Euro News: Kevin Lele Sadjo defense delayed, but Ivan Zucco remains his challenger

EBU super middleweight titleholder Kevin Lele Sadjo (23-0, 20 KOs), of France by way of Cameroon, is again without an official challenger after Italy’s Ivan Zucco (19-0, 16 KOs) pulled out – apparently due to an injury – just before purse bids were to be held at the EBU office in Rome on Thursday.

But Zucco, for now, remains Sadjo’s official challenger, with a new date for purse bids to be set.

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France’s Tony Yoka (12-3, 10 KOs) will continue to build himself back up in the heavyweight division when he faces England’s Lamah Griggs (3-7-1) on Saturday at the Regent Circus in Swindon, England.

Yoka lost to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy in consecutive fights across 2022-2023, but he bounced back by stopping Amine Boucetta last July.

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Cristian “Pitbull” Zara (14-2, 3 KOs) and Mohammed “Maraviglia” Obbadi (24-3, 14 KOs) will meet Dec. 6 in Calangianus, Italy. At stake will be a vacant junior bantamweight international title.

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Heavyweights Granit Shala (15-1, 5 KOs) and Alexander Mueller von Berge (6-0, 4 KOs) both will be featured on the undercard of the Sept. 14 show at Agon Sportpark in Berlin.

Shala, back after losing to Oleksandr Zakhozhyi in a fight for the vacant EBU title, will face Argentina’s veteran Emilio Ezequiel Zarate (21-22-3, 12 KOs), while von Berge, in his first fight of the year, will be in against Bosnia’s Srdan Govedarica (10-11, 8 KOs).

Also on the bill will be middleweight Bujar Tahiri (17-0, 9 KOs), who will take on Uruguay’s Braulio Matias Ferreira (6-1, 1 KO).

Topping the bill will be an IBF eliminator between middleweights Etinosa Oliha (20-0, 8 KOs) and Alexander Pavlov (21-3, 15 KOs).