46-year old Italian cruiser Silvio Branco, 62-11-3 and holder of multiple titles over the year, could be facing Finn Juho Haapoja, 20-3-1 and former EU champ, July 6 on a OPI 2000 promotion with site to be announced.

 

P 3 Boxing, who promotes Haapoja, are working on finalizing the deal. No word if any title is at stake.

 

Silvio Branco     vs     Juho Haapoja

 

 

Jennifer Retzke and Mikaela Lauren was announced as on for March 30 in Stockholm with the vacant IBF female jr middleweight title at stake. However, the promotors ran into financial problems and was forced to cancel their involvement in the show.

 

However, New Sweden, headed by father and son, Leif and Robert Nordman, took over the fight along with Lauren´s manager Siamak Vis Jagemar and put the fight back on June 1 in Tierp but then moved it to Stockholm on the same date and paid an advancement to Retzke for ten percent of the purse.

 

Last week New Sweden cancelled the show officially due to an ongoing dispute with the Swedish Federation, SBF. However, SBF ruled that New Sweden had called the show off without giving any reason and thus harming the boxers in particular and handed out a 24 month suspension to Nordman and Jagemar. Between the lines it´s claimed that New Sweden simply couldn´t finance the show and used the dispute for an easy way out - this is strongly disputed by Robert Nordman, who says New Sweden take a heavy loss as it is.

 

But the fight didn´t die there and is now on for London July 5 on a show sanctioned by the German Boxing Association, the GBA, a non EBU member where Retzke´s agent Mario Pokowietz is one of the creators. Nordman was listed as co-promoter of the show but appears now to be in the hands of Dave Murphy.

 

There´s probably more to come on this story and last but least there might be Swedish Boxing Association under construction, which will work closely with GBA.

 

 

The Martial Arts Delegation, MAD, outdid themselves this week when they allowed welters Patrick Bogere and Patrick Allotey to clash for the vacant WBC Int´l Silver title over a 20 minute distance, meaning ten two minute rounds. The Swedish Federation, SBF, had applied for 8x3 which the WBC and Allotey had accepted but now got 10x2 instead.

 

SBF have appealed the decision so there´s hopefully a happy ending to come. 12 minute is still the max distance allowed proboxing in Sweden with ten ounce gloves worn in all weight divisions.

 

Bogere vs Allotey will go ahead June 14 in Stockholm as co-feature along with Frida Wallberg´s defence of the WBC female jr lightweight title against Diana Prazak.

 

 

Purse bids for Kubrat Pulev´s defence of EBU heavyweight title against Tyson Fury, that is also an IBF final eliminator, have been postponed from May 28 to June 1 and will go ahead at the Savoyen Hotel in Vienna, Austria on EBU´s General Assembly.