Luan Krasniqi

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko Video

2008-11-15T23:36:00.004Z

ROUND 3

ROUNDS 1 - 2

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko Official Weigh-in

2008-11-15T14:35:00.008Z

WBO Inter-Continental Championship Heavyweight
Official Weigh-in, 14th November 2008,
Maritim Airport Hotel Düsseldorf Germany

Luan Krasniqi (102.5kg)

vs

Alexander Dimitrenko (116.5kg)

Photos by Marianne Muller

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko Presser 2

2008-11-12T20:17:00.006Z

Photo by Marianne Muller

Unbeaten WBO #1 heavyweight Alexander Dimitrenko (28-0, 18 KOs) continues on the road to his long awaited world title shot when he faces 37-year-old long time contender Luan Krasniqi (30-3-1, 14 KOs) on Saturday night at the Burg-Wächter Castello in Düsseldorf. The "Universum Champions Night" will also feature unbeaten WBO #9/WBA #12 heavyweight Denis Boytsov (22-0, 18 KOs) against the rugged warrior Vinny Maddalone (31-4, 22 KOs).

All were on hand at Monday's (10th November) press conference at "Uerige," a local Düsseldorf brewery.

"It can't go wrong," said the 26-year-old Dimitrenko. "I've had the best preparation and am psychologically at my best . I have the best trainer and God is behind me. Everything is good. I will win!"

Dimitrenko's trainer Fritz Sdunek added, "We all know each other very well and [from the fighters' perspective] this is one of the most unpopular and unpleasant intra-stall bouts. Everyones' nerves will be on edge even more than usual. Sascha is in the best physical and psychological condition. Whoever has the stronger psyche wins. One punch can decide it! "

His challenger Luan Krasniqi stated, "I'm grateful that I got the chance to box against the #1 world ranked fighter. I also see it as Fritz Sdunek does, the better nerves will decide it. I've already had difficult times behind me and people have often said it was my 'last chance' but I'm still here. A person learns more from losses than from victories. Physically I feel like a 28-year-old. Vitali Klitschko is the same age as me and after a four year break he became world champion again. That is also my goal. I am up for this fight against the #1 as seldom before and want to win, no matter how!"

Krasniqi's "new trainer" Valentin Silaghi commented, "I've trained Luan now for more than a year. This fight was already set once. I admire my longtime friend, trainer Fritz Sdunek and have high respect for his work and his successes. For this fight, even though we already know them well, we've studied the DVDs and prepared very well for this fight. I hope that we have the better nerves!"

Boystov, meanwhile, was supremely confident that he would get by blood and guts warriors Maddalone. "I will give 110%," stated the unbeaten heavyweight. "My opponent has the greater experience, but if he is good, but I will be better."

Boystov's trainer Fritz Sdunek added, "Vinny Maddalone can punch, has a big fighter's heart and the experience of fighting against Holyfield and Minto speaking for him. For Denis, however, his mental strength and his clout will be decisive. He is a "small Tyson!"

Maddalone was delighted to be making his first appearance in Europe. "I'm having a great time in Dusseldorf. There will be a good show here and the people will get their money's worth. Against Holyfield, I only lost because there was a bloody headbutt in round two. I've been a professional for ten years now and my experience is my strength."

In other notable bouts, in his first fight after suffering his only career defeat against WBA champion Mikkel Kessler, WBA #6 super middleweight Dimitri Sartison (22-1, 14 KOs) returns against Edison Francisco Guedes (11-7-1, 5 KOs), and WBA #3 super middleweight Gusmyl Perdomo (15-2, 9 KOs) meets Laurent Goury (14-17, 2 KOs).

In other action, local heavyweight Markus Tomala (4-0, 2 KOs) faces Jevgenijs Stamburskis (5-17, 1 KO), light heavyweight Igor Michalkin (5-0, 4 KOs) battles Emmanoel Martins da Silva (16-7, 3 KOs), Spotlight lightweight Magomed Jangubaev faces TBA in his second pro fight. /fightnews.com/

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko Poster

2008-11-09T21:27:00.002Z

Krasniqi Ready for Dimitrenko!

2008-11-09T21:25:00.003Z

photo universum

Former world title challenger Luan "The Lion" Krasniqi is wrapping up preparations in his hometown of Rottweil for his November 15th "Universum Champions Night" showdown with WBO #1 rated Alexander Dimitrenko at the Burg-Wächter Castello in Dusseldorf. Krasniqi is training alongside friend and former cruiserweight world champion Firat Arslan. "I was and am totally there for Luan," says Arslan. "My whole energy is with him now. If Luan implements what he has shown here in training and sparring in recent weeks, then I don't have any worries. But at heavyweight we know anything can happen." Arslan, who lost his world title against Guillermo Jones on September 27, has recovered from a oparation ten days after the fight to repair a broken nose. "I'm back in full training," he said. "I didn't even think about quitting. I hope that I'll be boxing again in the spring. My motto is: Full force in the future. No matter who it is, I'm ready to box anyone....some people think that I had psychological scars after the defeat, but that's not true. Sure, I was disappointed, but I've analyzed the fight and understand why I lost. He had a very good tactic and in the back of my mind I thought that Jones would get tired. His good fitness surprised me."

Meanwhile Krasniqi is currently bursting with self-confidence. "This has been my best sparring so far," he stated. "It's surprised even me." He has a total of 80 rounds of sparring behind him. "This fight is a terrific opportunity for me," he added. "I'm very grateful to Universum." /fightnews.com/

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko Presser

2008-10-02T23:08:00.004+01:00

Photos by Marianne Müller

fightnews.com:
Heavyweights Alexander "Sasha" Dimitrenko (28-0, 18 KOs) and Luan "The Lion" Krasniqi (30-3-1, 14 KOs) faced off on October 1st, at a press conference in advance of their huge November 15th collision at the Burg-Wächter Castello in Düsseldorf, Germany.

The current WBO Inter-Continental titleholder Dimitrenko is coming off a brilliant fifth round TKO of Derric Rossy in May, while the eleven years older former heavyweight title challenger Krasniqi, 37, will return to action for the first time since a July 2007 loss against Tony Thompson in a WBO eliminator.

Rated WBO #1 and in the top five of all the major sanctioning organizations' ratings, the 6'8 Dimitrenko is risking his lofty status, while Krasniqi stands to get right back into the title mix with a win.

"We know each other well - having already trained together and sparring, but with the first gong here in Dusseldorf, the friendship is over. I will not be beaten," vowed Dimitrenko.

"I don't underestimate anybody," he continued. "Luan has had good, hard fights, but I will be going all out. My goal is to become a world champion – not to lose!"

A motivated and committed Krasniqi stated, "I am extremely happy that I'm finally boxing again. The fight against Sascha is like a knighthood for me. We're both good and stylish boxers - but I will win.

"Regarding the Thompson fight - I needed the depths to reach the heights. On November 15, I must fight and show what's in me! I think that I'll win and that I'm not finished with boxing."

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko is ON!

2008-09-18T20:21:00.003+01:00

According to boxing.de, Universum Box-Promotion has announced that unbeaten WBO #1 heavyweight contender Alexander "Sascha" Dimitrenko (28-0, 18 KOs) will take on former world title challenger Luan Krasniqi (30-3-1, 14 KOs) on November 15th at the Burg-Wächter Castello in Düsseldorf, Germany. The card is the latest in Universum's "November to Remember," with kicks off with the WBA middleweight title clash between Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester on November 1 at the König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, and wraps up with Jürgen Brähmer's long awaited world title challenge against WBA light heavyweight champ Hugo Garay on November 22 at the StadtHalle in Rostock.

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko is Off!

2008-01-18T18:08:00.000Z

The battle between WBO #2 heavyweight contender Alexander Dimitrenko and #12 rated Luan Krasniqi will not take place on March 8 as originally announced. The entire "Universum Champions Night" card scheduled to take place at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart was cancelled after Dimitrenko surprisingly rejected the fight against his Universum Box-Promotion stablemate. The date and place for a substitute "Universum Champions Night" event will soon be announced.[fightnews.com]

"I am deeply dissapointed. I have no idea why Dimitrenko pulled out. Naturally, I am angry, I was eager to box and I prepared myself for this fight. And now I don't know what happened" - Luan Krasniqi.

According to the german paper Bild, all this happened because of money. Apparently, Dimitrenko was not happy that Krasniqi was to earn more than him out of this fight, despite him being ranked #2 (WBO) and Krasniqi #12 (WBO). Both Krasniqi and Dimitrenko belong to the same club Universum Box-Promotion.

"I am shocked! This fight would have been a great leap for me. But I have a continued belief that my promoter Kohl will arrange another fight. I will continue my training. I am ready for my next fight." - Luan Krasniqi.

Krasniq returns to the ring!

2008-01-04T20:19:00.000Z

Krasniqi vs Dimitrenko, 8th March 2008, Stuttgart, Germany

[fightnews.com]Heavyweight contenders Luan Krasniqi and Alexander Dimitrenko will collide for the vacant European heavyweight championship and the WBO Intercontinental title on March 8th. Both fighters fight under the Universum banner and the card will headline a "Universum Champions Night" event at the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany. The 36-year-old Krasniqi (30-3-1, 14 KOs) is returning from a disappointing loss to Tony Thompson in July in a WBO eliminator, while the ten-years younger 6'7 Dimitrenko (27-0, 17 KOs) is coming off a twelfth round KO of Timo Hoffmann in November and is rated at #2 by the WBO. Tickets are available now at +0711-2555 555 or +040-696 559 59.

Dimitrenko is a top-notch opponent (top 10 in all rankings) who is unbeaten in 27 fights. He last fought on November 17 2007 when he stopped the experienced Timo Hoffman in the 12th round to retain his WBO Intercontinental heavyweight crown.

Krasniqi: "I want to show that I am still a boxer to be reckoned with!"

Krasniqi vs Thompson Video

2007-07-15T01:26:00.000+01:00

Luan Krasniqi vs Tony Thompson
WBO Heavyweight Eliminator
Color Line Arena, Hamburg, Germany
14th July 2007
Referee: Mark Nelson
Judges: Chuck Giampa, Manfred Kuchler, Paul Thomas
Thompson wins by TKO in round 5.

According to what we saw, this is a well deserved win by Tony Thompson and a tremendous boost to his career. The referee stopped the fight in Round 5 (time 2:39) after Krasniqi failed to respond to series of punches thrown by Thompson. Very unexpected and weak performance by Luan will spark many questions. This fight is highly suspicious to me. Nevertheless, I hope this does not mean the end to Krasniqi's career.

Rounds 1 - 2

Rounds 3 - 5

Krasniqi vs Thompson Official Weigh-in

2007-07-13T17:45:00.000+01:00

WBO Heavyweight Eliminator
Official Weigh-in, 13th July 2007, Hamburg, Germany

Luan Krasniqi (102.5 kg) "The Lion"
vs
Tony Thompson (112.5 kg) "The Tiger"

Krasniqi vs Thompson Workout

2007-07-12T16:23:00.000+01:00

photo Erroll Popova

Heavyweight contenders Luan Krasniqi (30-2-1, 14 KOs) and Tony Thompson (29-1, 17 KOs) unveiled their superb conditioning in a public workout on Wednesday, 11th July at the Quarree Wandsbek Mall in Hamburg, Germany. They collide on Saturday at the Color Line Arena in an important WBO heavyweight eliminator for the right to challenge for the world title. It has been announced that the third man in the ring for that bout will be American referee Mark Nelson with judges Chuck Giampa (USA), Manfred Küchler (Germany) and Paul Thomas (UK). [fightnews.com]

Krasniqi vs Thompson Presser

2007-07-10T16:16:00.000+01:00

photo Erroll Popova

July 9, 2007
fightnews.com

The "Universum Champions Night" on July 14 at the huge Color Line Arena in Hamburg features a highly charged WBO world heavyweight title eliminator between Luan "The Lion" Krasniqi (30-2-1, 14 KOs) and Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (29-1, 17 KOs).

Both fighters spoke during today's pre-fight press conference at the Hamburg CinemaxX.

"A dangerous opponent awaits me," commented Krasniqi. "He's not the fastest, but he has an awkward style to box against. However when I climb into the ring I'll be fully prepared to work hard for a victory bit by bit. My preparation was very good. I had a super last day of sparring. All of my sparring partners used the fight style of Thompson so that I could fine-tune for him very well. For me, this fight is important above all else - I will not let this world championship chance slip away. I'm concentrating only upon the day of the fight and I won't make a mistake by looking ahead at a world championship fight."

Thompson, when confronted about his highly publicized prefight promise to 'kick his a-- and bring it to his after-party,' responded, "That was written a lot in the press. All I'll say is that I have prepared myself very well for this fight with my team and the result on Saturday will be in the ring and not the media. It will be an interesting and exciting fight."

Krasniqi Press Conference

2007-06-23T01:04:00.000+01:00

[fightnews.com][photo: Erroll Popova]
On the July 14 "Universum Champions Night" at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Universum heavyweight Luan Krasniqi (30-2-1, 14 KOs) will collide with Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (29-1, 17 KOs) in a WBO eliminator that will produce the mandatory challenger for champion Sultan Ibragimov.

"I'm happy to again fight in Hamburg, especially in an eliminator against Thompson," said Krasniqi today at a press conference taking place aboard the "Rickermer Rickmers," a fully-rigged ship anchored in Hamburg Harbour. "I expect him to be a dangerous opponent. He isn't the quickest, but he has an unwieldy style of boxing. However, I will be fully prepared to step into the ring and compile a victory bit by bit."

'The Lion' Krasniqi is extremely focused on his next task. "Thompson is the next opponent and I must first clear him out of the way," "Other than that, I'm not thinking about anything else."

For Krasniqi, the fight represents a chance for a second opportunity to become the first German since Max Schmeling to win a heavyweight title. In his first title challenge, in a dramatic fight on September 25, 2005 at the same arena (on the 100th birthday of Max Schmeling) Krasniqi was ahead to points when he lost in round nine to then-world champion Lamon Brewster by what Krasniqi terms "a lucky punch."

Universum promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl is optimistic about Krasniqi's chances. "For Luan a lot is going on. Naturally we want to remain on course for the world championship and this [fight] is particularly interesting for Hamburg."

Krasniqi ready for Thompson

2007-06-06T14:42:00.000+01:00

KRASNIQI READY FOR THOMPSON
[eastsideboxing.com]

The "Universum Champions Night" on July 14th at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg will feature the return of Universum heavyweight Luan "The Lion" Krasniqi. Heavyweight contenders Luan Krasniqi (30-2-1, 14 KOs) and Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (29-1, 17 KOs) are set to meet in a WBO title eliminator. The winner will earn a shot at newly crowned world heavyweight champion Sultan Ibragimov. After his last victorious bout in Stuttgart in March 2007 against Brian "The Beast" Minto, Krasniqi is back on track and ready for this chance.

“I saw Ibragimov's win over Shannon Briggs on TV Sunday night. If one could say anything about this heavyweight fight, it's that on this evening two average boxers stood in the ring. "It was not a fight for the public - little motion and barely any high quality boxing action - a below average world championship fight without a great new champion."

"My next opponent Tony Thompson is stronger than both these fighters and in addition, an awkward boxer, a workhorse, and a rare southpaw. However, I've looked quite good against such types and I'll defeat him. I have to beat Thompson and then I know that Ibragimov must face me in a world title fight," commented the 35-year-old Krasniqi.

Luan Krasniqi has shown in his last fights that he has never given up his dream to become the next German heavyweight champion after Max Schmeling. He made history when he lost in a dramatic fight in September 2005 (on the 100th Birthday of Max Schmeling) to Lamon Brewster, at that time WBO heavyweight champion.Krasniqi was leading clearly on all three scorecards by it came to an abrupt end with a Lucky Punch by Brewster in round 9.

The boxing fans in Hamburg can expect another great night of boxing at the "Universum Champions Night" at the Color Line Arena on the 14th of July from 5.45 pm. The ZDF will broadcast from 10:00pm LIVE.

Ticket-Hotlines: 040 - 69 65 59 59, 01805 - 570 000,
www.boxing.de and at all known Ticket Shops.

Thompson to face Krasniqi!

2007-05-11T18:10:00.000+01:00

Wednesday, May 9 2007
By Gary "Digital" Williams (fightnews.com)

It was announced today that heavyweight contender Tony "The Tiger" Thompson (29-1, 17 KOs) will be fighting in a WBO eliminator against Luan Krasniqi (30-2-1, 14 KOs) on July 14 in Germany. As a result, Thompson will not be apearing on the May 25 card at the DC Armory in Washington DC. Now headlining the ESPN2-televised DC Armory show will be the unbeaten Peterson brothers, lightweight Anthony Peterson (22-0, 16 KOs) and junor welterweight Lamont Peterson (20-0, 8 KOs).

Legenda Music Video - "Kampioni"

2007-03-30T19:23:00.000+01:00

Hip Hop group Legenda tribute to Luan Krasniqi with the song "Kampioni"

Krasniqi vs Minto - Post Fight Interview

2007-03-19T01:03:00.000Z

This is an interview carried out by RTK right after the fight where Luan explains his defensive fighting tactics with Brian Minto. Perhaps some enthusiast can translate the full interview into english and post it in the comments section.

Just briefly, Luan is basically saying that the main objective was to win the fight, as if he had lost by some reason, it would have been extremely difficult to reach current position in the rankings and chances for a world championship fight would have been very slim. "Even when Brian was floored in the 12th round, I still kept to my defensive strategy to ensure that there are no surprises that could jeopardise my victory", stated Luan. Luan's new defensive strategy was also confirmed by his trainer, Agim Krasniqi, otherwise his own brother.

Krasniqi vs Minto Video

2007-03-18T00:28:00.000Z

Luan Krasniqi vs Brian Minto Video
Stuttgart, 17th March 2007

Round 12

Rounds 10 to 11

Rounds 6 to 9

Rounds 1 to 5

Krasniqi defeats Minto!

2007-03-17T23:18:00.000Z

Vacant WBO Intercontinental Championship Title
Krasniqi won by unanimous decision!
116:111, 116:111, 115:112
Minto counted in round 12 after being knocked down by a combination of strong jabs and uppercuts thrown by Luan.

More reactions soon!

-------
By Karl Freitag, fightnews.com
WBO #6 heavyweight Luan Krasniqi (30-2-1, 14 KOs) scored a late knockdown en route to a hard-fought twelve round unanimous decision over Axel Schulz-conqueror Brian Minto (27-2, 16 KO) in a bout for the WBO intercontinental belt on Saturday night at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Germany. Minto came to fight and pressed the action early. Krasniqi connected with a big right hand in round two. Minto continued to apply pressure and had some good moments on the inside when he was able to bull Krasniqi into the ropes. Krasniqi was able to land sharp, clean shots when he had punching room. The bout was competitive throughout, but all questions were answered in round twelve, when Krasniqi opened up and dropped Minto with a brutal barrage of big punches. The rugged Minto beat the count and made it to the end. Scores were 116-111, 116-111, 115-112 all for "The Lion" Luan Krasniqi.

Krasniqi vs Minto Official Weigh-in

2007-03-16T00:28:00.000Z

WBO Int-Continental Championship
Official Weigh-in, 16th March 2007, Stuttgart

Luan Krasniqi (102.5 kg)
vs
Brian Minto (97.5 kg)

Minto: "You have to take chances to get anywhere"

2007-03-16T00:19:00.000Z

By Benny Henderson Jr, AKA Big Dog (March 16, 2007) Doghouse Boxing

Just six months after his shocking six round romping over the former world title challenger Axel Schulz, heavyweight contender Brian Minto 27-1 (16) heads back across the pond to prove that you have to take chances to get anywhere in this business of boxing.

Coming up this weekend, ‘The Beast’ will square off against his toughest challenge when he faces long time heavyweight contender Luan Krasniqi 29-2-1 (14) in a scheduled twelve round heavyweight clash for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title in Stuttgart, Germany.

Last November the Pennsylvanian traveled to Westfalen, Germany and battered the former title challenger Axel Schulz into a sixth round submission, gaining recognition for the W but being taunted for the seven year lay off Schulz was coming off for the fight. So once again Minto is going in as the underdog looking for the W over Krasniqi not just to gain the win for something bigger in the future, but to hush the nay Sayers and get find the respect he has been fighting for.
Brian called the Doghouse from his Hotel room over in Germany and gave his thoughts on his upcoming match-up, what can be gained what could be lost and what about the respect he will garner with a win, enjoy.

Benny Henderson Jr.: Give the readers your thoughts on your upcoming bout against Luan Krasniqi.

Brian Minto: It is going to be a very competitive and difficult fight, but I am well prepared and it is going to be a big step up for me in the right direction.

BH: What statement do you feel that you made with your win over Axel Schulz?

BM: I just feel that I proved people wrong, everybody thought that I was an undersized heavyweight. I think it proved that I could compete with the big guys.

BH: After beating Schulz you heard the old, well he was past his prime and had been out for such a long time, now coming into this one you hear Luan has been more active a lot more stronger. How would you refute the nay Sayers on these two bouts?

BM: I mean only time will tell, I mean the fight will tell all, where I am at, my skill level. I know I am in great condition and I am ready for this fight and I prepared well. I think that a lot of people think that I am not even in his league because of his skill level; I think it is a good test for me, especially over here. But I think in boxing you have to take chances, that is the only way you get anywhere, you cannot be afraid to fight.

BH: You seen the fight between Krasniqi and Lamon Brewster with the infamous eighteen second knockdown Luan received, or however long the count was, most certainly was way over ten seconds. Do you feel that you have to knock this guy out to win?

BM: Yeah, that is what I said, I think that they will try to cheat as much as they can possibly try to cheat. I mean this is for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental heavyweight title, so hopefully there are going to be some neutral judges, but then again I’m not sure how that is going to go. They can try to cheat me as much as they want like they did before but I am not going to leave it in the judge’s hands. This fight I am going for broke and I am bringing everything that I have.

BH: Looking at your opponent what do you see as his strong points that can give you trouble and what weaknesses do you see that you feel you can capitalize on?

BM: Right now I think that he can give me trouble…he is taller than me like everybody else is. He has a good jab, and a really good technical right hand, he seems like a good puncher. I am prepared, I always go into a fight with a good game plan, and I can counter act his strengths. His weaknesses, it doesn’t seem as if he is very mentally stable, he quit in a few fights, the Brewster fight he turned his back and said that was enough. He quit against Saleta, so that is where I am looking to bring the fight to him I think once things gets to tough for him he looks for ways out, I am a hungry fighter and I am looking to make it where he is, I am not taking nothing away from him at all, he has accomplished a lot in boxing but I am the blue collar guy and I am looking for the opportunity to be where these guys are at.

BH: How different is this trip than the first one as far as your mental state?

BM: Before I did not know what to expect, but now I am like I have been here it is a little easier to adapt. I have some fans here. Time is going quick because of the time change.

BH: When you went into the bout against Schulz you pretty much stated that you had nothing to lose, how different is this one than the first one; you still have that mind set?

BM: Yeah, I kind of look at it as the same way, I am not expected to win, I am a three to one underdog, so I mean I have a lot to lose but I just take that and seem like that motivates me more and relaxes me more, I don’t have all the pressure on me, Like I told you before I am not the one fighting in front of my people, the pressure is on him to look well. I don’t know if I am going to get the same Krasniqi that fought Brewster or the one that knocked out Lance Whitaker, we will have to wait and see. I am a fast heavyweight, right now I am as sharp and slick as I have ever been, I am in great physical condition, I may not have his size but we will see how big his heart is and what kind of shape he is in.

BH: Do you feel a win over Krasniqi will get you the respect that you feel you deserve?

BM: Oh I think this one definitely will, he is considered a good fighter, he is ranked, I think it will put me up there in the top ten so this means a lot. The next step could be a big fight with somebody.

BH: Anything you want to say or add in closing?

BM: We hope to get it aired so the United Sates can see the fight, instead of everybody hearing about actually seeing what kind of effort I give. I am not going to let anybody down; I am very focused and very ready for this fight. Once again I will prove the nay Sayers wrong.

Krasniqi - Minto workout!

2007-03-15T01:30:00.000Z

Heavyweights Luan Krasniqi and Brian Minto engaged in a public workout in advance of their WBO intercontinental clash on Saturday at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle in Stuttgart, Germany.

Minto: I have to knock him out!

2007-03-13T23:39:00.000Z

photo Eroll Popova
March 12, 2007

By Karl Freitag

Heavyweight Brian "The Beast" Minto (27-1, 16 KOs) shocked a nation when he derailed the comeback of German icon Axel Schulz in front of 12,000 spectators and a RTL TV audience estimated at 12 million. On Saturday in Stuttgart, the man from Butler, Pennslyvania will again be in the spotlight, this time with an even tougher opponent in world-rated WBO #5 Luan Krasniqi (29-2-1, 14 KOs) in a bout for the WBO intercontinental belt. The event is a hot ticket with promoter Universum already increasing the capacity of the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle due to the huge demand for tickets. Fightnews.com interviewed Minto about the fight, and as always, he was candid in his answers.

How has your life changed since your big win over Axel Schulz?

It really hasn’t changed much at all. I mean it has changed a little bit but I am still the same guy. I don’t try to act any different and just stay humble. Just be kind and courteous to everybody else. I don’t think that I am above anybody so I treat everybody like I like to be treated. It has given me a few more fans and more stability.

Now you have another big fight in Germany, this time against Luan Krasniqi. What do you think of Krasniqi's style as a boxer?

One dimensional, stand up, he’s technically good, he seems quick and I think he has some hand speed; he throws his punches well and has some punching power. He doesn’t look to fight on the inside much and doesn’t like pressure.

Krasniqi's hometown is only about 60 miles from the fight venue in Stuttgart. Is it hard to face a fighter in front of their hometown crowd? Are you getting used to it?

Yeah, that should be my new nickname; I can bring an upset over anybody.

Since you are the "Schulz Conqueror," is this bout more personal than normal? In other words, do you feel a sense of payback or revenge toward you in regard to this bout?

They are trying to bill it as that, I am sure there are some people would like to see me get beat obviously, but from what I am told he is not from Germany he is Albanian, he is not a true German. But over there they adopt their fighters, Klitschko is from the Ukraine and he came over to Germany and they love him. Those people over there are just a different breed of boxing fans. It is totally different than the United States, it just seems like they appreciate the sport more.

Will this fight end in a decision or a knockout? And do you feel you need a knockout to win this fight?

You know it, I know it, everybody knows it, I have to knock him out.

Is there a rematch clause in the contract?

Yeah, if I beat him I have to rematch him, it he wins no way. It favors him all the way.

What would a win over Krasniqi do for your career?

Jumpstart it, maybe into a title fight. I am ranked in the WBO (#15) so the sky is the limit.

Krasniqi vs Minto Press Conference!

2007-03-13T19:55:00.000Z

photo by Eroll Popova
Krasniqi attended Press Conference held in Stuttgart on 12th March 2007 and here is what he had to say:

"It will be a full house, a usual thing for Stuttgart. Although I quite surprised that so many people are interested in this fight. Minto is not a Nobody, he was only beaten by Tony Tubbs. I’m 100% fit and I feel the tension. I had great sparring partners and got the rhythm back but I will give the final answer in the ring"

Minto seemed relaxed too and stated the following:

"This will be a total different fight than the one against Schulz. Krasniqi is a great fighter and I’m proud to fight him in Germany. Everything is very professional and you feel comfortable when you over here for boxing!"

Krasniqi: "Bin ein Spätzünder"

2007-03-06T16:11:00.000Z

This is Krasniqi's recent appearance on ZDF's "Das Aktuelle Sportstudio", 4th March 2007. If someone can summarize what they are talking about, please post it in the comments section.

Its official: Krasniqi vs Minto

2007-02-22T21:29:00.000Z

Boxing.de:
Everything is set: The„Lion“ Luan Krasniqi challenges „The Beast“ Brian Minto
in a fight for the WBO Interconti Championship

It's official now:
Former heavyweight title challenger Luan Krasniqi (29-2-1, 14 KOs) and Brian Minto (27-1, 16 KOs) will collide for the WBO Intercontinental belt on the big March 17 edition of the "Universum Champions Night" in Stuttgart. It is sure to be a highly charged fight, with Minto having derailed comebacking German icon Axel Schulz last November.

The 32 year old Minto of Butler in Pennsylvania, who is known as „The Beast“, is currently ranked at no. 15 in the WBO rankings.

Local hero Luan Krasniqi wants to get back into the top positions in the rankings in order to have another shot at one of the Championship belts. "Finally, a fight!," said Krasniqi, who last fought in April 2006. "It was the longest preparation I have ever had. Despite the delay and the injury I was always preparing. I feel fit. I'll give the answer to my fans and above all to Brian Minto on March 17."

In his last fight in Stuttgart in April 2006, when he defeated the US-American David Bostice, Krasniqi displayed that he never gives up on his dream and still aims to be the next German heavyweight World Champion. He will always be remembered in German boxing history due to his impressive and dramatic performance in the World Championship fight in September 2005, the Birthday of Max Schmeling, when he lost to the American Champ Lamon Brewster. Krasniqi, in the lead on all three scorecards, lost by knockout in the 9th round.

Also in action will be unbeaten heavyweight contender Alexander Dimitrenko (24-0, 14 KOs), who will face Danny Batchelder (25-3-1, 12 KOs). WBO-Interconti-Champion Alexander Dimitrenko (24-0-0 (14)) steps into the ring in Stuttgart for the 6th time. The unbeaten 6’7 giant out of the Universum boxing stable wants to continue his way to a World Championship fight, saying: „I don’t care who I will fight, I want to be World Champion. Stuttgart is my second home and it will be a great night. “ A third highlight will be the WBA world bantamweight championship clash between unbeaten champion "mini-powerstation" Wladimir Sidorenko (19-0-1, 6 KOs) and Ricardo Cordoba (29-1-1, 19 KOs). They battled to a draw in their first fight, but Sidorenko has vowed, "I will destroy him." Rounding out the lineup is the return of unbeaten heavyweight prospect Egon Roth (16-0, 12 KOs) who will face Mike Middleton (11-18-1, 5 KOs), Spotlight Boxing heavyweight Taras Bidenko (21-2, 12 KOs) against Fernely Feliz (23-7, 16 KOs) and unbeaten Spotlight super middleweight Karoly Balzsay (15-0, 11 KOs) vs TBA.

Ticket Hotlines: 040- 69 65 59 59, 0711-25 55 555 or 01805 - 570 000

Krasniqi vs Minto on March 17?

2007-02-16T23:53:00.000Z

Still not officially confirmed but Minto has been on and off as the next Luan's opponent on 17 March. This potential fight, Krasniqi vs Minto, is becoming more so believable after Luan gave an interview to Sttugarter Zeitung recently where he referred to Minto as his next opponent: "Minto's largest weapon is his will and I will not underestimate it." - said Luan and he added that his desired opponent would have been Brewster, but apparently Klaus Kohl could not get an agreement. The other ones (Tony Thompson, Rahman and Holyfield) had to be rejected too. So that leaves Brian Minto (The Beast, 27-1-0 (16 ko's) ) the most perfect opponent at present. He is an extremely durable american fighter who stopped german boxer Axel Schulz by TKO on 25th Nov 2006 at Halle, Germany and many see this as revenge fight.

"My goal remains a World Championship fight and I want there as fast as possible" - said Luan.

p.s. watch Brian Minto vs Axel Schulz

Krasniqi latest...

2007-01-16T01:48:00.000Z

PREPARE FOR KRASNIQI VS BREWSTER II?

Last year in March, before the fight with Bostice, Luan was quoted saying: "...of course I want a rematch with Lamon Brewster, who is at the top of my personal list". However, Brewster was subsequently dethroned in April 2006 by Lyahkovich and Luan was quite disappointed about not having that opportunity.

But, the luck is now changing. According to German DPA agency, Luan is preparing for a comeback on 17th March 2006 in Stuttgart at the Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle. No opponent is set yet, but there is interest in a rematch with former world champ Lamon Brewster. Also, Tony Thompson and ex-champs Hasim Rahman or Evander Holyfield were quoted as possibilites.

I think Krasniqi vs Brewster II would be a very interesting fight! And for Luan, a "dream come true" opportunity, to settle this score once and for all.

Krasniqi injured and pulling out!

2006-11-01T22:14:00.000Z

WBO #2 heavyweight Luan Krasniqi suffered a knee injury and was forced to pull out of the December 2 card. Krasniqi's injury was diagnosed as a strain in his cruciate ligament and a rupture of the capsule in his left knee joint. He won't be able to train for the next 3 weeks.

"What a bummer! I asked myself why it must happen right now but that is sports. I am hoping to be back very soon and return to the ring", a very disappointed Luan Krasniqi stated and remains optimistic for his next challenge.

The new headliner for the Universum Champions Night in Berlin is Felix Sturm, who will face Australian Gavin Topp.

Krasniqi returns on 2nd December in Berlin

2006-10-15T13:18:00.000+01:00

Universum Champions Night - Berlin, 2nd December 2006

Luan Krasniqi returns on December 2 in Berlin on a Universum show at the Estrel Convention Center. The former EBU champ and current WBO # 2 was scheduled to fight in Stuttgart in September, but pulled out after a managerial dispute. An agreement has since been reached.

“I like Berlin and I’m often here. It is a great city and I’m looking forward to this fight in December. It will be an incredible night and that fits in the ambience of the city,” said the 35 year old Krasniqi.

Universum promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl feels confident that the fight of Luan Krasniqi will be an absolute highlight: “The atmosphere in Berlin and in the modern Estrel Convention Center will motivate Luan and will ensure that the “Lion” will make a deep impact!”

Nothing yet about the opponent.

Krasniqi beyond boxing!

2006-08-31T21:04:00.000+01:00

Luan has been recently featured in the fightnews.com headlines with the following title "Krasniqi making a difference!". Here is the article:

"Heavyweight contender Luan Krasniqi has passed many stages in his sporting and private life: he is fluent in eight languages, an interpreter, a wholesaler and a professional boxer. He is currently Germany’s most successful heavyweight and is a spokesman for many projects involving teenagers. Together with the Toto-Lotto GmbH (Lottery), the boxer from Rottweil started a campaign in which he warns of the danger of gambling. This is themed: “Don’t be your own rival – take some responsibility – give gambling no chance.” The managing director of Toto-Lotto Dr. Friedhelm Repnik sees in Krasniqi the best person for the campaign: “With Luan we have formed a powerful alliance against gambling and with his characteristics such as discipline and fairness he is the right person.” Krasniqi adds:” Teenagers are our future and we have to protect them wherever we can.” With another project “be fit not fat”, he is in the position of advising teenagers to keep active and not overlook their nutrition. In the region near his hometown, they are looking for advisors at over 50 elementary schools, people like Krasniqi. He feels very committed to Rottweil and wants to set an example by supporting this campaign. "

Obviously, Luan has a very busy schedule that is not necessarily attached to his boxing life.

Krasniqi: It was not a refusal!

2006-08-21T21:13:00.000+01:00

According to Luan's official site, he has responded to allegations that he refused to fight Thompson on 16th Sep 2006.

"We negotiated about this date but we did not come to a desirable agreement on few terms. That is all about it!" said Luan. "... Just because I did not agree to terms, one cannot speak of a refusal... I want to box and I want to become a champion. I'd rather prefer to be offered this chance".

Well, its understandable! Luan prefers to fight for a title and I don't blame him. At his age, he might be catching the last train to championship title. Why waste energy on some eliminator fight. What's the point! I think he deserves to fight for a title. Everything or nothing!...

Will he get that offer, we will have to wait and see. He is WBO rank 1. Hope he gets the offer soon! Go for it Luan!

Krasniqi rejects 16 Sep offer!

2006-08-10T21:20:00.000+01:00

According to promoter Universum, Luan Krasniqi has rejected the offer to face a top opponent from the WBO rankings (most likely Thompson). No other explanations have been given so far. This makes the planned September 16th event in Stuttgart impossible. As a result the 16 Sep 2006 "Universum Champions Night" has been called off.

This is what promoter Klaus-Peter Kohl said: "Everything was prepared for Luan Krasniqi, the nice new Porsche Arena in Stuttgart was reserved, the other fights prebooked, the ticket sales and the posters were in preparation and now we must stop all that. Luan could have had his home match in Stuttgart and a victory would have paved the way to his next world title fight. However, after many rounds of negotiations he was determined not to accept our offer. Luan "the Lion" does not show his claws. It's a pity as his fans would have been happy and fired-up to see him in his hometown."

The time will show whether Luan's decision was wise or not. Perhaps Luan calculated the particular fight to be too risky to take, since he is now 35 years old and must consider carefully, calculate wisely, perhaps sometime even by disappointing their fans, in order to avoid misfortunes to his career.

Krasniqi vs Thompson 16 Sep 2006 ?

2006-08-09T23:21:00.000+01:00

This is still not official, however, there are some indications that the fight might actually happen. Here is excerpts from recent August interview with Tony Thompson by Geno McGahee, who talks about this forthcoming fight:

GM: You have taken on top 20 guys like Vaughn Bean, Dominick Guinn, and Yanqui Diaz and have beaten them easily. When do you see yourself taking on somebody in the top 10 and is there anyone that you have in mind.

Thompson: As soon as somebody in the top 10 gives me an opportunity, I will fight. I don’t think that it’s me waiting. They are avoiding me. They don’t want to take their chances on a tall southpaw that can actually fight. To them, it’s not worth fighting me yet, but I’m set to fight this guy down in Germany, Luan Krasniqi on the 16th of September. So when I win this fight, there will be no turning back. They will have to fight me.

GM: What do you expect from Krasniqi when you get into the ring with him?

Thompson: Well, I have actually sparred with Krasniqi. I know him a little bit. I spent three weeks in Germany sparring with him. He’s a tough, fast, hard-hitting fighter and I just expect it to be an absolute war because I’m coming in with the same mindset that I had with Dominick Guinn. I cannot lose this fight. This is the most important fight of my career. I saw him when he was knocked out by Lamon Brewster…so he’s going to be desperate and want this too. He wants to win one of these titles before his time is over. I expect an absolute war...

So, who is this guy, Tony Thompson alias "The Tiger"?

Record: W28 (17 ko's), L1, Total fights 29
Last fight: Won UD 12/12, 28.06.2006, San Jose - USA, vs Dominick Guinn, Vacant WBC Continental Americas Title
Birth name: Anthony Tyron Thompson
Alias: The Tiger
Nationality: US American
Age:34
Reach: 81.5"
Stance: Southpaw
Height: 6'5
Trainer: Tom Browner
Manager: Nate Peake

So, if it does happen, its going to be a very interesting fight "The Lion" vs "The Tiger" as Thompson put it "an absolute war".

WBO: Luan Krasniqi ranked #1

2006-05-25T00:48:00.000+01:00

As expected, Wladimir Klitschko has been removed from #1 position with WBO rankings due to him becoming a champion in the IBF version where last month he dethroned former champion Chris Byrd by TKO. Thus, Luan has now moved to position #1 and despite many that think he could not deserve a championship title so soon, he is likely this summer to be designated as the mandatory challenger. We have to wait and see.

We should not forget that Luan was very close to winning the fight with Brewster last September, and today he could have been a defending world champion. Brewster was getting beaten until that crucial round 8 when Brewster landed a powerful punch which derailed Luan's hopes to become a champion. From what I gather while talking to other fans, for which I totally agree, Luan made a crucial mistake in round 9 by quitting cc.10 seconds before the end of the round. That this was probably the biggest mistake of his career it become apparent when Lamon had to be held by three people as he could not make it to his corner on his own feet. This gives us a lot to think about what could have happened, had Luan not quit and did continue the fight on round 10! Luan looked much fresher after round 9 and I would not have been surprised at all, had he continued the fight, to have seen Lamon on the floor.

But hey, it happened the way it did and it does now remain on Luan to really prove himself he is not a quitter, hopefully in the fight with Liahkovich. And since Liahkovich proved better than Brewster, beating Liahkovich would symbolically settle scores with Brewster.

Nevertheless, this is going to be a cruicial year in Luan's professional fighting career.

Top 25 Heavyweights by JE Grant

2006-05-11T02:43:00.000+01:00

Top 25 World Heavyweights (as of May 2006)

By JE Grant

[JE Grant has been involved in professional boxing since 1982. His articles have appeared on TheSweetScience.com and more recently on BoxingScene.com]

The world of the heavyweights is now officially turned upside down. Readers of this column have seen wonderings about the strength of the eastern Europeans contingent, but few would have guessed that in the space of a few months, men from the former Soviet bloc nations would gain a certain amount of dominance of the division.

To be sure, Hasim Rahman and a few other Americans are still alive and kicking. Gone are the days, however, that American heavyweights – much like American professional basketball players from the "Dream Team" era – simply owned the weight class no questions asked.

There will be many amateur sociologists who will point to simple economics as the driving factor, but of course such an analysis is much too narrow. What’s more important to know is that the culture of sport in the former Soviet Union has now progressed past placing the highest value on Olympic or amateur world championships. The pro game is now prominent.

Indeed, in the first few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the mentality of the first eastern Europeans entering the pro ranks was very amateur-like. Quitting in the face of adversity was not unusual because fighters were accustomed to simply looking to the next fight for redemption.

Professional fighting skills were also an adjustment for amateur fighters intent only on landing a high volume of blows for scoring. A mass movement of young pros to western Europe and the United States helped close that gap.

Finally, the most important single factor in making champions from the masses of mere participants, is that the culture from which the Klitschkos, Valuev, Liakhovich, the Ibragimovs, Maskaev et al. emanated, places a high value on athletic success. Whereas Americans have prized boxing titles since the advent of the gloved era –much as they treasure basketball, baseball, and American football championships – the rest of the world is catching up. Just as our "Dream Teams" in basketball and our baseball players in the recent World Baseball Classic, have found out, athletes from other countries in those sports no longer quiver in the face of Americans.

All is not lost for American fighters. Many youngsters are on the horizon and the added worldwide competition will likely spur them on to greater achievements.

One last note on this shift in the sport: It is not due to the supposed terrible state of the heavyweight division. Heavyweight boxing has constantly been derided as "weak." Look back through your old boxing magazines and see what the oldtimers said about Joe Louis’ opponents in his 25 defenses; check out the comments on Muhammad Ali’s foes, especially in his second reign; etc… We always see the "good old days" with more than a little bit of sentimentality. The shift is real. We’ll see just how long it lasts.

1. Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine – IBF Champion (Last month #3) Dominance. That’s the only word that suffices to describe his performance against a brave Chris Byrd. It is true that Byrd simply had too many mismatches– speed, size, boxing ability, power – to overcome. It also true that Byrd can still likely beat many of the fighters on this list. However one wants to look at it, Klitschko is at the top. He dismantled the skill fighter, Byrd, and he out-boxed and out-gutted the biggest hitter in the game, Samuel Peter, in his most recent outings. Klitschko won’t unify the belts – Don King is not dumb. He’ll not allow a Klitschko match with Liakhovich or Valuev, fighters in which he has financial interest. Free agent Rahman is a possibility and it is also the most meaningful fight in the division. More to follow.

2. Hasim Rahman, USA – WBC Champion (Last Month #1) Yes, Wladimir Klitschko passes him on this list without having met him in the ring. Rahman actually, and clearly, beat James Toney despite the bad decision resulting in a draw. However, his opponent was grossly oveweight, underpowered, and still he got by him with only a workmanlike performance. The one shining possibility here, however, is that Klitschko and Rahman could meet now that Rock is free of Don King. The gate and the payout would be massive. It is also the best fight this division can put together. If he can survive Oleg Maskaev (the Big O’s right hand has a history of landing on the chin of Rahman), he’s in for a megabuck showdown.

3. Serguei Liakhovich, Belarus – WBO Champion (Last month #20) Talk about huge!!! This man is the new "man". He outboxed and outpunched Brewster who is arguably one of the biggests hitters in the game. Who else do you know who could withstand the high volume of clean shots Liakhovich (sometimes spelled Lyakhovich) did? His skills and finesse provided clear evidence that Liakhovich can continue to be a force in the division. The 15 month layoff did not seem to slow him at all. He can go for the big money right away --- Klitschko, Byrd, Rahman, and Valuev all represent mega paydays. Look for him to feast on Ray Austin first and then look out.

4. Lamon Brewster, USA (Last month #2) His major league loss Liakhovich fortunately does not mean he is completely out of the picture. If anyone has ever seen a fighter with more heart I would like to meet him at once. He clearly lost but he was never completely out of the contest. Short fights of late may have cost him down the stretch. Look for "Relentless" to be back in action soon. Emphasis on action.

5. Chris Byrd, USA (Last month #5) Byrd finally secured a giant payday and he paid for it dearly. He can give anyone else on this list fits. He can still speed past the lumbering Valuev. He has more left in the tank than James Toney – and Toney can’t dent Byrd’s chin. He won’t ever beat Klitschko but he can still cash in and score some significant wins. More importantly he’s a fighter American fans can be proud of, and we are. Thanks Chris.

6. Calvin Brock, USA (Last month #6) If he can take the measure of Timor Ibragimov in June, he may find himself in the ring with Wladimir Klitschko. He may be America’s best chance at securing a title in the long run.

7. Samuel Peter, Nigeria (Last month #7) Peter stretched 7-footer Julius "Towering Inferno" Long in one round in April. Long presented no offense. Nonethelss, Peter remains active and dangerous.

8. James Toney, USA (Last month #4) We noticed that in the Ring ratings that followed the Klitschko-Byrd fight, Toney is still way up there. Why the continued lovefest for Lights Out? He had his heavyweight day in the sun and its over. No unified set of belts will adorn his growing waist. Five heavyweight contests and he has yet to beat a top ten man in that division. That’s right – he can’t get credit for anything against Ruiz when he followed their fight with a positive steroid test. This is not a knock on the tremendous career of Toney, just a realization that the end is near.

9. Danny Williams, England (Last month #8) He’s on tap for another all-British slugfest with Matt Skelton. Getting past Skelton likely means a shot at one of the trinket holders.

10. Nicolay Valuev, Russia – WBA Champion (Last month #9) If you ever thought Valuev was going to be a serious "champion" you now have your answer – his June defense is against Owen Beck. "What the Heck" showed signs of being a good prospect and then he met his first top opponent, Monte Barrett, and was stopped. He then faced his second top opponent, Ray Austin, and lost again. Since that time he has fought once, taking an 8-rounder against low-level opposition. Somehow this qualifies him for a title shot. If this is going to be representative of Valuev’s reign, let’s hope it is a short one.

11. John Ruiz, USA (Last month #10) Nothing is lined up. Is he waiting for something gift-wrapped in a nice box marked "WBA?"

12. Sultan Ibragimov, Russia (Last month #13) Yes, another strong, able heavyweight from the former Soviet bloc. He has talent and he has power. Riches await.

13. Oleg Maskaev, Uzbekistan (Last month #14) This man better realize the enormity of the opportunity in front of him. He has declined in ability sharply in the last couple of years but he can still whack. The Big O needs to muster all of the power remaining in his right hand and unload on Rahman when they meet this summer. A win against Rahman means riches he could not have imagined just a few years back when he was fighting in clubs. This is his last best chance.

14. Shannon Briggs, USA (Last month #15) In May the busiest heavyweight on this list is back in action. Although opponent Chris Koval is not exactly representative of the elite of the division, it is the activity that is important. Someone will be required to give Briggs a shot at some big cash and some kind of title soon. By the way, have you seen his collection of lesser "title" belts? He has almost every region covered.

15. Ruslan Chagaev, Uzbekistan (Last month #19) Now is the time for Chagaev to make his move on the scene. A good recent win against Vladimir Vichis should propel him to a bout with a major name.

16. Ray Austin, USA (Last month #18) The most important thing about fighting in April is the fact that he fought --- the opponent, Jeremy Bates, is unimportant for now. Since beating Owen Beck, Austin has somehow climbed the IBF ladder and may be the next mandatory for the winner of the Byrd-Klitschko event in April. Austin needs only to stay busy because based on recent evidence, the name of the opponent is not all that important to the IBF.

17. Dominick Guinn, USA (Last month unranked) The "Southern Disaster" took the first of what will need to be many steps to get back into real contention by beating Audley Harrison. Guinn was on the verge of the club-show circuit and he fought as if he was fully aware of that fact. He’ll now get other chances to be a contender. Hopefully the win over Harrison will give him the confidence to continue moving forward.

18. Monte Barrett, USA (Last month #11) More inactivity means further movement away from the elite of the division.

19. David Tua, New Zealand (Last month #16) He didn’t look all that good in any of his latest comeback fights and now he seems to have vanished from the scene. Time is running out.

20. DaVarryl Williamson, USA (Last month #17) Williamson returns to the ring for the first time since his dreadful decision loss to Chris Byrd in May. His opponent is Mike Mollo who, in spite of being 15-0, has never been more than six rounds. Williamson will have to be impressive if he is to get back in the title hunt soon.

21. Matt Skelton, England (Last month #21) Easily starched Armenian Suren Kalachyan in April. He gets a rare shot at quick redemption when he meets Williams in a July rematch. The heat is on.

22. Fres Oquendo, USA (Last month #22) Returned in February and we’re waiting to hear what is next. Hopefully it won’t be another two-year break in action.

23. Luan Krasniqi, Germany (Last month #23) The former challenger for Lamon Brewster’s belt took a decision over American David Bostice in April. He’ll have to do much more than that to prove himself a real contender. Of course given the state of ratings in the alphabets, maybe all he has to do is breath for a few more months to be name a mandatory challenger again.

24. Jameel McCline, USA (Last month #24) A clear points win over club circuit king Rob Calloway in April keeps him active and in the picture for a big payday or two. He’s still trying and still in top shape. Anything is possible, but I have the feeling he has slipped.

25. Audley Harrison, England (Last month #12) With his decision loss to Dominick Guinn, the big guy is just one step away from oblivion. He appeared listless and uninterested in the Guinn bout. Obvious talent does not count for much when the bell rings, Audley. Boxing is a put up or shut up kind of sport. The mountain Harrison must overcome is growing.

Prospects, fringe contenders, and others who need mentioning listed in no particular order. Don’t read the fact that they are listed here as an indication a ranking is imminent:

Joe Mesi, USA – He trudged his way to a shutout decision over 40-something Ron Bellamy in Puerto Rico ending a two year layoff. Since no one outside the arena saw the bout it is hard to make a solid assessment. It is probably sufficient for now that he is simply back in the mix. He said on Friday night fights that he will be in action again in June.

Chazz Witherspoon, USA – Took a decision win in April at Philadelphia’s fabled Blue Horizon. He’s scheduled for another bout in May. Keep it up Chazz.

Alexander Dimitrenko, Ukraine –The youngster cruised to a 12-round decision over journeyman Fernely Feliz in April. He still has many questions to answer before moving into the top rankings but at age 23, with a 21-0 record, the boxing world is going to start noticing him soon.

Alexander Povetkin, Russia – With all of the attention focused on eastern Europeans, don’t forget Povetkin the Olympic Gold medallist. At 6’2" and floating around 220 he is not big by current standards. At age 26, though, he’s a relative baby. He’s also 7-0 after having beaten Friday Ahunanya on the Byrd-Klitschko undercard. This is the same B-level Ahunanya who fought to a draw with Dominick Guinn.

Jean Francois Bergeron, Canada – He has run-up a 23-0 record against folks not on a "top" list of any kind. Time to put or shut up for the 32 year-old.

Timor Ibragimov, Uzbekistan – He has arrived at the perfect time in heavyweight history to score a major upset against the top American new guy, Calvin Brock, in June. With a win, everyone will believe that the rising eastern European tide is really a tidal wave.

Tye Fields, USA – His best win is over a terribly shopworn Bruce Seldon. Despite his 36-1 record, he’ll have to do much more than that to become known by more people than his immediate family.

Roman Greenberg, Israel – The 22-0 (15 KOs), 23 year-old is, by many accounts, a talent worth a close look. Perhaps he’ll fight next in a real boxing venue instead of Monaco.

J.D. Chapman, USA – This 23 year old Arkansan chugged to 22-0 (20 KOs) stopping previously undefeated Matt Hicks in April in a scheduled 4-rounder. Don’t be fooled by the fat record. The youngster has a very long way to go. Too heavy. Too slow. Too hesitant. Stay in the gym big fella – you’ve got some lessons to learn.

Malik Scott, USA – The light-hitting 25 year-old hasn’t fought since January. His 24-0 record will have to be tested at some point.

Gonzalo Omar Basile, Argentina – In April he won his 19th straight contest. Once again it was in Argentina against someone that none of us will recognize. We just don’t know enough about him to make a meaningful assessment. Hey, Gonzalo could you squeeze in an ESPN2 date?

Kevin McBride, Ireland – He finally returned to the ring after a 10 month layoff following his stoppage of the shell of Mike Tyson. He scored a 4th round stoppage of someone named Byron Polley, but at 286 was a full 15 pounds heavier than for his Tyson bout. He’ll be back in action in May against another journeyman. Can we really be expected to take McBride seriously? I think not.

Juan Carlos Gomez, Cuba (living in Germany) (Last month #25) Since being suspended in Germany for a positive drug test, he’s fallen off the (boxing) planet. Please report any sitings.

Kali Meehan, New Zealand – After his back-to-back losses to Hasim Rahman and Lamon Brewster, he’s captured two straight club show wins. In April he defeated Brazilian Rogerio Lobo in Fiji. At 36 he better take his best shot very soon.

Krasniqi vs Bostice Video

2006-04-30T19:46:00.000+01:00

The following is Luan Krasniqi vs David Bostice highlights video, a sports report by Kosova national television (RTK):

Click here to watch

Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 2 (select 320 size for sharper picture)
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 3
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 5
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 6
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 7
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 8
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 9
Krasniqi vs Bostice Video (wmv) - Round 10

Watch below post fight analysis by ZDF:

Luan wins the fight unanimously

2006-04-29T23:30:00.000+01:00

Luan is back on track to fight for world championship. He defeated Bostice tonight with the following score:

Krasniqi vs Bostice
99-92, 99-92, 99-91

Since Wladimir Klitschko won IBF World title last weekend, he will be subsequently removed from WBO list, to enable Luan to climb higher at the top position with WBO ranking list and become official challenger to Liahkovich, who is currently the WBO champion, after defeating Brewster on 1st April 2006. Luan hopes to challenge Liahkovich this year and if it does happen, it will be around October. So, folks get ready, its getting exciting again.

Krasniqi vs Bostice: Official Weigh-in

2006-04-28T23:00:00.000+01:00

At around 11 am, Wednesday 26.04.2006, Luan and Bostice had their public workout and then today, 28.04.2006 at around 3 pm they had the Official weigh-in.

Luan Krasniqi (103 kg)
vs
David Bostice (110 kg)

Luan is expecting to win this fight, that will get him closer to another world championship fight. He hopes a fight against WBO champion Sergei Liakovich will follow. "My goal is to get a world championship fight against Liakovich as fast as possible. The best would be this year. I hope my promoter can make this happen."

But Bostice is an experienced heavyweight boxer not to be underestimated. "I know how dangerous he is and I know what it is up to me to do," said Krasniqi. "In his last fight, Bostice delivered a tremendous fight against Brock. I know what I'm risking and I'm appropriately motivated."

"I know Luan from previous sparring," stated Bostice. "I know that he is one of the best heavyweights in the world. He had nearly outclassed Brewster until he could land one lucky punch."

With regard to Wladimir Klitschko and his recent IBF championship win against Chris Byrd last Saturday, Luan says: "Wladimir did his thing very well ... But I was sure disappointed in Byrd. He did not try even once to seriously hit Wladimir hard... Naturally, each world champion is a sporting challenge for me, and that now includes Wladimir."

Krasniqi vs Bostice: Prefight Video 1

2006-04-27T22:00:00.000+01:00

The ZDF tv crew visited today Krasniqi and Bostice at their training session in preparation for their next fight and noted the differences in their boxing styles. While Krasniqi's training was loud and sweaty, Bostice was training completely quietly. Bostice obeys the slogan: "In the peace the strength lies". The reporter concludes that for one of them, on Saturday night, the laughter will pass. Watch the ZDF video below (in german). You need Windows Media Player.

Q&A:Luan Krasniqi (by Fabian Weber)

2006-04-22T01:38:00.000+01:00

By Fabian Weber (fightnews.com)
21st April 2006

WBO #2 heavyweight contender Luan Krasniqi is nearing the end of his preparations in his hometown of Rotweil, Germany, for his bout next weekend in Stuttgart against David Bostice. However, even though he is fully concentrated on Bostice, the former European champion is looking with subliminal interest to neighboring Mannheim where his former amateur rival Wladimir Klitschko challenges Chris Byrd for his IBF world heavyweight championship.

Tomorrow is the world championship fight between Wladimir Klitschko and Chris Byrd. Most experts see Klitschko as a clear favorite. You also?

I think that Wladimir can win the fight also. On account of his physical limitations, Byrd is somebody who can build up no pressure. So Wladimir, who often breaks under pressure, will not be endangered by his biggest weakness. But we don't know how strong Wladimir is currently. There can also absolutely be a big surprise that Wladimir, in spite of all expectations, doesn't get it done.

Byrd stated, he became five years wiser, Wladimir is however only five years older. Do you agree?

This is only only the typical talk which is done before a fight. Maturity there or here...certainly Wladimir has also gone through something during the past five years. You must take such statements before fights with care, because they don't always correspond to the truth.

Krasniqi against Klitschko - would that be an attractive goal for both you and the boxing fans?

I've openly said it would not be so attractive for me. For me now Krasniqi against Bostice is attractive, because that is my next goal. And I must first win and get past that healthy. A fight against Wladimir is currently not a goal of mine. However if it comes, I would certainly be glad. At present however I do not regard Wladimir as a challenge. He must first learn again to stand correctly on his legs. Against Samuel Peter you saw him get dropped again. [Note: Klitschko defeated Peter in September 2005 over twelve rounds on points, however he was knocked down three times.]

Does that mean that against you Wladimir would also be toppled?

I would not like to state necessarily that against me Wladimir would be knocked down. But he is not yet over the hump. The last few fights he has been rocked to his bones and he needs some fights to fully regenerate. For the moment Wladimir is not simply in my calculations. But naturally such things can change quickly.

Should Wladimir defeat Byrd and become IBF world champion, where you are not rated, do you think Wladimir would defend his title against you in a voluntary defense?

That I really cannot say. This kind of speculation I leave to the press. I am actually a type who thinks differently than many. I don't want to say anything now. I must successfully handle my challenge on April 29. In general, I'm ready to box against anyone. I don't desire any specific opponents. Against Wladimir there is simply not the incentive. He should first become world champion. On the way there, he has a heavy stepping stone ahead of him tomorrow.

In the WBO rankings you are #2. Is WBO champion Sergei Lyakhovich the obvious fight?

That is correct - if I think so far ahead at all. I have already had to learn the hard way against Saleta. At that time I looked far into the future and wanted within the next few fights to become a world champion. First comes my fight on April 29 against Bostice and then we'll continue to see. In the long run, a fight against Lyakhovich is unavoidable.

How disappointed are you that Lamon Brewster is no longer WBO champion?

I have already often said that I wanted a rematch against Brewster because of the pain it caused me to lose the way I did, but Lyakhovich came before me. It was a big disappointment. But in the heavyweight division anyone can lose. And now I'm lined up to go against Lyakhovich, the man who defeated Brewster. That would be a good challenge.

What will you be doing during the last eight days up to the fight in Stuttgart?

Yesterday I have had my final sparring and that went very well, just as my whole training has. I had very good results and everything ran easily. On Monday and Tuesday I will train a little more intensely, and then reduce everything from Wednesday. Then I'll try to settle down and regenerate my strength.

Tickets for the April 29 event are available online or call +49 040 / 69 65 59 59

WBO: Luan Krasniqi ranked 2

2006-04-17T22:44:00.000+01:00

Luan moved to position #2 in WBO ranking list, behind Wladimir Klitschko of Ukraine in position #1. Sergei Liakhovich is the new Champion after defeating one of the most popular heavyweights of last year, the "Relentless" Brewster, on 1st April 2006. Brewster made a reputation by winning some top fights (including the one against Luan) but losing against Liakhovich came as a big surprise. Rematch between Liakhovich and Brewster expected.

Once at the top of Luan's personal list, it is now logical to conclude that rematch against Brewster is no longer a priority to him. It must be expected that Luan is now focusing on becoming a World Heavyweight Champion regardless of the opponent.

Bostice Tough Talk

2006-04-06T06:11:00.000+01:00

By Karl Freitag, FightingNews.com

"The Boss" David Bostice (35-11, 15 KOs) plans to derail the comeback plans of WBO #3 Luan Krasniqi (28-2-1, 14 KOs) on April 29 at the Hans-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany. "It's a tough fight," Bostice told Fightnews.com. "Both of us are experienced fighters. I think I have more experience than he does. I think I have better boxing skills and more strength. So I'm going across the water and taking my skills and my power and make it happen. We're going over there to win." For Krasniqi, it will be his first fight back since a loss last September in a title shot against the now former WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster. Ironically, Bostice recently worked as a sparring partner for Brewster. "Lamon and I have talked a little bit," revealed Bostice. "We're kind of best friends. The advice he gave me was 'just box him.' Basically all fights are the same thing. Everybody's tough, everybody wants to win. You just have to relax and come and do what you know how to do best." As as Krasniqi is concerned, "The Boss" says he's familiar with what the German will bring. "I've seen him fight before. He's a really tough fighter. A stand up, basic European fighter. We're going to take many types of movements and skills over there, try to confuse him and make that work for us."

Tubajiki: A Closer Look...

2006-04-03T05:39:00.000+01:00

By Roger T. Tubajiki - April 2, 2006

After his sensational bout in a losing effort against Lamon Brewster last year, German heavyweight contender Luan Krasniqi, 28-2-1, 14 KO’s will return to the ring to face David Bostice, 35-11, 15 KO’s on April 29, 2006 at the Hans-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany. Currently rated number #3 in the WBO rankings, Krasniqi absolutely wants another shot at a world title in order to accomplish his promise he once made to Max Schmeling that he would bring a title belt back to Germany. Despite his knockout loss to Lamon Brewster which was a great disappointment for those who hoped to have a second German Heavyweight World Champion crowned that particular evening which also happened to be the day day in which the late former Heavyweight Champion Max Schmeling would have celebrated his 100th birthday (September 28, 2005). Luan has been taken to be technically good not only from observers, but also Brewster himself, when he admitted after defending his WBO heavyweight world title that Krasniqi was a tough and technically better boxer in that bout. For this, Luan is highly motivated to walk to the ring again with determination... [source]

Roger T. Tubajiki was born in the city of Kinshasa in 1969. Kinshasa is a big name in the boxing history which featured Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in one of the greatest matches in boxing history that took place on October 30, 1974 and is still known to this day as "The Rumble in the Jungle". Tubajiki moved to Germany many years ago and works as a painting artist and as a Customer Representative Agent. After many years of putting his brush down, he is now back with brush and pencil to capture his beloved sport of boxing.

Krasniqi about forthcoming fight with Bostice

2006-03-23T22:26:00.000Z

Krasniqi spoke to boxing.de about the coming crucial phase of his boxing career.

You will fight on April 29th against David Bostice. How do you size up this fight?

Bostice is a good man and dangerous with his height of 6'5. He has good balance and boxed against good people. He lost controversially against Calvin Brock. But I still don't know Bostice so well. I still have to look at his videos.

What is your goal in this fight?

I assume in any event that I will win. And afterwards I would like to keep my promise and again box for the world heavyweight championship.

After this will you have the rematch against Lamon Brewster?

My desire is absolutely to box Lamon Brewster at the end of the year. For me there is only him. I absolutely want Brewster for personal reasons. Our first fight was a nightmare for me and I always confront my nightmares. When I lost against Saleta, I had the rematch against him and won. And I want to do it this time also. I want to continue my success and move upward. Because of my ranking position, Brewster must box against me again.

The fight against Bostice is still about a month away. How's your training going?

Training is going so far very well. At present I'm training in Berlin, but starting on Sunday my trainer Torsten Schmitz and I will move to my hometown Rottweil, where I will do my remaining preparation up to the fight. I am already in top shape. I have never gotten past the performance tests as easily as now. Everything runs according to plan.

What did you learn from the fight against Brewster and your first KO defeat?

Fundamentally each fight is instructive. Naturally I have learned much directly from this defeat and I hope that I succeed in the second run in making things better. I want to approach things more carefully and concentrate on boxing. I won't get involved in slugfests. I must simply box and the knockout comes by itself. That applies not only to a rematch against Brewster but against every opponent who comes.

On Saturday, WBC world champion Hasim Rahman kept his title against James Toney by a draw. Your comment?

I heard and read about it. However I didn't see it because in Germany the fight wasn't on television. What to me stood out was how overweight James Toney was. To look like a larger-than-life egg is really quite enormously embarrassing... I am ready to go against any heavyweight in the world, also against Toney and naturally Rahman. My priority is nevertheless a rematch against Lamon Brewster.

Luan fighting David Bostice

2006-03-22T20:22:00.000Z

It has now been made public that Luan (28-2-1) will be fighting David Bostice (35-10-1), alias "The Boss", on 29th April 2006, in Stuttgart. David Bostice is US American, age 33, who in his professional career has had 46 fights in total, of which, 35 Wins (15 by Ko's), Lost 10 and had 1 Draw. He is considered to be an experienced heavyweight boxer and not to be underestimated. He had 4 wins out of 6 of his last fights, the most recent being against Calvin Brock (IBA Continental Heavyweight Title), on 19th November 2005, where he lost by points.

The latest reports suggest that Luan is training hard in his home town Rottweil, under the supervision of his experienced trainer Torsten "Tolle" Schmitz. The last fight with Brewster is being thoroughly analyzed and potential mistakes are being identified and eliminated. Luan is known to be a very good student who takes suggestions very seriously and works very hard to implement them. His nature of self criticism, has impressed everyone. Luan seems to be well prepared and motivated for his next fight. This year he hopes to be able to make good on the promise he once made to Max: "I'll get the title back to Germany."

Brewster On His Mind

2006-03-14T20:53:00.000Z

Luan on training

At his own request, Luan Krasniqi was removed from his position as mandatory challenger for EBU (Europian Boxing Union) champ Paolo Vidoz (IT). Stablemate Sinan Samil Sam have taken over his position. The change is coming out of WBA (World Boxing Association) executive meeting held in Hamburg this past weekend (during fight Masoe vs Sturm) where representatives from most of Europe's main promoters and from Don King Productions took part.

It is now well known that Brewster is on Krasniqi's mind all the time and that he wants to shoot directly for a world title. To pave the way to a rematch with Brewster, he must achieve a good result at the forthcoming fight on 29th April 2006:

"This is obvious. The better I perform in Stuttgart, the better chances for a rematch with Lamon", says Luan.

He hopes to recieve same support from the public as he did in Hamburg. But some think that he might not consider the next match as serious as the one before, since his main objective is the world title: "Surely not. After all I owe this to my fans in Stuttgart and to myself, to prove that I can produce a good fight. Of course, I want a rematch with Lamon who is at the top of my personal list. Therefore, in April, I cannot afford to make mistakes, regardless who the opponent is going to be."

And it looks as if these words, Luan is directing more to his next opponent, promising nothing short of a very tough fight. Luan is unshaken in his aims and seems as if nothing can stop him. Whether he wants it or not, he must win the next fight.

Video Interview with Luan Krasniqi

2006-03-03T22:59:00.000Z

Luan Krasniqi will return to the boxing ring on April 29, seven months after losing a WBO heavyweight world title fight to Lamon Brewster. He lost the fight for the title but he won the hearts of millions of German boxing fans who were stunned watching on ZDF as they had never seen Krasniqi fighting more concentrated and with more fighting spirit. He opened the eyes of many fans on the heavyweight boxing power made in Germany.

„I believe I gave Brewster the hell of a fight“, Krasniqi, 28-2-1 (14), remembers. “Later I watched it step by step on video and over and again switched the tape off before the end of the fight. “There is a driving force inside me to live up to my promise, to capture the title and to put things straight.

”The 34-year-old model athlete impressed with his fair and smart behavior in talkshows and other TV entrances as gentleman and boxing star in front of millions of people. Luan Krasniqi already opened the doors to his training gym and began light workout for his second run on a heavyweight world title. His promise to Max Schmeling to bring a heavyweight championship to Germany is only postponed.

Krasniqi has to convince experts and world boxing bodies with a meaningful victory on April 29 before he can think of another title shot.

“I would most likely fight Lamon Brewster in a direct rematch”, Krasniqi, a former European heavyweight champion, said. “He promised me a rematch after the fight but later didn’t keep his promise. Fortunately I didn’t drop very low in the WBO rankings. I absolutely want to fight Brewster again. Even in case that I could win a world title from Rahman or another champion this would have a different taste to me.”

„On April 29 Luan will be matched with a top opponent”, Jean-Marcel off Universum said. “In case of victory Luan may soon become WBO mandatory challenger again. That way Brewster can’t duck him.”„I have the feeling that I’m already in top shape and ready for a fight against Brewster“, Krasniqi said. “I would have loved to fight him on April 29.”

Luan Krasniqi True Comeback on 29th April

2006-02-25T04:31:00.000Z

This time is for real. After seven months, since his last sensational fight on 28th September 2005 for WBO Heavyweight title, Luan is preparing for his comeback at Stuttgart Schleyer Hall on 29th April 2006, where he is going to fight a top international opponent. Victory will put him back on track for world championship and even perhaps a rematch against Lamon Brewster. The match will be televised live by ZDF German Channel. If you have digital satellite receiver, point your dish towards Astra 19.2 E, and locate ZDF channel at frequency: 11,954 Horizontal; Symbol Rate: 27500.

Also, press conference with Luan Krasniqi will take place on Wednesday, 1st March 2006, at 12h. Venue: Brunner's Restaurant, Rotebuehlplatz 10, 70173 Stuttgart.

Felix Sturm "steals" the show on 11th March

2006-01-17T22:12:00.000Z

Apparently, Don King, the Maselino Masoe's promoter, requested that 11th March be the date when Felix Sturm (the german challenger) and Maselino Masoe fight for WBA middleweight title.

Presumably, the planned fight of Luan Krasniqi for 11th March, will shift to 29th April 2006 in Stuttgart.

"I have understanding for this" said Luan Krasniqi. "If my friend Felix can fight for a World Title, I would gladly vacate the termin and fight later. This is a great chance for him to become again a World Champion."

The Masoe vs Sturm fight is expected with tension. But, it will not be the only highlight of the evening at the Universum Arena in Hamburg. Also in action on 11th March, will be heavyweight Ruslan Chagaev "White Tyson" and Vladimir Sidorenko who defends his WBA bantamweight title.

Luan Krasniqi's Come Back on 11 March

2005-12-22T21:43:00.000Z

photo by Stefan Hoyer

According to boxing.de, Luan is set to box on 11 March 2006 in Color Line Arena in Hamburg against an international Top man. The fight will be televised on ZDF at 22'clock. "I would have come back so gladly as a world champion. But I can promise all fans and spectators that I will get myself my second chance. The first step is on the 11 March. After that I want to box again against Brewster. I have not cleared with him yet“, said Krasniqi (34).

In the weeks since 28 September 2005 and the box Thriller against Brewster, Krasniqi had been handed from transmission to transmission, from Talkshow to Talkshow. "I believe, I personally met, the said all eight million people, who saw the fight" Krasniqi.

Not only that he has a fighting heart of a lion (luan means lion in albanian), Krasniqi has recently proved that he also has a "heart for children". On 17th December 2005, he took part on a televised humanitarian action programme organised in partnership by ZDF and newspaper "Build" and made a public appeal for children in need: "The children of this world are our future. I would like to call everyone, to contribute in order to enable them a better life. It is a thing worth fighting for. And it would please me if also after the transmission yet numerous contributions go in", and to serve the good thing, this heavyweight boxer, sat and took contributions over the phone personally. To midnight accurately, 8,894,585 euro were collected.

Top Ten Heavyweights ...

2005-12-22T01:44:00.000Z

By Steve Kim:

This past weekend, I was a part of a group of diehards / degenerates that surrounded a computer screen watching a download of the WBA heavyweight tilt between John Ruiz and Nicolay Valuev, which was won in controversial fashion by the hulking 'Beast from the East'. Later on I would watch a tape of the 'Global Warfare' pay-per-view that took place a few days earlier in Florida that featured Sultan Ibragimov's pasting of Lance Whitaker and Samuel Peter's workmanlike ten round decision over Robert Hawkins.

Yeah, I know, it's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it. And besides, that's why we make the big bucks here at Maxboxing. But now, I embark on an even tougher task- to come up with a top ten in the heavyweight division.

With recent events that include the retirement of Vitali Klitschko and the recent losses by perennial contenders like Jameel McCline and Monte Barrett, it's about as tough as coming up with the ten best episodes of 'Joey' or 'Hot Properties' or a listing of the five best Korean basketball players. Yeah, it's that tough. And not helping matters is the general inactivity of the division as a whole. With Klitschko's constant postponements in 2005, a division that was seeking clarity is murkier than ever. My list is anything but scientific; it's just my personal opinion of how I'd rank today's heavyweights. Their accomplishments are factored in, but they don't weigh as heavily as their skill sets and where they are in their respective careers.

10 - John Ruiz (41-6-1): OK, I know some of you are already howling, but hey, to paraphrase Rick Pitino's meltdown during his last days in Boston as the Celtics head coach - I don't see Jerry Quarry walking through that door. I don't see Earnie Shavers walking through that door. I don't see Ron Lyle walking through that door. In today's game, 'The Quiet Man' can still hang around and make a decent living. And no, I don't think he got jobbed in Germany against Valuev, but it was an awfully close fight and his resume far exceeds that of Valuev's, with bouts against Evander Holyfield, Hasim Rahman and Andrew Golota on his resume. He's not aesthetically pleasing (to say the least), but for the most part, he's been a difficult out for anyone in this division. Besides, I don't want to piss off Norman Stone.

9 - Luan Krasniqi (28-2-1): Yeah, I know it doesn't say much about my list (or the division as a whole) when two guys who lost their last bouts are still hanging around, but with Krasniqi I wanted to shuffle the deck a little bit and not list the same tired names. Recycling should be for aluminum cans, not heavyweights. But I was actually impressed with this guy's performance against WBO heavyweight titlist Lamon Brewster a few months back. Before he was stopped in nine, he was ahead on all three scorecards, displaying an ability to box and string together quick combinations. I think he's come a long way from getting KO'd against Przemyslaw Saleta.

8 - Sultan Ibragimov (19-0): This ranking could be premature, but I liked what I saw against Whitaker, as he dropped him three times on his way to a 7th round TKO. Ibragimov is not the biggest heavyweight by today's standards at 6'2, 225 pounds. But I actually don't think that's a disadvantage. The game is boxing, not basketball, and it's more important to have the ability and willingness to fight than it is to look like a power forward. One drawback he has is that he does not possess the heaviest of hands, but he does have handspeed and he puts his punches together well. His quickness may actually work very well when he faces the bigger heavyweights of today. I've seen just a little bit, now I want to see more.

7- Sam Peter (25-1): Let's just be honest, Peter is as raw as sushi and as green as cannabis, but with his strength and power, he's a threat to anyone in the division. But until he gets sounder fundamentally, he'll always be more of a threat, than an actual force.But he's still young, and at age 25, he's the youngest big man on my list, so time is on his side. You'd think that a guy with 26 bouts under his belt, heading into his sixth year as pro, should start to accelerate his progress, but I disagree. His loss to Wladimir Klitschko back in September showed that while he is promising, he's a lot like John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray in 1976 on Saturday Night Live - a not ready for prime time player. 2006 is a pivotal year for Peter and his braintrust. Do they think long-term and use it as a time of development or do they jump back into the deeper waters with a guy who may not be ready to swim?

6 - Wladimir Klitschko (45-3): Klitschko showed in his bout with Peter that there is still some fight in him. Some didn't like his 'jab-and-grab' technique, but at this stage it's all about survival.It's not clear why Klitschko doesn't take a good punch and many theories have been thrown around, but in any event, he's no George Chuvalo. The shame is that the younger Klitschko has perhaps the best set of tools in the division. He has the size and technique to make him an offensive force. But unfortunately, his one deficiency - which failed him against Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster - willalways be his Achilles heel.

5 - Calvin Brock (27-0): 'The Boxing Banker' has slowly but surely made his way up the heavyweight ladder. From being less-than-an-afterthought coming out of the 2000 Olympics, he is now a bona-fide heavyweight contender. Brock doesn't do anything great - except perhaps tap dance - but he's a solid all-around fighter with pretty good pop in his right hand. He also showed plenty of fortitude in coming off the floor to beat perennial gate-keeper Jameel McCline in April. That victory was his first step into the consciousness of the boxing public. Now, he needs another victory, perhaps against a name brand foe like David Tua, to cement his status as a player in the division.

4- Hasim Rahman (41-5-1): With his right cross, Rahman is always dangerous, but if you take away his one magical night in South Africa against Lennox Lewis in 2001, he's really been perhaps the most enigmatic boxer in this class.The same guy that can starch Lewis (and then have the favor returned to him later that year) is also the same guy that has been knocked out of the ring by Oleg Maskaev, who outboxed David Tua and then was riddled by Ruiz.If you look at his recent ascent up the WBC ratings, it's more a testament to the influence of Don King than the actual strength of his wins.So which 'Rock' will show up against James Toney in March?I don't think Rahman himself even knows.

3- Chris Byrd (39-2-1): When it comes to consistency and longevity in the division, this is the guy. I mean, think about it, he's faced Ike Ibeabuchi (remember him?), both Klitschkos, Evander Holyfield and David Tua. This guy, who won a silver medal at the 1992 Olympics as a super middleweight, has never been fully appreciated by the followers of the sport. In almost every paid prizefight he's been in, he's been at a physical disadvantage, and for the most part has thrived. But this Byrd hasn't been as tough to cage in recent years, and you could make an argument that he was lucky to escape with his IBF crown against the likes of Fres Oquendo, Andrew Golota and McCline. Is it slippage or perhaps the burden of his constant struggles with Don King?

2 - Lamon Brewster (33-2): I admit, I'm a bit hesitant in ranking Brewster this high right now, because there's an old saying: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Which is precisely what Brewster did in breaking off his union with manager Sam Simon (for Al Haymon), but even more importantly, leaving his trainer Jesse Reid for Buddy McGirt. Reid seemed to be the perfect guy for Brewster, a fighter more in need of a psychologist than ring technician. It says here that without Reid, Brewster doesn't blitz Golota the way he did and he loses to Krasniqi. His toughness and punching power make him dangerous against any heavyweight in the world. But I wonder if we'll see a 'new and improved' Brewster with his new team.

1 - James Toney (69-4-2): Yeah, I know, I know, he's just a fat, blown-up super middleweight, who's never really beaten anyone in the division. I'm not necessarily disagreeing with any of that, but in the end, this comes down the ability to fight. Right now, nobody can do it like 'Lights Out'. As he so succinctly put it, "Others were taught to fight. I was born to do this. "Yes, he is getting older, and his body might be breaking down, but while everyone else in this class is doing algebra, Toney is doing trigonometry in the ring. Again, size is overrated (when it comes to heavyweights, that is), and in this day and age, a guy who has the feel and instincts of Toney will find a way. And one of these days he might actually get in shape for a fight... [ read full article here ]

Luan keeping busy

2005-12-20T01:55:00.000Z

EVENTFULL WEEKS FOR LUAN KRASNIQI

Question: Mr. Krasniqi, some weeks since battle against Lamon Brewster have passed. How are you?

Luan Krasniqi: Very well. I feel physically fit and I was able to recover a bit.

Question:Just a bit?

Luan Krasniqi: Perhaps there is always too little recovery. But past weeks were already very eventful.

Question: To what extent?

Luan Krasniqi: I had many inquiries for Television, Press and Radio. That kept me going on beautifully. But there are many things which I also gladly do. For example the formal event of the world hunger aid on ZDF. There I could not possibly call off, or for the "Learning Metropolregion Hamburg". Those are important things for which I like myself to engage.

Question: So you are sought after man then?

Luan Krasniqi: One could say so. I am happy about that. Everyone is very friendly to me. I get lots of mails by post in which people wish me a good fortune. That makes me feel proud.

Question: In the NDR - Talkshow, you said that you have anxiety, before you climb into the ring. Is that compatible with the picture of a boxer?

Luan Krasniqi: Why should it not be compatible? Boxers are humans. Fear is completely natural. I do not give way to the fear. I overcome it and box. See, I do not believe it would be a correct picture, if one thinks that boxers are fools, who want to hurt themselves mutually.

to be continued...

Fight of the Year?

2005-12-15T22:31:00.000Z

www.secondsout.com has recently shortlisted the Brewster vs Krasniqi fight in Fight of the Year Awards 2005 competition:

"... An unobvious choice but one I am very glad caught the attention of our Award's panel is WBO heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster's astonishing nineth round knockout of the determined, dangerous and highly motivated Luan Krasniqi. Because the fight was not broadcasted in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia or indeed anywhere in the English-speaking world only a handful of readers will have seen the fight. And that is a crying shame because if this terrific big-man battle had been seen by a wider audience then I believe fewer people would be asking why the heavyweight division can no longer produce fireworks. Boxing on what would have been the 100th birthday of German icon Max Schmeling, Krasniqi fought superbly for much of the fight, hitting and hurting the defending champion America several times... " secondsout awards panel

Place your votes here !

Luan Krasniqi Rankings

2005-12-15T03:50:00.000Z

Updated 23 APRIL 2006

WBO Heavyweight Rankings:
Champion: Sergei Liakhovich

Wladimir Klitschko
Luan Krasniqi
Sultan Ibragimov
Ruslan Chagaev
James Toney
Shannon Briggs
Lamon Brewster
Samuel Peter
Calvin Brock
Danny Williams
Aleksander Dimitrenko
Tony Thompson
Matt Skelton
David Tua
Miguel Mollo

IBF Heavyweight Rankings:
Champion: Wladimir Klitschko

Not Rated
Ray Austin
Calvin Brock
Samuel Peter
Sultan Ibragimov
John Ruiz
DaVarryl Williamson
Luan Krasniqi
Monte Barrett
Shannon Briggs
Paolo Vidoz
Ruslan Chagaev
Danny Williams
Kevin McBride
Eddi Chambers

Luan Krasniqi Career Fights

2005-11-17T03:58:00.000Z

DATE; OPPONENT; LOCATION; RESULT; CATEGORY
29/04/2006; David Bostice (American); Stuttgart, Germany;
W/UD/10-10;
28/09/2005; Lamon Brewster (American); Hamburg,Germany;
L/TKO/9-12; WBO Heavyweight
28/05/2005; Lance Whitaker (American); Stuttgart,Germany;
W/KO/6-12; WBO Heavyweight
04/12/2004; Timo Hoffmann (German); Berlin,Germany;
D/PTS/12-12; EBU Heavyweight
31/07/2004; Rene Monse (German); Stuttgart,Germany;
W/TKO/7-12; EBU Heavyweight
14/02/2004; Sinan Samil Sam (Turkish); Stuttgart,Germany;
W/MD/12-12; EBU Heavyweight
18/10/2003; Julius Francis (British); Hamburg,Germany;
W/UD/8-8;
30/08/2003; Doug Liggion (American); Munchen,Germany;
W/UD/8-8;
26/04/2003; Przemyslaw Saleta (Polish); Schwerin,Germany;
W/TKO/1-10;
08/02/2003; Sedreck Fields (American); Berlin,Germany;
W/UD/8-8;
23/11/2002; Thomas Williams (American); Dortmund,Germany;
W/KO/1-8;
20/07/2002; Przemyslaw Saleta (Polish); Dortmund,Germany;
L/TKO/9-12; EBU Heavyweight
05/01/2002; Rene Monse (German); Magdeburg,Germany;
W/MD/12-12; EBU Heavyweight
29/09/2001; Youri Yelistratov (Ukrainian); Hamburg,Germany;
W/TKO/3-0;
21/07/2001; Rene Hanl (German); Aachen,Germany;
W/TKO/2-10; German Heavyweight
07/04/2001; Paul Phillips (American); Hamburg,Germany;
W/KO/1-0;
24/02/2001; Cleveland Woods (American); Hamburg,Germany;
W/KO/3-0;
27/05/2000; Rodney McSwain (American); London,England;
W/TKO/4-0;
01/04/2000; Antoine Palatis (French); Berlin,Germany;
W/PTS/6-6;
19/02/2000; Everett Martin (American); Berlin,Germany;
W/PTS/8-8;
18/12/1999; Michael Murray (British); London,England;
W/PTS/8-8;
16/10/1999; Alexei Osokin (Russian); Belfast,N Ireland;
W/TKO/3-0;
21/08/1999; Biko Botowamungu (Congo); Dresden,Germany;
W/DQ/5-0;
27/03/1999; Ladislav Husarik (Slovakian); Dresden,Germany;
W/PTS/6-6;
26/09/1998; Shane Woollas (British); York,England;
W/TKO/3-0;
02/05/1998; Abdelrani Berbachi (French); London,England;
W/PTS/6-6;
28/03/1998; Spas Spassov (Bulgarian); Hull,England;
W/PTS/6-6;
14/02/1998; Stefan Trendafilov (Bulgarian); London,England;
W/TKO/1-0;
16/12/1997; Phillipe Houyvet (French); G Synthe,France;
W/TKO/4-0;
02/11/1997; Lewan Livingstone (American); Halle,Germany;
W/PTS/4-4;
04/10/1997; Kevin Hudson (American); NJ, USA;
W/TKO/4-4;
02/09/1997; Harry Senior (British); London,England;
W/PTS/4-4;

Brewster vs Krasniqi Full Video

2005-09-30T20:40:00.000+01:00

Watch here the full video fight between Krasniqi and Brewster. You may need faster internet connection and macromedia flash player.

Brewster vs Krasniqi Video

2005-09-30T20:37:00.000+01:00

Post fight analysis by ZDF:

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Brewster vs Krasniqi

2005-09-30T03:24:00.000+01:00

28.09.05 - Luan Krasniqi entered the ring to deafening applause from the over 10,000 German partisans on hand at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg on Wednesday night on the anniversary of Max Schmeling's 100th birthday. They were assembled to see him challenge World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion "Relentless" Lamon Brewster, from Los Angeles, who was making his third title defense. Brewster started were he left off after evaporating Andrew Golota in just 53 seconds in Chicago on May 21: he threw heavy punches with bad intentions. Krasniqi withstood the challenge and took command of the fight by establishing a penetrating jab. At the end of the opening stanza, Krasniqi motioned that he had been struck by a low blow, and referee Jose Rivera, from Puerto Rico, admonished Brewster for the beltline punch and gave Krasniqi time to recover.. Krasniqi's confidence grew in the second round as he began to throw combinations off his lead jab that landed effectively but without knockout power. Brewster continued to stalk the challenger looking to turn the tide with his vaunted left hook. While Krasniqi developed a harmless cut on the left side of his lip, Brewster revealed a much more dangerous cut near his left eyebrow in round three. Krasniqi felt Brewster hit him with a low blow again with less than 10 seconds left in the fourth, turned his back on the champion, and walked away. Rivera was unfazed and watched Brewster follow Krasniqi to land a left hook as he turned back at the champion just before the bell ending the round. The pro-Krasniqi crowd whistled their disapproval. Both fighters exchanged effectively in the fifth round while the cut over Brewster's eye worsened and the accumulation of jabs and stiff, short combinations appeared to be slowing the champion. Krasniqi and the admiring crowd reached the pinnacle of their confidence in round six. The crowd cheered in unison, "Luan, Luan" as Krasniqi decided to stand toe to toe with Brewster until the champion caught Krasniqi with a solid left hook in a corner. Krasniqi dodged out of the corner and immediately turned on Brewster and landed his best punch of the fight--also a left hook. The decision to punch with a puncher turned out to be Krasniqi's undoing. Rather than stay with the jab and following with swift combinations when the opportunity was present, he appeared to want to prove to Brewster, the crowd and himself that he could defeat the champion in all facets of the match. Krasniqi's strategy finally betrayed him in the eight round when Brewster landed a devastating left hook and Krasniqi crumpled against the ropes and to the mat with less than 30 seconds remaining in the round. Rivera appeared to provide a very long count that allowed Krasniqi to get to his feet just before the bell sounded ending the round. Reports from American television trucks estimated the count to be between 13 and 17 seconds. Brewster stormed out of his corner at the beginning of the ninth round in an attempt to finish his opponent. It appeared as though Rivera might step in to end the assault, but Krasniqi weathered the storm and found a second wind just at the point it appeared Brewster was reaching exhaustion. Brewster dug deep to muster yet another power-punch assault that ended with a right hand to Krasniqi's jaw with just seconds remaining in the round. This time Rivera waved off the action and declared Brewster the winner by technical knockout. Brewster commented after the fight, "Luan is a good fighter who landed many good shots against me. I want to be thee world champion, not just a United States champion and I proved it tonight by coming to Germany and defeating a game challenger. I always fight from will, not always from skill.""I want to give applause to Hamburg and the German people for being so wonderful to me during my visit. I will never forget my time here." Brewster's promoter Don King echoed his champion's sentiments." Luan used his jab and his right but this champion doesn't quit," King said. "Lamon Brewster is a true world champion now that he came to Germany and won here." [source DKP Press]

Exclusive Audio Interview with Luan Krasniqi

2005-09-28T21:35:00.000+01:00

Luan Krasniqi On Saddo Boxing Radio Hour!

European Heavyweight Champion Luan Krasniqi steps up to the highest level of the sport tonight when he challenges the very tough Lamon Brewster for the WBO Heavyweight title at the Color Line Arena in Hamburg, Germany. We were fortunate enough to speak with Luan as he was counting down the hours to fight time and are proud to present what the highly skilled heavyweight had to say about the biggest opportunity of his career...
[courtesy of www.saddoboxing.com]

Q & A with Luan Krasniqi

2005-09-14T21:03:00.000+01:00

14.09.05 - By Per Ake Persson: German heavy Luan Krasniqi, 28-1-1, challenges WBO champ Lamont Brewster September 28 in Hamburg. He is currently in full training but still found time for an interview. Special thanks to Christoph Rybarczyk, head of Universum press department, for making this possible..

Q: How is the training going? Can you give a little info on how much sparring you plan to have, how your training schedule looks, etc ...

A: I have had a wonderful preparation so far. First you work on condition, then body power, and then three weeks of sparring. I have had good sparring partners like Michael Sprott and Sherman Williams who can imitate Lamon Brewster’s style. I am training at my hometown in Rottweil near the Black Forest, so I do feel at home.

Q: Do you rate the Whitaker fight as your best perfomance yet?

A: A knockout win is always the most impressive, but for me personally the rematch with Przemyslaw Saleta (TKO 1) was the most important fight for my career, because I have avenged my loss. Whitaker was a strong opponent, but not very clever and not as fast as me.

Q: If the Saleta II fight was your best yet your fight against Hoffmann was maybe not that great - how do you see the fight now and what went wrong? How do you feel about the scoring?

A: I made some mistakes in the early rounds of the Hoffman fight, because I wanted to punish him for all the offending words and insults he had delivered through the week prior to the fight. He insulted all the boxing fans. His trash talk was unfair not only to me. I wanted to punish him and show him he can punch me but that will have no effect. Is that all you have? I asked him during the fight. I won’t do that again, but I was so upset because his words had insulted me. In the final rounds I dominated him and I think I destroyed his career, because he ate many big shots and never really recovered from that fight.

Q: When I first interviewed you you were still with Panix - I asked you if you didn´t feel over shadowed by all the fighters signed up by Eliades. You said no. Shortly thereafter you left for Universum so what happend?

A: Lennox Lewis has left Panix, and so have I. I had a wonderful time with wonderful people, including Lennox Lewis. After some years it was time to go.

Q: What has Torsten Schmitz meant for you? Which is the biggest changes he´s made in your style?

A: Please ask him. We respect each other and treat each other like grown-ups do.

Q: How do you see Lamont Brewster? Can you give a hint on the tactics you plan to use?

A: Tactics are one thing. The other is: can you follow them? Every challenger has to do more than the champion, right? Please draw your own conclusions.

Q: Does the fact that you are fighting on what is the 100th birthday of Max Schmeling makes the fight even more special?

A: Of course, it does. I have met Schmeling, and he is the most important public figure of sports in Germany. In comparison to Schmeling I am nothing. I have so much respect for him, he was so fully aware of what’s going on when we talked at his house. He asked me about if I earned enough money to put it on the side for the time after my career. I will never forget the moment he waved me good-bye from his entrance. I promised him to get the world title at heavyweight back to Germany. I do not know if I will, but if I do, I will do it for Max and for me.

Q: In case of a win a showdown with one of the Klitschko brothers must be almost a natural. I know you sparred with both - how do you see them now?

A: Please follow the Klitschko’s careers closely and make your own judgement. Vitali and Wladimir are different from each other. I have a lot of respect for their skills. They owe Universum a lot for promoting them to the top. I think Wladimir should have looked for rematches of the fights he lost: Corrie Sanders, Lamon Brewster. I wish them well – unless we meet in the ring, of course. It is not a dream, because the dream is to fight for the world title no matter who the opponent is. Lamon Brewster beat Wladimir, right?

Q: There´s a number of heavyweights signed up by Universum and Spotlight Boxing now - who do you see as the most promising?

A: That’s hard to say. They still have a long way to go. Only the most enduring will prevail, the ones who can mentally and physically survive

Biography: Luan Krasniqi

2004-09-29T04:44:00.000+01:00

Luan Krasniqi was born on 10 May 1971 as the youngest of eight children from Kosovo-Albanian parents. Enjoying a happy and active childhood, Luan grew up in Junik, where in 1987 he finished his primary and secondary school, before his family moved to Rottweil in Germany: "My childhood was good," recalls Luan. "But when I learned that we would be rejoining my father who had moved to Rottweil in 1970 I was overjoyed. I had dreamt about a move to the city and now it was coming true!" Luan graduated in Germany his A-Level and an education as a wholesaler. His boxing-career began at the local BSV Rottweil, where met Theo Kerekesch, a boxing trainer of high regard.

Spotting talent and kinship within each other, hard work developed Luan into a solid, well schooled heavyweight. Once Luan had been granted German citizenship, he entered the Multi-Nations Tournament in Liverpool (UK) and won the gold medal. He consolidated the success with a gold medal later that year at the German Championships, Berlin. 1995 saw Luan storming the World Championships, Berlin, by taking the silver medal - losing only to the vastly experienced Cuban great, Félix Savón. Luan ended the year on a roll, taking the Heavyweight Gold in the International Chemie Cup Tournament, Halle. After three years of triumphs at the Olympic Games he reached a semi-final bout with Félix Savón in Atlanta, 1996.

Luan, cut under the eye in his last bout, was forced to withdraw upon doctors advice. This left him unable to fight for an Olympic Gold Medal. He returned home with the Bronze medal, Germany's first heavyweight medal since 1976. Luan was understandably disappointed at losing his chance to avenge his previous loss to Savón. "I felt that I could have beaten him. He had out-pointed me the previous year but I had grown stronger and developed further since then. I am sure that the fight would have been close but I think that this time, I would have celebrated." However, Luan has many memories to savour from Atlanta - one of which was a meeting with his idol, Muhammad Ali. "Muhammad Ali was and still is an idol. Nobody can ever achieve what he achieved. Such a thing is a once in a lifetime phenomenon."

"To shine so long and so brightly, to define eras in history with the sheer force of his ability and personality and to be so well remembered is unique. Meeting him was an honour I shall never forget." Luan took his first steps to his own fame as he decided to become famous and to get in at Panix Promotions, where Lennox Lewis has his contract.

Luan won his first fight (with Harry Senior, 02.09.97) with half a point projection. In order to improve his training he was invited to Lennox Lewis in Big Bear Lake, where he was training for the fight against Gołota. Luan showed that he could resist the pressure of sparring with Lewis. Since then, he has been to Big Bear Lake three times.

During Lewis' training for the fights against Briggs, Mavrović and Holyfield he was one of his sparring partners. Luan overcame with success the first hurdles of his career as a "newcomer" in professional boxing. He boxed successfully for Panix Promotion 15 times and in 2000 after Lennox Lewis had terminated his contract, Luan decided to look for a new alternative. In February and April 2000 he built his connections with Universum Box-Promotion and fought a number of matches for them. In January 2001 he signed a three years long contract with Universum Box-Promotion.

The highlight of his career was the fight against Rene Monse, when he became European Champion. He was the first German European Champion after 29 years.

A half year later Krasniqi lost his belt in a fight against Przemysław Saleta. The man from Rottweil was prepared for eight rounds. But after an injury of Vitali Klitschko, his fight was pushed to the main event. So Krasniqi had just four weeks of preperation and had to risk his title. Mainly due to this lack of preparation, although leading by points, Krasniqi had a bout of weakness and had to stop at the beginning of round nine.

After this defeat he didn't let go and began to fight back to the top of the European rankings. Finally at the 14/02/04 he celebrated the victory over his stablemate Sinan Samil Sam and took "his" European Champion belt back home.

2005 brought Krasniqi to the top of the heavyweight competition after he knocked out highly-regarded Lance Whitaker and became a mandatory challenger for the WBO crown. The title boot against Lamon Brewster was a brutal slugfest. While clearly leading on all scorecards, Krasniqi went into the punch-exchange and got knocked down & out in round 9. It was a dissapointing loss to all German fans, since the resurrection of a new German heavyweight champion was highly anticipated to occur on Max Schmeling's 100th birthday

During all his career, Luan Krasniqi has had a loyal following of his Albanian compatriots from all over the world and has become an object of pride and sport hero for them. [source]