By Per Ake Persson

Universum announced today that WBO light heavyweight champ Zsolt Erdei´s defense against George Blades will take place on June 16 in Budapest. Also on the bill are Erdei´s Hungarian stablemates Zsolt Bedak and Karoly Balzsay. Not announced but still very likely to end up on this show are cruiserweights Firat Arslan vs. Valery Brudov in a WBA eliminator.

 

Contracts for EBU 122 lb champ Bernard Dunne´s defence against Norwegian Reidar Walstad were signed today. The fight goes ahead on June 23 in Dublin. Walstad holds a win in the amateurs over Dunne but is up against it.

 

Austrian sports writer and TV commentator Sigi Bergmann has a book on the colourful career of former EBU jr. welter and welter champ Hans Orsolics published this week. Orsolics, who turns 60 next week, was the darling of the Austrian fight fans in the late 60´s and 70´s but fell on hard times when he retired. What makes this story a little different is that Orsolics got back on his feet and how he did it. When Bergmann did a story on the almost down and out singer/songwriter Charly Kiechbaum wrote a song about it - and it was recorded with Orsolics on lead vocals and was a huge hit in Austria back in 86.

 

Spotlight Boxing have scheduled a show for June 12 in Maribor, Slovenia. Slovenia´s sole pro, EU welterweight champ Jan Zaveck is very likely to be one of the headliners on this show.

 

The German Federation will do a lot of work abroad during June: on the 16th they supervise shows in Ankara, Turkey, and Budapest, Hungary and then on the 12th in Slovenia.

 

EBU welterweight champ Jackson Osei Bonsu, who defends the title June 9 in Antwerp against Cristian De Martinis, have Frenchman Nordine Mouchi have official challenger.  

 

Italian cruiserweights Giacobbe Fragomeni and Vincenzo Rossitto are co-challengers for the EU title.

 

Middleweight Thomas Troelenberg and cruiser Rene Hubner headline a small clubshow June 9 in Eisenhuttenstadt promoted by Bernt Skadi.

 

R2 Image & Events, who promoted their first show on May 8 in Guadalajara, return June 23 in Bilbao. R2 works with Tundra vs Barcelo. Jr welter Ali Chebah is likely to be one of the headliners.