By Marco Bratusch
Finally, it will be Ukraine’s Maxsym Bursak (37-6-2, 16 KOs) the dance partner for Italy’s Giovanni De Carolis (28-9-1, 13 KOs) to dispute the vacant European super-middleweight title. The mentioned higher-ranked contenders, Fedor Chudinov and Rocky Fielding, passed the idea, leading the EBU to go as deep as the #8 Bursak. The purse bid is set for November 16th in Rome, but the involved parties are positive about reaching an agreement, despite the bout will likely see the light no sooner than the beginning of 2021. The two 36-year-old fighters already faced each other twelve years ago at middleweights, when a very green and still inexperienced De Carolis flew over to Ukraine, taking his first loss by stoppage after a severe eight-round beating.
De Carolis was stopped standing by the referee. Since then, the two have taken on some of the best men around, especially Bursak, who won the European middleweight title in 2013 before moving north. He has now rebounding with two stay-busy victories in 2020 after a disputed split-decision loss in Canada against former IBF champion David Lemieux last December. De Carolis, a former WBA secondary titlist, is coming from a three-fight winning streak; he outboxed Dragan Lepei but then struggled to outpoint the old fox Koren Gevor with a late rally. This EBU title might be the occasion for him to pull out a long-awaited avenge of his first loss, however, Bursak is still an active and rugged veteran and the fight appears very close to call, significantly depending on where it is going to land.
Gallego Prada Promociones won the purse bid last Tuesday in Rome, earning the rights to stage the all-Spanish European Union (EU) junior middleweight title between co-challengers Kerman Lejarraga and Isaac Real (20-3-1, 11 KOs). The winning firm put in the envelope Euros 61,122 Euros, to be equally split. “Chaca” Real, a sheer fighter now aged 38, won the EBU title in 2014 with a crazy knockdown-filled affair against Emanuele Della Rosa, before passing the belt to Jack Culcay. Lejarraga (31-2, 24 KOs), ten years younger, looked destined for big things in the lower weight class before two back-to-back losses against David Avanesyan in 2019 for the European title. Last August he cruised to a good and clear decision over Tyron Nurse in Marbella, Spain, but still looked far from impress.
“Super” Mario Alfano (15-1-1, 4 KOs) will face Malta’s co-challenger Haithem Laamouz (16-1, 7 KOs) for the vacant European Union (EU) 130-lbs title on December 4th in Avellino, south Italy, in a Rosanna Conti Cavini (RCC) boxing event. The Italian junior lightweight, who recently grabbed the national title again with a devastating second-round TKO over Nicola Cipolletta, has fought in the U.S. in 2019, battling with Lavisas Williams for an entertaining eight-round decision loss but still keeps his dreams alive to fight again overseas. The event will be presented inside the annual amateur national tournament, which lasts a full week.