Markus Beyer is back! On March 14th three-times WBC super middleweight champion Markus Beyer (34-3-1, 13 kos) will give his debut for Hamburg based ARENA Box-Promotion at Zenith hall in Munich. At today’s press conference Beyer stated, “I’m glad to be back in Munich! This is the place where my pro career actually started more than 11 years ago..”
On November 23rd 1996 “Boom Boom” Beyer stopped Eric Davis from the USA in the 6th at Munich’s famous Olympia hall. Beyer: “I take that as a good omen for my fight on March 14th. I started off my very successful career here. Now I will re-start it in the same city. I hope that re-start takes me back to another real big fight.”
Beyer wants to “go for four” and recapture “his” title another time. To do so he will have to beat Russia’s Murat Mahmudov (16-3-0, 8 kos) in the first place.
Beyer: “Mahmudov is a tough opponent but he won’t stop me on my way back to the top.”
The co-main event of the night features Olympic gold medallist Odlanier Solis (6-0-0, 4 kos) who will take on former world champion Bruce Seldon (36-7-0, 33 kos). “The Atlantic City Express” may already be 41 years old but he’s coming from two straight short round knockout-wins last year.
Before taking on Seldon Solis first of all has to get rid off Hungary’s Adrian Rajkai (15-6-0, 4 kos) at OPI 2000’s show in Milan this Friday.
ARENA-CEO Ahmet Öner: “That’s two tough match-ups for Solis in only two weeks. I am convinced that he will beat both men convincingly to make a statement and continue his way to the top of the world.”
Sinan Samil Sam’s (29-4-0, 15 kos) WBC Mediterranean championship bout against Croatia’s Ratko Draskovic (27-6-2, 15 kos) promises to become another highlight of the show.
Sam: “I know Draskovic very well. We already had a match in 2001 which I could only win by close decision. This is a very good test on my way to recapturing the European championship.”
“The Bull from Bosporus” will face Matt Skelton for the vacant EC within the next two months.
ARENA’s welterweight “Mini-Tyson” Selcuk Aydin (13-0-0, 12 kos) wants to step up to his name once more against Farkhad Bakirov (24-2-2, 14 kos) from Uzbekistan. Selcuk: “I always want to beat my opponents clearly – I will go for the ko again.”
A real tough fight will be on for the German Interim heavyweight Champion Konstantin Airich (8-0-0, 8 kos) who gaces “The Carribean Tank” Sherman Williams (33-10-2, 19 kos).
Also on the card: Alexander Sipos vs. Mustafa Karagöllü, Armin Dollinger vs. Kai Kurzawa and Ergin Solmaz vs. Edmund Gerber.
The show will be broadcasted LIVE by German Pay-TV station Premiere, by FOX in Turkey and as PPV in the internet. Tickets are available on www.ticketonline.com.
ARENA’s lightweight Krysztof Cieslak will be back in action next Friday (February 22nd) against Piotr Niesporek in a show in Warzswa (Poland) broadcasted by Polish TV station TVP 2