By Marco Bratusch
Today was a busy day at the EBU headquarters in Rome, in terms of bidding, as three fights had their respective deadlines expected at noon, local time.
Italy’s BBT Promotion earned the rights to stage the vacant European super-middleweight title between co-challengers Giovanni De Carolis (28-9-1, 13 KOs) and undefeated Leon Bauer (17-0-1, 9 KO). Promoter Davide Buccioni put in the envelope 28,600 Euro as the only bidder, a sum that leaves some questions on whether the 22-year-old German boxer would actually come to Italy in order to dispute the title.
Quite surprisingly, nobody bid on behalf of Callum Johnson (18-1, 13 KOs) for his long-awaited vacant European light-heavyweight title against co-challenger Igor Mikhalkin (23-2, 10 KOs), a former European champion from Russia.
The bout was initially penciled for May, on the undercard of Dillian Whyte vs. Sasha Povetkin, but eventually fell out. After a few postponements, the EBU called for another purse bid, which has now won by EC Boxpromotion with an offer of 89,000 Euros. The money looks palatable, even though Johnson might actually opt for a much more lucrative all-British bout against rising star Joshua Buatsi instead, as Matchroom Boxing CEO Eddie Hearn mentioned weeks ago.
OPI Since 82 won the right to stage 27-year-old cruiserweight Fabio Turchi (18-1, 13 KOs)’s title bout against young Frenchman Dylan Bregeon (11-0-1, 3 KOs), for the vacant European Union (EU) 200-lbs belt. The Italian boxing venture edged the counterpart making an offer of 31,317 Euros to outbid 18,001 Euros made by Europrom.
That’s not a lot of money for these fighters…
Coming from France Arturo and having run a boxing “club” like we call it there (there are only a few real boxing gyms in big city’s) and having been a ref/judge too; i can say that most fighters in all the Euro country’s except Great Britain (no more in the Euro zone) and Germany are badly paid. In France 95% of the “pro fighters” are working aside from boxing ! Only the top contenders competing at world level here like Yoka, Takam, Soro and a few others are boxing at 100% ; the other at French or Euro level are waking up at 5 o’clock to run then they are working from 8 to 5 in the afternoon and then till late in the evening and that 5 day’s a week !! In a french level fight they earn from 5000 to 20000 euros a fight.. Same in Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Spain etc.. No money in most Europe country’s in boxing.. very sad. Bye
And then train till late in the evening, i forget that part..