German jr lightweight Vitali Tajbert is injured and is off Friday´s Spotlight Boxing promotion in Hamburg. His place on the bill is taken by Russian lightheavy Igor Michalkin, who stopped DeAndrey Abron in two March 7 last time out. Also off the bill is veteran heavyweight Willi Fischer, who suffered a shoulder injury in training. Fischer was to have to have fought Sebastian Koeber, who now instead face Jean Claude Bikoi from Cameroons but fights out of Belgium.
Chris Byrd will now face German Mathias Sandow March 21 in Stuttgart on the Klitscko vs Gomez show. Byrd´s fight is no longer the chief support which is taken by Alexander Ustinov vs Danny Batchelder.
It will be Belgian Daniel Van De Wiele that will be the third man in the ring when WBC heavy champ Vitali Klitschko square off against Juan Carlos Gomez Saturday night in Stuttgart. At first the WBC had appointed Ian-John Lewis as referee but K 2 objected.
Newly crowned EBU jr middle champ Jamie Moore face Ukrainian Roman Dzhuman May 2 in Sunderland, who while a capable fighter suffered back to back losses last year in EBU and EU fights.
French middleweights Affif Belghecham and Woilid Guarras clash for the vacant EU title May 28 in Paris on a AMI Production show.
The French “Grand Tournoi” – in this edition it´s between 66-70 kg – rolls on April 23 in Paris. In the semifinals Husseyn Bayram face Ismael El Massoudi while Jimmy Colas square off against Damien Bertu. In the headliner heavyweight Gregory Tony face Marouan Larouiche for the vacant national title.
Turkish welter Selcuk “Mini-Tyson” Aydin face Said Ouali April 17 in Primm, Nevada, in what promoter Ahmet Oener hopes will be the final test before going after a world title. Overall the spring of 2009 will be big for Arena with Juan Carlos Gomez and Yuriorkis Gamboa in world title fights in March and April and Herbie Hide in a WBC eliminator, possible in May.
16.03 Euro News
