By Jim Dower: Former WBA super bantamweight champion Scott Quigg (32-1-2, 24 KOs) will be fighting #5 IBF featherweight contender Viorel Simion (21-1, 9 KOs) in a 12 round scheduled fight on the undercard of the Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko card next month on April 29 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Quigg’s promoter Eddie Hearn says he’s going to try and make it an eliminator fight between Quigg and Simion with either the IBF or WBA.
The current IBF featherweight champion is Lee Selby. The World Boxing Association has 2 champion at this time in Abner Mares and Leo Santa Cruz. Quigg would likely be facing Mares if he becomes the WBA mandatory challenger. Simion is ranked high enough by the IBF for it to make sense for the sanctioning body to make it an official eliminator between him and Quigg.
It’s a high visibility fight for the 28-year-old Quigg, who is trying to get a title shot against one of the featherweight champions after moving up to the division in 2016. The Quigg vs. Simion fight will be televised on Sky Bo Office PPV. Quigg will be defending his WBA International featherweight title against the 35-year-old Simion.
This is Quigg’s second fight in the featherweight division. Quigg defeated Jose Cayetano by a 9th round knockout on December 10 last year.
“It’s my first fight working with Freddie and it’s a fight that will catapult me right in the mix for a world title fight,” said Quigg to skysports.com. “Simion is an experienced, skillful and strong fighter and the only blemish on his record is against the current IBF champion Lee Selby, who he pushed all the way. I expect to put in the best performance of my career and put myself in line for shot at one of the champions,” said Quigg.
2004 Olympian Simion comes from Romania. He turned pro 11 years ago in 2006, and his career has been moving slowly at a glacial pace in him mostly facing weak opposition one of after another Simion should have fought for a world title by this point in his career, but for whatever reason it’s just not happened for him.
With Simion nearing 36, he should have put his career in overdrive years ago so that he would get a world title fight while in his prime rather than still spinning his wheels as he nears 40. Simion lost a 12 round unanimous decision to former WBC International featherweight champion Lee Selby four years ago in 2013. Simion has won his last five fights since then against poor opposition. He’s not fought enough to put much distance between him and his loss to Selby.
Quigg, #5 WBC, #6 WBA, lost his WBA 122lb title to Carl Frampton by a 12 split decision defeat two fights ago in February 2016. Quigg has fought just once since then in beating Jose Cayetano. Quigg will need to be a lot busier in 2017 if he wants to maximize his time in his boxing career.
Simion isn’t much of puncher. He only 9 knockouts on his career resume. Without power, Simion is going to have a lot of problems trying to beat Quigg in this fight.