Kreshnik Qato will make the third defence of his WBF middleweight title against dangerous South American Esteban Waldemar Ponce on May 2 in Tirana, Albania. The fight marks a spectacular week for the World Boxing Federation who celebrate their inaugural convention in the Albanian capital starting April 30th through until May 3rd.
Qato last defended the WBF crown back in October 2009 with a spirited 12 round unanimous decision over Italian Fabio Liggieri taking the scorecards 116-112 (twice) and 115-113.
The 31 year old hails from Albania but hasn’t fought in his homeland since 2008 having spent the majority of his career in London, England.
Qato warmed up for the first defence of his WBF title with a win over Alex Spitko at the famous York Hall in Bethnal Green and remains unbeaten in his last 17 bouts.
Challenger for the WBF belt is 26 year old Esteban Ponce who holds an impressive 16-4-1 record. The Argentinean has fought mainly in South America and comes into the clash on a 6 fight winning streak. This will be Ponce’s first attempt at capturing a world title.
WBF Executive Committee member Olaf Schroder said, “We are really looking forward to this championship fight which will be one of the many highlights of our first world convention.
“There has been an enormous amount of effort putting all of this together but all the hard work will be worth it.
“I want to thank everybody for their time and patience and perseverance”.
