Per Ake Persson
Gallego Prada Promotions in Barcelona have been forced to postpone their planned EU doubleheader featuring Francisco Nohales vs Stefano Zoff at lightweight and Sergio Blanco vs Domenico Urbano at featherweight due to a lack of suitable venue.
The show was scheduled to go ahead at the 10,000 seat La Farga on October 6, but will now take place at a later date. Gallego Prada will promote a smaller show in Hospitalet de Llobregat on the same date with comebacking jr. middleweight Jaime Pons on top.
WBA I/C jr. welterweight titleholder Andreas Kotelnik defends the title on October 21 in Halle/Saale against Panamanian William Gonzales. Kotelnik, 26-2, lost a split decision to newly crowned WBA champ Souleyman M´Baye back in 2004.
Comebacking German heavyweight Axel Schulz takes on American Brian Minto on November 25 in Halle/Westfalen. There was about a 100 journalists attending a short workout by Schulz followed by a press conference yesterday in Halle. Schulz will return to Florida in a week to continue training there.
EBU lightweight champ Juan Diaz Melero take on touted Belorussian Yuri Romanov on November 11 in Ciudad Real with Rimer Boxe promoting.
OPI 2000 have signed up female amateur star Simona Galassi. Galassi has won three world championship titles and holds a 86-1 record.
Nothing new under the sun: Norwegian jr. welterweight Geir Inge Jorgensen, managed by Emanuel Steward, who had his US debut, planned for this weekend, was cancelled. Jorgensen may still fight in Copenhagen on October 14 on the Beyer vs Kessler show, but it won´t be against Dennis Holbaek as was rumored. Jorgensen, 22-0, have been inactive for over year now and seen a number of proposed fights fall through for one reason or another.
Ulf Johansen and partners promote a show in Torrevieja, Spain, on November 10 with Ugandan Sam Rukondo on top along with jr. welterweight Emiliano Casal.
Former WBO 126 lb challenger Samuel Kebede, last seen getting blown out by Scott Harrison inside a round back in 04, is now a Swedish citizen. Kebede, from Ethiopia by way of South Africa, will spar with Norwegian Reidar Walstad in the coming week. Walstad fights on the Asikainen vs Sipos bill in Helsinki on October 6.
A very, very special version of professional boxing, thicker gloves, headgears, etc, might take place in Gothenburg, Sweden, early in 2007. There are many big IFS to be worked out before this happens but it will be interesting to see how the new "martial arts" law works out in reality. Professional boxing have been prohibited in Sweden since 1970. The new law may however create some openings.
