It´s official: Amin Asikainen vs Matthew Macklin is on for the vacant EBU middleweight title September 25 at the Velodrome in Manchester. It´s not just press release talk but the winner stands a good chance to get a world title shot inside the next year. Asikainen is in full training and heads for the Tenerife for final preparations.
Heavies – and stablemates – Robert Helenius and Rene Dettweiler clash September 12 in Herning on the undercard to Kessler vs Perdomo. Helenius looked after a slow start in the pros very good in his last fight knocking out Scott Gammer while Dettweiler´s career haven´t developed as expected. A loss to Michael Sprott was followed by another to Cengiz Koc and this is probably his last chance as a Sauerland fighter.
Florida-based Swedish heavy Attila Levin face Croatian Ivica Perkovic in Karlstad September 4 on the Pugnus show billed as “Ingo the Champ”. Headlining are Americans heavies Al Cole and Joey Abell but it´s still not certain if they will square off against each other as they did last year in Karlstad with Cole winning a disputed split decision. There will be up to ten fights on the bill with the special Swedish rules still in effect which means that 12 minutes is the max distance and that 10 ounce gloves are worn in all weight division.
Keep your eyes on middleweight Vame Kartveli, Swedish amateur champ 09, 4-0 in the pros fighting out of Stockholm but with a Polish license. Vame have this far fought in Spain, Germany, Poland and Slovakia and have impressed ringsiders.
Norweigan trainer Ulf Johansen says he will soon have the second biggest gym in Europe operating in Torrevieja on the Spanish Sun Coast. Johansen is currently training strongman competitor Arild Haugen who will be making his prodebut this fall. Haugen have been sparring with former EBU champ Ole Klemetsen and is said to have done well.
30.07 Scandinavian News
