Labinot Xhoxhaj wins EBU heavyweight title – but the belt doesn’t mean much anymore

In Kolding, Denmark, unbeaten local hero Jacob Bank, 15-0, stopped Ibo Maier, 13-1, in the headliner for the TKO Promotions event at the Forum in a super middleweight contest. Maier didn’t come out for the fifth after four one-sided rounds.

In an all Danish fight at cruiserweight Steffen Rorstrom,4-0, outscored Thorbjorn Boudigaard, 4-2, over six. 

Heavyweight Kem Ljunquist, 19-1, stopped Argentinian Maximiliano Alejandro Sosa, 12-10, who didn’t come out for the third round after being floored and hurt in the second.

Junior welterweight prospect Francis Fordjour, 4-0, knocked ked out Pole – and one better than his record – Jakob Laskowski, 4-32-1, in the second round.

Middleweight Abdul Khattab, 20-3-1, opened the show with a points win over Poland’s Daniel Przewieslik, 3-16-2. Khattab, in his second fight after a five-year layoff, boxed his way to a points win with scores of 40-36 twice and 39-37.

Meanwhile, Featherweight Melissa Mortensen, 3-0, took out veteran Gabriella Mezei with a left hook to the body.

….

In Heidelberg, Germany, late sub Labinot Xoxhhaj, 20-1, won the European heavyweight title with an upset decsion over Oleksandr Zarkhozhyi, 19-1, on scores of 116-112, 115-111 and 116-110. 

Xhoxhaj was floored in the second but came back to floor the defending champion in the 10th. Xhoxhaj, much shorter and lighter, repeatedly caught the tall Ukrainian, based in Germany, with big hooks from both hands that made the champion look like a novice. 

Zarkhozyi showed poor defense while Xhoxhaj scored his first win against a “name” opponent and really gave it all he had. Though an exciting fight, which went back and forth, it also showed how far the EBU title has declined with two fighters like this battling it out in what at times looked like a barroom brawl. 

“Tiny” Tina Rupprecht, 14-1-1, retained the WBC atomweight title and added the WBO title to her collection with a unanimous decision over Eri Matsuda, 7-2-1,  from Japan. Matsuda was down in the first and lost on scores of 97-92 twice and 96-93.