It was with great surprise that Team Sauerland heard about Universum´s press release regarding the fight between WBA heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev and “champion in recess” Ruslan Chagaev. “Klaus-Peter Kohl´s remarks are untrue,” Sauerland Event General Manager Chris Meyer said. “While requesting so many special permits from the WBA, he must have lost his sense for reality. Universum are responsible for the heavyweight chaos. The WBA´s order was clear: Once Chagaev is fit again, he has to fight Valuev. However, Universum decided to take on Drumond instead. The fight was a farce. Drumond could have never become the official world champion because Valuev is the official champion!”
In 2008, then-champ Chagaev had twice pulled out of fights against Valuev on short notice. He first cancelled the bout scheduled for May 31 before skipping a showdown arranged for July 5. Universum were lucky that the WBA did not strip Chagaev of his title. Instead, the title was vacated and Chagaev was made “champion in recess” with the order to fight the WBA-champion on his return to the ring. Valuev went on to defeat John Ruiz in Berlin to clinch the vacant title. He has been the official WBA heavyweight champion ever since. “A look into the official ratings confirms that,” Meyer said. “After February 7 (the date of the Chagaev-Drumond fight) the WBA still lists Valuev as the champion and Chagaev as “champion in recess”. Nikolai has always been ready to fight Chagaev at any time, but Chagaev has kept him waiting again. So Nikolai had to look for a different opponent. Nevertheless, we are still eager to make this fight happen as soon as possible.”
To finally end the confusion, Valuev has submitted a formal request to the WBA in which he offers to skip a voluntary defense and fight Chagaev as soon as possible. “We asked the WBA for clearance to start the negotiations with Universum immediately,” Meyer said. “If no agreement can be reached by the end of March, there should be a purse bid. The fight should be staged by the end of June. This solution is really in the best interest of everybody involved. Furthermore, Nikolai is eager to avenge the only loss of his career.”
The biggest and tallest champion of all time has already started his preparation for the Chagaev fight. Together with coach Alexander Zimin, he is working out in his home city of St. Petersburg. Later this week, he will fly to Japan for a special training camp. “I want to fight Chagaev as soon as possible,” Valuev said. “We still have something to settle. And all the confusion with champion and “champion in recess” has to finally come to an end.”
Caballero Risks WBA/IBF Belts vs. No. 1 Mathebula Friday, April 24, On SHOWTIME
Fresh off a smashing victory over Steve Molitor in a world title unification fight last Nov. 20 on SHOWTIME, exciting southpaw Celestino Caballero (31-2, 22 KOs) of Panama will defend his WBA/IBF junior featherweight belts against mandatory challenger Jeffrey Mathebula (22-1-2, 12 KOs) of South Africa in the main event on a special World Championship edition of ShoBox: The New Generation Friday, April 24, on SHOWTIME.
The event, which will air live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast), will originate from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
The lone two-belt-holder in a talent-laden division, the tall and powerful Caballero has won 12 in a row, including both of his starts on SHOWTIME, and has stamped himself as the one to watch at 122 pounds.
Caballero, who is also the WBA Super Champion and 2008 Panama Fighter of the Year, turned what most expected to be a competitive matchup into a rout as he totally outclassed and dismantled then-IBF kingpin Molitor en route to an impressive fourth-round TKO. It was Caballero’s fourth consecutive win inside the distance.
Mathebula, who has been victorious in seven straight and is unbeaten in his last 10 (9-0-1), earned the No. 1 ranking and a shot at Caballero by taking his last outing on a 12-round unanimous decision over Julio Zarate in an IBF title elimination bout on Aug. 29, 2008.
If victorious, the once-beaten Mathebula, who owns a win over former 122-pound world champion Daniel “Ponce” De Leon, will join IBF 130-pound titleholder Cassius Baloyi as the only current world champions from South Africa.
With so many talented prizefighters at or around 122 pounds, the winner of Caballero-Mathebula sets up himself for another major fight in the near future.
Bryne doesn’t get bite out of Big Apple, yet
LOS ANGELES (March 10, 2009) – Unbeaten light welterweight Dean “Irish Lightning” Byrne’s dream to fight in New York is only delayed, not shattered, after the recent announcement that “Erin Go Brawl II,” scheduled for March 16 at WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden, had been canceled.
Byrne (10-0, 4 KOs), fighting out of Los Angeles by way of Dublin, was supposed to fight in an 8-round bout on the card headlined by his friend, Andy Lee, and featuring his hero, Wayne McCullough. Dean, who has Freddie Roach as his trainer, works out at Roach’s famed Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles, where he has sparred with Manny Pacquiao, Amir Khan and Juan Marquez.
“I was very disappointed,” Byrne said about not fighting Mar. 16 in New York City. “I was looking forward to fighting in front of so many Irish at Madison Square Garden in New York City. A lot of my family were coming over from Ireland and booked flights. It was a big opportunity for us because they’ve never seen me fight as a pro. Hey, that’s boxing and someday I’ll fight there. I want people in New York, all up and down the East Coast where there’s a lot of Irish – Boston and Philadelphia – to see what a good entertainer I am.
“Freddie gave me the weekend off and I was back in the gym on Monday. I’ll continue training hard and hopefully I’ll be in a fight soon, maybe the end of March or in April. Someday, though, I’ll be fighting in Madison Square Garden.”
Byrne had more than 200 amateur fights, winning an Irish National title, and he turned pro in Australia, where he captured the New South Wales State belt on only his fourth pro fight, and one fighter later added the Australian crown in a 10-rounder. On his way from Australia to relocate in Boston, Dean stopped in Los Angeles and trained at World Card, where Roach took a shine to him. “He’s a tough kid who is a really good fighter but doesn’t know it yet,” Roach spoke about Byrne. “He’s learning to sit-down on his punches and has had two knockouts since he’s been with me. Dean’s learned a lot sparring with Manny, Amir and the others. He’s a lot of fun to watch, very exciting and cleaver for a young man. Early in his career he fought 10 rounds for the Australian title, so he already has that experience. He’s one of my best prospects.”
Byrne last fought in December, when he registered a win by fourth-round technical knockout against Francisco Rios Gil (13-8) in Inglewood, California.
“One of Dean’s most important dreams is to fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City,” Bryne’s manager Steven Feder (Standing Eight Management) remarked. “Ever since we started working together, Dean has told me that coming from Ireland and traveling around the world, his dream was to fight in Madison Square Garden. He was excited about fighting in an Irish community. We feel bad for Irish Ropes. Dean was looking forward to fighting on their card with Andy and Wayne. It’s too bad things didn’t work out for that show. Dean Byrne has a clear shot at really making it big in boxing. He’s 10-0 and ready to go. He never had a 4-round fight, starting with a six and going right to eights and then tens. Fans love him and Irish fans on the East Coast will embrace him once they get to see him fight. We train in LA because that’s where Freddie is but New York is my hometown and we hope New York fight fans will make Dean their adopted son.”