By Per Ake Persson
26-year old Russian Rahkim Chagiev has signed with Universum. Chagiev won an Olympic gold medal 2008 at heavyweight and will make his pro debut at cruiser. He will be trained by Michael Timm. Chagiev also won bronze in the 2007 world championships and gold in the world military championships in 2006.
WBA I/C jr middleweight champ Zauerbek Baysangurov fights at home for the first time in the pros when he headlines a show in Grozny, the capital of the troubled region of Chechnia, August 15. Baysangurov is promoted by K 2 East, lives and trains in Kiev, Ukraine.
Finnish middleweight Amin Asikainen is in full training for the fight against Brit Matthew Macklin for the vacant EBU title. According to the latest of issue of Boxing News a deal is close and the fight could land in England around September 25. On the very same date, but in Russia, Dmitry Pirog, mandatory challenger for the winner of Macklin vs Asikainen, has a final tuneup.
WBO European super bantamweight champ Zsolt Bedak defends the title August 22 in Budapest against Yersin Jailauov from Kazachstan. This is a supporting bout to WBO super middleweight ruler Karoly Balszay´s defense against Robert Stieglitz.
WBF heavyweight champ Francois "the White Buffalo" Botha has been signed to a promotional deal by SES in Magdeburg, Germany. SES employs WBF´s European co-ordinator Olaf Schroeder as matchmaker. Botha will defend the title during the fall and it´s me guessing but I believe the opponent will be a German heavyweight.
It´s nothing new but former French middleweight Stephane Ferrara, a national champ in the pros who fought for the EBU middleweight in 1983, is today an actor and director and is currently working on a documentary about the French amateur boxers in the 2008 Olympics.
