By Marco Bratusch
Frenchman Ahmed El Mousaui (27-3-1, 6 KOs) is the new official challenger for his countryman Mohamed Mimoune’s European welterweight belt. As previously reported, the southpaw Mimoune (19-2, 2 KOs) brilliantly won the belt outboxing for a split decision victory Sam Eggington two weeks ago in Manchester, United Kingdom. The young local boxer appeared slightly out of tone, perhaps due to some weight difficulties as later stated by his team. However, Mimoune’s footwork and hands speed anticipated and took the taller Eggington out of balance all night to deservedly win the European belt. For El Mousaui, aged 27, facing Mimoune would be his second attempt to win the European belt, after his hard-fought loss to Ceferino Rodriguez last December in Spain.
Sauerland promoted junior welterweight Anthony Yigit (20-0-1, 7 KOs), the reigning European champion of the 140 lbs division who recently defended his belt outpointing young Spaniard Sandor Martin in Solna, Sweden, will now fight on December 2 in a voluntary defense against British Joe Hughes (15-2-1, 6 KOs), a 27-year-old opponent that last April scored a split draw decision against Tyron Nurse in Leicester, United Kingdom.
Former European super bantamweight champion Gavin McDonnell (18-1-2, 5 KOs), from Doncaster, England, has been appointed as the new mandatory challenger for current European titlist Abigail ‘Bebé’ Medina (18-3-2, 9 KOs), who quickly defended his belt last September stopping Martin Ward in round two in the challenger’s homeland of Hartlepool, England. Curiously, Medina already battled with Gavin’s brother Jamie McDonnell in 2013, losing a decision over eight rounds.
Co-challengers Ashley Brace (7-0, 3 KOs) and Melania Sorroche (13-2-1, 2 KOs) will square off against one another for the vacant European female bantamweight title on a date that was postponed to December 11 in Newport, England.
Consequentially, being El Mousaui the new European challenger, the minor European Union (EU) welterweight title has declared vacant by the European Boxing Union and will now be at stake for co-challengers Karim Aliliche (10-6-2, 2 KOs) and Aitor Nieto (21-4-1, 8 KOs), whose promoters will have time until November 8th for coming to terms privately.
Undefeated European Union (EU) super featherweight champion Farouk Kourbanov (15-0, 3 KOs), who recently defended his belt for the first time versus Hakim Ben Ali in Herstal, Belgium, will now have to take on Samir Ziani, the new EBU mandatory challenger. Parties to have time until November 8th to seal a deal.
French bantamweight Georges Ory (8-2-1, 1 KO) will be the next in line for European Union (EU) titlist Omar Lamiri (18-2, 8 KOs). The 25-year-old mandatory challenger won the national belt at 118 lbs last May outpointing Jeremy Beccu over ten rounds. For Lamiri the fight against Ory would be the second defense of his ‘minor’ EU continental belt. The involved parties are already in private negotiations.
In other news, IBF Inter-Continental titlist Vincent Feigenbutz (26-2, 23 KOs) will face Argentinian veteran Alejandro Gaston Vega (27-11-2, 11 KOs) on next Friday, October 27 in Schwerin, Germany, as chief support for the Jurgen Braehmer vs. Robert Brant clash, which is the fourth and final quarterfinal of the World Boxing Super Series tournament. Croatian heavyweight Filip Hrgovic, recently signed by Sauerland Events, will be also fighting on the bill against Pavel Sour. According to the IBF, the winner of the Feigenbutz-Vega clash will have to face the already appointed challenger Andrey Sirotkin within 90 days.
Last Saturday in Pordenone, northern Italy, former undefeated prospect and Europan Union flyweight titlist Mohammed Obbadi (13-1, 10 KOs) lost via seventh round TKO against tough and tall Nicaraguan Cristofer Rosales (25-3, 16 KOs), a dangerous opponent who earlier this year had dropped flyweight sensation Andrew Selby in the first round before losing via unanimous decision against the crafty Welshman. The Obbadi-Rosales fight was sanctioned by the WBC for its vacant International belt. As a result, Obbadi loses his EU belt too.
In the rest of the boxing action in Italy, lightweight Pasquale Di Silvio (20-9-2, 6 KOs) won the vacant national belt with a lopsided decision over Francesco Invernizio (9-6-1, 1 KO), a late substitute for the injured Davide Festosi who actually was the former belt holder. In the light-heavyweight division, Nicola Pietro Ciriani (15-1-1, 9 KOs) won the vacant national belt in a quite uneventful contest against Stefano Abatangelo (20-6-1, 7 KOs), ended by an accidental clash of heads in round seven.
In a considerable upset, Italian-Spanish former WBC Silver titlist Luca Giacon (30-2, 26 KOs) suffered a sixth round technical decision loss against fairly little-known Russian Petros Ananyan (12-0-2, 5 KOs) last Saturday in Malaga, Spain. The bout was valid as the second defense of Giacon’s IBF International belt, who will now have the really tough task of climbing back the hill again in order to dream for a major title opportunity.