08.06.07 – Ahmet Öner, CEO of Hamburg based arena Box-Promotion, received a special guest in Ankara (Turkey) yesterday. “The Atomic Bull” Oliver McCall and his team arrived before all other fighters of the arena event on Saturday June 16th in the Turkish capital. McCall (currently ranked on no.4 in the WBC) will face WBC International Champion Sinan Samil Sam (currently ranked on no.2). The winner of the bout is very likely to become the next No.1 contender for the WBC World Heavyweight Championship..
Manager Ahmet Öner made the first boxing event on Turkish ground possible after professional boxing had been banned for nearly 30 years. The promoter welcomed McCall on Thursday and showed him the city.
Öner: “Oliver looks good. He is definitely well prepared for the fight and seems much focused. But still I don’t think that he has a chance of winning the bout, especially because Sinan is fighting in front of his home audience for the first time. You got to know that he is a national hero in Turkey. I am convinced that the fanatic audience will push their idol to a new level. People in Turkey have been waiting so long for the return of professional boxing. And I know that Sinan does not want to disappoint his fellow countrymen.”
The trip to Turkey is a great adventure for arena Box-Promotion and German TV partner Premiere. Eight trucks (each weighing 40 tons) are bringing all the equipment from Hamburg to Ankara, which is needed for the event itself and for the live broadcast to Germany, Turkey and at least ten other countries.
The event in Ankara is not only a comeback for professional boxing in Turkey; it is also a comeback for German Pay-TV network Premiere who hasn’t been broadcasting boxing for some years. “We have had lots of inquiries from international promoters in the last couple of years”, states Head of Sports Roman Steuer, “but nobody convinced us until Ahmet Öner presented the package he is offering with arena Box-Promotion. We are looking forward to a great cooperation.”