Title Boxing Newsletter - Heavyweights Dominate In Dortmund

European champion Luan Krasniqi to make his first defense on July 20

Dortmund – It's 40 years ago since Dortmund held a European heavyweight championship with German participation. On 24 February 1962 Welshman Dick Richardson defended his EBU title successfully against German challenger Karl Mildenberger by knockout in round 1.

[Sidenote: This was Mildenberger's first attempt to become European champion. Two years later he eventually captured the EBU crown and held on to it for six years until he retired.]

Like Richardson all those years back its Luan Krasniqi's intention as well to make a successful and impressive defense of his European belt. The 31-year-old Hamburg based fighter who captured the vacant title in January against his German countryman Rene Monse will face Poland's Przemyslaw Saleta the first time he steps into the ring as champion.

"I haven't studied Saleta on video so far. I know he's solid and capable. But he's also a solvable task for me", the confident 1996 Olympic bronze medal winner said. "Dortmund will be like any other fight. It makes no difference that it's my first title defense. But I'm very happy that I'm going to defend my belt on this event because first it seemed that it wasn't possible."
Challenger Przemyslaw Saleta is a professional boxer since 1991 and the current champ of Poland. The 6-foot-4 ½ giant from Warsaw is 41-3 with 21 knockouts. One of his losses came in his only previous attempt to become European champion, a fight against then title holder Zeljko Mavrovic from Croatia.
Coach Michael Timm is very positive about the shape of his charge who resumed training 3 weeks ago. "Luan is a real professional. There are few boxers who train so hard and work toward their aims so consequently. He will be in top shape on fight night. And he will step into the ring with a much different attitude than when he won the title six months ago in Magdeburg." The intelligent and eloquent European champion who admires Max Schmeling as his idol and has been living in London as sparring partner of Lennox Lewis for three years will be the second main event in Dortmund. In another heavyweight title fight Dr. Vitali Klitschko will take on American Larry Donald for the WBA international championship.
Peter Hanraths, managing director of Universum Box-Promotion, is convinced that the main events will be highly attractive. "Except from Wladimir Klitschko we will present the best heavyweights of Europe. It was our intention to bring up world class fighters for our first common boxing event with our new television partner ZDF. And we managed to do it."

The main events will be broadcasted live in Germany on ZDF at 23:00 after the SPORTstudio show.