Two Intercontinental championships will be contested on Dec. 10, but on different shows in different European countries. Both, however, are exiting match-ups that for the winner could lead to shots at WBF world titles in their respective divisions.
When classy Yvan Mendy steps in the ring to defend his Intercontinental light welterweight title, he’d better not take his opponent lightly. Sam Rukundo may have lost his last two fights, but the Uppsala, Sweden based Ugandan is by no means a push over.
On the contrary, his record of 15 wins (6 inside), 1 draw and those 2 losses has been compiled during a career where no gifts were rendered and home town protection was a strange word.
Since he made his debut in London’s Café Royal six years ago, “Rocky” Rukundo appeared no less than seven times of his first nine fights in the British capital. When he licked Stuart Green quite convincingly in his last fight on the banks of the Thames, he already had won the British Masters lightweight title and soon the African Boxing Union Championship would follow.
A logical step would be the Commonwealth lightweight title, but his aim in February this year was cut short by a close points loss in the final eliminator against Gary Buckland. Weight making (Rukundo made the weight in his 3rd attempt) has been a spoil-sport. Last May he lost a very close verdict (two judges had him one point down) in Kiev, where he faced local Valentin Kuts, a southpaw of note, in another 12-rounder.
Mendy, with a fine record of 20 wins, with 10 early wins and just 1 loss, a good draw in his hometown of Pont-Saint-Maxence and the title holder since last June, by virtue of a comprehensive points win against seasoned and durable Peter McDonagh, is a warned man. The 25-year-old Frenchman knows for another step forward on the fistic ladder, he needs to deal with these obstacles in an indisputable fashion.
Meanwhile in Dublin, Ireland on the same night, Anthony Fitzgerald and Kevin Hammond will settle the vacant WBF Intercontinental middleweight crown in another scheduled 12-rounder on a Dolphil Promotions show.
