By Per Ake Persson

Former EBU and Italian heavyweight champion Franco Cavicchi passed away a few days ago at the age of 90. Cavicchi turned pro in 1952 in what was a golden era for Italian boxing and won the EBU title in Bologna in front of a crowd of 60,000 spectators by knocking out Heinz Neuhaus.

He lost the title by knockout to the future heavyweight champion of the world Ingemar Johansson but fought on after that and took on the likes of Karl Mildenberger, Willie Pastrano and Joe Bygraves and compiled a record of 71-14-4. Italian press describes him as a careful man in and out of the ring and he took care of his ring earnings well.

Edis Tatli has relinquished the EBU lightweight title and will not take on mandatory challenger Marvin Petit or as British sources have had it Lewis Ritson. Instead it appears that Tatli will go for a world title. Edis is ranked # 4 by the IBF and with Mikey Garcia reportedly moving up in weight we might see Tatli against IBF # 1 Richard Commey. The second spot is vacant while Russian Isa Chaniev is # 3.

As for the EBU title it will be Lewis Ritson vs Francesco Patera, the former champ who won and lost to Tatli, October 13 in Newcastle with the winner to face Marvin Petit, the mandatory challenger.

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Ukrainian Viktor Polyakov is now in Aarhus, Denmark, to prepare for the showdown against Detlef Rossing on September 15 in Copenhagen in a fight that is made at "catchweight" somewhere between light heavyweight and cruiserweight. Polyakov will thus spar with Rossing´s stablemate Jeppe Morell, who fights Eduardo Ruben Acosta on the same show.

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Lighth eavies Richard Baranyi, 19-3, and Mate Kis, 11-0-2, headline Felix-Promotion´s show in Budapest on September 14 in a much awaited rematch. Kis won the first fight last year on a eighth round knockout and thus won the national title.

On the undercard super welter Balazs Bacskai, super middle Renato Egedi, welterweight Flavius Biea and cruiser Cezar Juratoni will appear. The show is televised live by M 4 in Hungary and Digi TV in Romania.

Cruiserweight Imre Szello is off the bill and he surrounded by rumors of participation in the WBSS cruiserweight tournament but nothing is confirmed yet.