European Boxing Update

By Marco Bratusch

Davide Buccioni’s BBT Promotion has officially confirmed the vacant European Union (EU) featherweight contest between Michael Magnesi (13-0, 5 KOs), a recently signed BBT fighter, and Spanish rangy puncher John Carter Martinez (9-0-1, 5 KOs), promoted by Spain’s MGZ, will be disputed on February 22nd in Rome, Italy. Both men are young fighters who stylistically come to fight aggressively and that translates in solid expectation of entertainment for the scheduled main event.

A very interesting news emerged early this week is the voluntary defense that European junior middleweight champion Sergio “El Nino” Garcia (28-0, 13 KOs), aged 26, is going to make against British young boxer-puncher Ted Cheeseman (15-0, 9 KOs), on February 2nd at O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, under the promotional banner of Matchroom Sports. Garcia, a tall and young volume puncher, will take on the first real challenge of his green career against a solid prospect like Cheeseman, in the first crossroad match for each other.

Friday night in Compiègne, France, Italian boxer Silvia Bortot (6-0-1, 2 KOs) won the vacant European (EBU) junior welterweight belt stopping previously unbeaten local fighter Marie Helene Meron (5-1-1, 2 KOs) in round four. It was a dominant performance by the 34-year-old Italian, who came out of his corner strong from the beginning scoring two knockdowns and eventually forcing his foe’s corner to throw in the towel.

Early this week, SES Boxing won the purse bid for the European Union (EU) welterweight title between champion Timo Schwarzkopf (19-2, 11 KOs) and mandatory challenger Yazid Amghar (21-0, 9 KOs). The German venture put in the envelope the considerable sum of Euros 41,670, beating another offer of Euros 21,150 submitted by Le Hall Boxing, from France. No date or venue has been released yet by the winning promoter.

39-year-old Matteo Signani (27-5-3, 10 KOs) has been appointed by the EBU as the new official challenger for current European (EBU) middleweight beltholder Kamil Szeremeta (18-0, 4 KOs). Signani’s best results of his career are a decision victory over former WBA regular titlist Giovanni DeCarolis in 2010 and a much more recent hard-fought twelve rounds battle against Emanuele Blandamura two years ago, with Blandamura retaining the European title via split decision. In the meantime, as already revealed weeks ago, the undefeated Pole Szeremeta, a good boxing technician and accurate puncher, in going to make a voluntary defense of his title against Andrew Francillette (21-1-1, 5 KOs) on March 9th, headlining an Europrom boxing event at Grande Synthe, at France’s very north edge.

Croatia’s Peter Milas (13-0, 10 KOs) and Cyril Leonet (15-10-3, 5 KOs) are likely going to face each other with the vacant European Union (EU) heavyweight title. The European Boxing Union already set the purse bid for January 23rd. It appears to be a classic matchup between a continental prospect as the 23-year-old Milas in considered and a seasoned veteran like the 35-year-old Frenchman Loenet, who is coming from a clear victory over Dennis Lewandowski last December.

European junior featherweight Luca Rigoldi (19-1-1, 8 KOs), the southpaw 25-year-older who won the vacant belt in style with a hardworking performance at the end of 2018, will make a voluntary defense of his title in Italy around next March, according to his promoter Mario Loreni. His opponent is expected to be Anthony Settoul (23-7, 9 KOs), from France.

Former European welterweight challenger Jussi Koivula (24-5-1, 9 KOs), from Finland, has been appointed new mandatory challenger for European Union (EU) beltholder Jordy Weiss (21-0, 3 KOs), who, meanwhile, will make a voluntary defense on a Europrom boxing event soon.

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