marijan Benes were ringside but Mate Parlov - possibly the best of them all - didn´t attend. Parlov, who these days owns a café in Pula, did not attend the event. Instead Mate, interviewed in a daily paper, lashed out hard against professional boxing. "It´s not a sport anymore, it´s become a circus with all these titles and champions", stated the former EBU and WBC ruler, who also challenged for the then relatively new WBC cruiser title. He also won Olympic Gold in 72 representing Yugoslavia.
Famed trainer Emanuel Steward predicted in Norwegian paper VG yesterday that he had a future champ in jr welter Geir Inge Jorgensen, who´s been training in the States lately, first in NYC with Vivian Harris and then in Detroit. Stewart has quite a history with Norwegian fighters, having also trained Helga Risoy, Ole Klemetsen and Rune Lillebuen.
Kenyan middleweight Evans Ashira has been to Berlin to spar with Arthur Abraham.
NYC based Swedish middle Manjie Conteh says he´ll be back in August on a show in Huntington, NY. Conteh won his last outing at the same venue.
