Preview: APB Inaugural Title Matches (91+ kg, 75 kg and 69 kg)

AIBA Pro Boxing has announced that the APB Inaugural Title Events of the first three weight categories will take place on 23 and 24 January 2015 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Istanbul, Turkey, according to the match schedule below.

SUPER HEAVY 91+ KG - FRIDAY, 23 JANUARY (19:30 GMT+4)

Location: Baku – Venue: Sarhadchi Complex

The two undefeated APB Super Heavyweights (91+ kg), Mohammed Arjaoui (MAR) and Erik Pfeifer (GER) will clash in Baku with the objective of winning the APB Inaugural Title Belt.

Pfeifer is a two-time AIBA World Championship bronze medalist, and started his APB career off with a dominant victory over Egypt’s Ahmed Samir. He followed that up in week two with a close points win over France’s Tony Yoka, and the German secured his part in the Inaugural Title Match during the Matches for Champions series, when he stopped Romanian Mihai Nistor in round three of the contest.

Mohammed Arjaoui also boasts an unblemished 3-0 APB record, and he began with a close victory over Ukrainian Sergiy Verveyko in week one. One win turned into two as he won on points against Mihai Nistor, and the Olympian made sure of his place in the title picture during week three as he defeated Tony Yoka on points.

Match schedule:

19:30: Ahmed SAMIR (EGY) W.O. vs Sergiy VERVEYKO (UKR) (Exhibition Match)

20:00: Tony YOKA (FRA) vs Mihai NISTOR (ROM)

20:30: Magomedrasul MEDZHIDOV (AZE) vs Magomed OMAROV (RUS)

21:00: Mohammed ARJAOUI (MAR) vs Erik PFEIFER (GER) (APB Inaugural Title Match)

MIDDLE 75 KG - FRIDAY, 23 JANUARY (21:00 GMT+2)

Location: Istanbul – Venue: Caferaga Spor Salonu

Local hero Adem Kilicci (TUR) will fight to offer his fans the APB Inaugural Title Belt this Friday. Kilicci has been one of the most impressive APB boxers so far in the competition. With an unblemished 3-0 record, he fought against Kenya’s Nickson Abaka, Hosam Abdin (EGY) and also Artem Chebotarev (RUS) his opponent for the Title.

Artem Chebotarev opened his account with a disqualification win against Ecuador’s Marlo Delgado, and then lost in week two against Kilicci. The Russian earned his ticket for the final by defeating Dmytro Mitrofanov in the Matches for Champions in a close match.

Match schedule:

21:00: Marlo DELGADO (ECU) vs Nickson ABAKA (KEN)

21:30: Hosam ABDIN (EGY) vs Dmytro MYTROFANOV (UKR)

22:00: Michel TAVARES (FRA) vs Bogdan JURATONI (ROM)

22:30: Adem KILICCI (TUR) vs Artem CHEBOTAREV (RUS) (APB Inaugural Title Match)

WELTER 69 KG - SATURDAY, 24 JANUARY (19:30 GMT+4)

Location: Baku – Venue: Sarhadchi Complex

The APB Welter Inaugural Title Match will see the battle between Onur Sipal (TUR) and Rayton Okwiri (KEN).

2008 Beijing Olympian Onur Sipal is one of Turkey’s most promising boxing talents, and the 25-year-old has won all three of his APB matches so far against Eimantas Stanionis (LTU), Okwiri and Denys Lazarev (UKR).

In the first week of the competition, the Kenyan Rayton Okwiri shocked the world by knocking out one of the favourites for Welterweight glory, Austria’s Marcos Nader in round two of their fight. After his loss to Sipal in November, Kenya’s superstar rebounded magnificently to quality for the title bout when he won five of the six rounds against Russia’s Olympic bronze medalist Andrey Zamkovoy in December.

Match schedule:

19:30: Gyula KATE (HUN) vs Marcos NADER (AUT)

20:00: Denys LAZAREV (UKR) vs Andrei ZAMKOVOY (RUS)

20:30: Eimantas STANIONIS (LTU) vs Tamerlan ABDULLAYEV (AZE)

21:00: Onur SIPAL (TUR) vs Rayton OKWIRI (KEN) (APB Inaugural Title Match)

For more information please contact:

APB PR & Communications Department

Email: communication@aiba.org

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