By Marco Bratusch
Italian boxing venture BBT Promotion won the bid today at the EBU headquarters in Rome, earning the rights to stage the vacant European super middleweight title between co-challengers Giovanni “John” De Carolis and Emer Cukur. BBT’s boss Davide Buccioni submitted a solid offer of 90,000 Euros, topping a Lion Sport bid of 68,900 Euros and a third, lighter offer made by EC Boxing of 36,500 Euros.
The winning promoter intends to put on the boxing event in late April or May in Rome, with the former WBA secondary ”regular” beltholder (not interim) De Carolis, aged 35, to have the chance to fight for the prestigious EBU belt for the first time in front of his fans. Meanwhile, Cukur (14-0, 2 KOs), aged 26, will fight in an eight rounder bout on February 8th, reputedly against another Italian boxer, Davide Faraci. The date was previously held for the scheduled Braehmer-Cukur vacant European fight, but the first man finally relinquished his mandatory position, clearing the way for De Carolis (28-9-1, 13 KOs) to step in. The matchup looks like a classic clash between a seasoned fighter against a technical but untested young boxer.
Another bid was expected to take place today for the European Union (EU) super-welterweight belt between titlist Isaac Real (20-3-1, 11 KOs) and former European welterweight king Kerman Lejarraga (29-2, 24 KOs). However, the latter man opted to relinquish his position, and the EBU board granted Real, promoted by Gallego Prada, to make a voluntary defense on March 14th against Tomi Silvennoinen (9-1, 5 KOs). The EBU board will meanwhile call for a new mandatory challenger to replace Lejarraga.
The current European middleweight champion Matteo Signani (29-5-3, 10 KOs), who won the title at his second attempt with a debatable split decision over #3 ranked Gevorg Khatchikian last October in Italy, will now make a voluntary defense outside of his country, reportedly going to Caen, France, to face local man Maxime Beaussire (29-2-1, 11 KOs) on March 21st. Beaussire is a former European Union (EU) junior middleweight champion, and a fresh 28-year-old volume boxer.