Two World Boxing Federation (WBF) title fights will take place on Friday February 24, as Mike Tiberi faces Toris Brewer for the vacant North American Super Middleweight title in Dover, Delaware, USA, and Thierry Karl and Sandro Siproshvili clash for the vacant International Cruiserweight crown in Saint Quentin, France.
Going for his first professional title, “Mighty” Mike Tiberi, a 23-year-old bright prospect from nearby Wilmington, has racked up an impressive 18-1 (7) record since entering the paid ranks in June 2007. His sole defeat came in his seventh bout to fellow undefeated prospect Dwayne Shelton, dropping a four round decision. Since then he has moved up a weight-class, and hasn’t come close to losing again.
His opponent, 38-yeal-old Toris “The Bull” Brewer, 14-4 (6), could turn out to be the biggest test so far for Tiberi. While the South Carolina-resident is coming off two losses, he has never been stopped and has mixed with better opposition than his younger foe. A real “Prospect vs. Veteran” encounter, the Tiberi vs. Brewer WBF North American Super Middleweight title fight goes ahead at the Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, as is the co-feature alongside a Super Featherweight battle between top-contender Juan Carlos Burgos and former world champion Cristobal Cruz.
On the same night in France, at the Palais des Sports in Saint Quentin, former two-time French national champion Thierry Karl will take a crack at his first Cruiserweight belt, the WBF International, when he steps in the ring with Georgian tough-guy Sandro Siproshvili.
Karl, 29-5 (19), holds some excellent wins in lower weight classes, such as stoppages over undefeated opponents Dejan Ribac (16-0) and WBO world title-challenger Nadjib Mohammedi (19-0), but it remains to be seen if he can carry his punching power up to cruiserweight.
In his last fight, this past November, Karl (27) stopped Serbian journeyman Mile Nikolic in the first round, but a seasoned campaigner such as Siproshvili will be a whole ‘nother kettle of fish.
Based in Prague, Czech Republic, Siproshvili, 25-10 (12), has fought some of the best Cruiserweights in Europe. Only stopped in his professional debut, the 29-year old Georgian has gone the distance with former World Champions Herbie Hide and Ola Afolabi, as well as several top-class contenders.
While Karl must be considered the favorite, Siproshvili will definitely be a true test for him at Cruiserweight, and if the Frenchman is not on top of his game he will surely have a hard time winning the fight. On the other hand, if he manages to win inside the distance, and do what Hide and Afolabi couldn’t do, it will be a great measure of what kind of success he may achieve at the new weight.
The Thierry Karl vs. Sandro Siprosvili WBF International Cruiserweight title fight is scheduled for ten rounds, and is presented by Sport Evenements Promotion. Also on the card will be a European Union Super Featherweight title fight between Guillaume Frenois and Hovhannes Zhamkochyan.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
