EUROPEAN TITLE

[craigjenkins05]

i can see ryan rhodes defends his EBU (European) light middleweight title on the 21st of may and i know there are multiple forms of all titles iv even seen alexander abraham defend a european external european title not quite sure what that is meant to mean lol just wondering is the title mathew hall fighting cedric vitu on the 15th for worth anything the vacant EBU-EU (European Union) light middleweight title i didnt notice it was a different title i assumed rhodes had vacated till i saw his upcoming fight

[brian13]

The EU title is like the IBF-inter-continental title. It means nothing other than the fighter will be recognised by the sanctioning body.

[chrisfinch]

i can see ryan rhodes defends his EBU (European) light middleweight title on the 21st of may and i know there are multiple forms of all titles iv even seen alexander abraham defend a european external european title not quite sure what that is meant to mean lol just wondering is the title mathew hall fighting cedric vitu on the 15th for worth anything the vacant EBU-EU (European Union) light middleweight title i didnt notice it was a different title i assumed rhodes had vacated till i saw his upcoming fight

The European title is the main one, then a level below that is the European Union title, for fighters inside the EU, and the External European Union title, naturally for fighters outside the EU. They are stepping stones to the main European belt that is held by people like Rhodes, Hatton, Enzo etc.

[BigEars]

The EU title is like the IBF-inter-continental title. It means nothing other than the fighter will be recognised by the sanctioning body.

A better explanation would be the EU title is to the European title, what the English title is to the British.
It's only available to some(although most) fighters that can fight for the European, and winning and defending it will have you quickly rise up the rankings and get a shot at the bigger title.

I don't have a problem with the EU or external European titles, they are region specific and have decent criteria that must be met before you can fight for them(including being in the EU/EE rankings). They are an excellent stepping stone for fighters who don't come from the stronger countries in Europe to bridge the gap between their domestic titles(and domestic class) and full European title class.
That problem doesn't exist in Britain due to the strength of the British title, but in Ireland for example it's a useful belt.

[JDC]

EU title is like the current version of the Commonwealth title. Both these titles can meen something if the standard of the fights is high enough. However, they seldom are.

Some of the recent full European matchups have been low standard too (Enzo and Audley being examples), but even these fights are still a step up from the EU/Commonwealth matchups.

[bennie]

Ryan Rhodes makes the first defence of his major European light-middleweight title against Italy’s Luca Messi in his home city of Sheffield on May 21.
Rhodes won the title with a sensational seven-round stoppage of long-established Jamie Moore last October in Bolton. (Moore announced his retirement afterwards.) Heavy handed and two-handed, southpaw Rhodes switches effectively to drop in a bomb of right hand. The man is plain dangerous; he’s also vastly experienced at 43-4 (29), all his defeats up at his old middleweight.
Messi is pretty battle-hardened himself at 36-7-1 (12), a former world title challenger, but he was stopped in 11 rounds in a previous challenge for this title by fellow countryman Michele Piccirillo in 2006, after which he took stock. He returned in 2008 and has won his last six, so he is not without ambition. His world title challenge came in Chicago in 2005 when he was unanimously outscored by Mexico’s Alejandro Garcia for the WBA belt.
Messi looks slippery and tough, in the mould of most Italians, if not a big puncher (despite a nickname of the “Bergamo bomber”), and we can expect him to stretch Rhodes in to the middle or later rounds. We can also expect Rhodes to pick his heavy shots, as usual, and to force a late stoppage.