Francesco Pianeta (18-0, 11 KOs) will defend his EU Heavyweight Title against former European Champion Matt Skelton (22-3, 19 KOs) in Neubrandenburg on September 19. The duo will clash on the undercard of the IBF Middleweight Title fight between Sebastian Sylvester and Giovanni Lorenzo. Pianata is full of respect for his experienced opponent. “Skelton is a tough fighter,” he said. “He was the European Champion and also fought for the WBA Heavyweight Title. It is not easy to box him. He is a strong puncher but I am faster and I will beat him..”
Pianeta won the WBC Youth Heavyweight Title last year before stopping Scott “The Hammer” Gammer in August 2008 to clinch the EU Heavyweight Title. He bagged a clear points victory over Johann Duhaupas before settling for a draw in an epic clash with Albert Sosnowski in April 2009. “I thought I had won the fight but I accept the judges´ verdict,” Pianeta said. “I should have made better use of my jab. I would love to fight Sosnowski again but all my focus is on the mandatory defence against Skelton. Things have been going very well in practice. I want to become a top heavyweight and the only thing that gets me to the top are victories.”
Follow Team Sauerland on Twitter – Get the latest news from Valuev, Kessler, King Arthur, Povetkin & Co.
Team Sauerland is pleased to announce it has launched a Twitter account to bring boxing fans all over the world the latest news from inside the famous Max-Schmeling-Gym. There will be exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage from each of the upcoming events, which include Mikkel Kessler´s WBA Super-Middleweight Title Fight against Gusmyr Perdomo in Herning on September 12, Sebastian Sylvester´s IBF Middleweight Title Fight against Giovanni Lorenzo on September 19, King Arthur Abraham´s hotly-anticipated Super Six World Boxing Classic showdown with Jermain Taylor on October 17 and Nikolai Valuev´s WBA Heavyweight Title Fight against David Haye on November 7. “With so many big fights coming up in the near future and especially the Super Six World Boxing Classic, we want the fight fans to be as close to the action as possible,” said Team Sauerland General Manager Chris Meyer. ”Further to our official webpage www.boxing-online.com, we look forward to providing insightful and spectacular coverage from all of our shows. It is a great way to interact with our fans all over the world. Watch out for some exclusive information you will find nowhere else.”
There will be constant updates from Wednesday on when Mikkel Kessler and Gusmyr Perdomo conduct an open training session in Herning (Denmark) ahead of Saturday´s encounter.
Follow Team Sauerland on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TeamSauerland