By Marco Bratusch
This late morning in Rome, Italy, Sauerland Event won the right to stage the highly anticipated all-Swedish contest between young heavyweights Otto Wallin (18-0, 12 KOs) and Adrian Granat (14-1, 13 KOs), a bout which will be valid for the vacant European Union (EU) title. The powerful German company put in the envelope a bid of 80,350 Euros, slightly edging another offer made by European Commitment Boxpromotion of 75,000 Euros. No date or venue has been announced yet by the winning promoter. That’s likely because Granat, who was stopped early in round one by Alexander Dimitrenko last March, has yet to bounce back from that loss and he is expected to fight tomorrow night in Hamburg, Germany, where he will take on Georgian southpaw Irakli Gvenetadze (9-5, 8 KOs).
Due to the fact that Britsh junior featherweight Gavin McDonnell has relinquished to his mandatory spot for European champion Abigail Medina (18-3-2, 9 KOs) few days ago, Frenchman Jeremy Parodi (40-4-1, 10 KOs) was appointed by EBU as the new challenger. In the meantime, Gallego Prada Promociones which manages Medina has requested to sustain a voluntary defense of the belt early in 2018, which EBU approving, and the Catalunian promoter will announce the scheduled opponent and further details at the beginning of the new season. Medina successfully defended his EBU belt last September, quickly taking away challenger Martin Ward in Hartlepool, UK. The clash against Parodi would actually be a rematch, as the two already squared off in 2016 in Las Palmas, Spain, where the 30-year-old Parodi won a comfortable decision.
In other EBU news, former European junior lightweight titlist Davis Boschiero (44-5-1, 21 KOs), now 36, has been appointed as mandatory challenger for European Union (EU) champion Faroukh Kourbanov (15-0, 3 KOs), who boxes out of Liege, Belgium, and has defended such belt once against fellow countryman Hakim Ben Ali. Boschiero held the European belt in 2012 and defended it twice before suffering back to back losses on points against Romain Jacob in France. In 2011, Boschiero got very close to win the WBC world title when he took on titlist Takahiro Ao in Japan, losing a disputed split decision at the end of a great fight. Respective parties to have time until January 22nd to reach a private deal for this contest.
The European Union (EU) junior welterweight contest at stake for co-challengers Andrea Scarpa (22-3, 10 KOs) and former titlist Frack Petitjean (19-4-3, 3 KOs) will now be staged on January 20th in Paris, France, as part of a MK Events show and no longer on a OPI Since 82 as previously expected, since the involved promoters eventually came to terms privately on the realization of such bout.