Sat 12/3 Lagoon Leisure Centre – Paisley, Scotland Middleweight 12 rounds – Artur Akavov +2500 o9½ -150 Billy Joe Saunders -5000 u9½ +120 Note: The WBO world middleweight championship is on the line as titleholder Billy Joe saunders (23-0) defends his belt against Arthur Akavov (16-1). Saunders won the belt last December when he took it from Andy lee via a Majority Decision, but his return to the ring was postponed or delayed and this will be his first figt of 2016. Akavov has not been extremely active either, logging his last action in an eight rounder in March of 2016. This match was originally scheduled for November 26th but a delay in licenisnig Akavov by the British Boxing Board of Control caused a delay of a week. Saunders is looking to throw his name into the hat for big fights and he has not been shy about challenging middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin, but he has to get by akavov first. Ufgauhalle – Karlsruhe, Germany Super Middleweight 12 rounds – Mike Keta +1000 Vincent Feigenbutz -1500 Note: Former WBA world 168 pound champion Feigenbutz (24-2) is back putting in his fifth fight of 2016 as he faces Mike Keta (21-3) for the vacant IBF Inter COntinental belt. Feigenbutz is 3-1 thus far this year, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Giovanni De Carolis for his WBA belt. Feigenbutz is still just 21 years old, and he has a 12 year age advantage over Keta, who at 33 years old has a resume that is strictly on the local level. or his part, Feigenbutz also owns a win over De Carolis, the man that took his belt and he is workin gto stay on a winning streak in the hopes of putting together the third match with De Carolis. Ceres Arena – Aarhus, Denmark Super Middleweight 10 rounds – Ruben Eduardo Acosta +1100 Lolenga Mock -2300 Note: 44 year old Danish boxing veteran Lolenga Mock (37-14-1) is back for his sixth fight of 2016. He has gone 5-0 so far this year, and he is 6-0 since mounting a comeback last December after a layoff of more than two years. In Acosta (32-14-5) he is facing a veteran of Argentina’s boxing scene who has earned most of his losses fighting outside of his home country. He has fought a high level of competition that includes Callum Smith, Alexander Brand, Maksim Vlasov, Robert Steiglitz and Andrea Di Luisa among others. Arena Armeec – Sofia, Bulgaria Heavyweight 12 rounds – Samuel Peter +1400 Kubrat Pulev -3050 Notes: Pulev is 23-1 and with his lone loss coming to Wladimir Klitschko back in November of 2014, Pulev is looking to get back 9nto the world title picture. In his last fight this past May, Pulev won a split decision over England’s Dereck Chisora. Peter fought this past October, stopping Juan carlos Slas in Mexico. Slas was 6-9 heading into the fight, and it was only Peter’s 2nd fight since his April of 2011 loss to Robert Helenius. Pulev is fighting for the first time in his career in his native Bulgaria and the line indicates that the matchmakers were not looking to do much else but feature their hometown hero.
