BoxRec

British promoter allegedly has won the purse bids for the vacant European light-welterweight title clash between British and Commonwealth champion Junior Witter and Italy's former challenger Salvatore Battaglia.
Warren won the bids today in Rome with an offer of just over 100,000 dollars.
Battaglia dropped a close and competitive 12-rounder to then champion Oktay Urkal early last year in Germany and has been waiting for a second crack ever since. Witter recently withdrew from a scheduled fight with Brazilian KO artist Kelson Pinto due to a hand injury and was immediately demoted from number one in the WBO rankings to number three.

Nice. So what's Battaglia like, is Witer going to beat him iyo?

I think if witter gets past him he should go after Pinto, I'm sure a lot of people don't believe Witter really was injured, and public opinion will be against him in terms of securing the Hatton fight, he needs to set the record straight imo.

Battaglia, 21-3 (12), from Siracusa in Italy, turned pro in 1996 and lost his first fight on an inconclusive technical decision, before showing his class - and his power - in reeling off 11 quick wins to secure a shot at the Italian light-welterweight title in March 2000, which he took with a 10-round decision over the far more experienced Massimo Bertozzi (who had held Gianluca Branco to a split decision and, along with Oscar De La Hoya, is the only man to have stopped Giorgio Campanella).
He proved a dominant champion, retaining his title four times, including another points win over Bertozzi, but France's aggressive Fabrice Colombel, who gave Hornchurch's Colin Lynes a tough fight in Belfast recently, stood up to his early onslaughts, fired right back, and ultimately outlasted Battaglia in round eight. The Italian fighter, bleeding from his nose, was floored in the round, jumped up too quickly, and pulled out by the referee as he protested on wobbly legs.
It was a setback, but he showed character to essentially start again, winning back the Italian title (which he had vacated for the Colombel fight for the vacant IBF intercontinental light-welterweight title) and building up to a second and much harder step-up against European champion Oktay Urkal in February 2003 - a man whose only defeat had come on a close one to undisputed light-welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu and who challenges Vivian Harris for the WBA title shortly.
After a nervy, rocky start, in which he was floored in the opening round, Battaglia showed he had learned his Colombel lesson well. The gutsy challenger pressed the action hard and maintained a fast, aggressive pace, finishing far stronger than the ragged-looking champion. Urkal landed the cleaner shots, but found himself backed up and tagged more than any in the big German crowd could have anticipated prior to the fight (Danilo Haussler won a bloody rematch with Glenn Catley in the same bill in Chemnitz).
Scoring was split: 116-113 twice for Urkal and 115-113 for Battaglia. That says a lot in Germany, and Battaglia gave Oktay Urkal a much tougher fight than fellow southpaw Eamonn Magee did four months later, which makes him look very useful indeed.
He has since twice outpointed the tough but limited Antonio Mastantuono in 10-rounders in defence of his long-held Italian title and deserves this second stab at the big-time (and in today's multi-title climate, the European title is big). Trained by former European featherweight champion Salvatore Melluzzo, a former southpaw himself and a man who once rocked Pat Cowdell to his boots, the 30-year-old Battaglia is a tough, aggressive and cagey campaigner, who is probably right at the top of his game. He's a couple of inches taller than Witter, so will presumably have reach advantage, too (though Junior is long-armed), and the way he performed against Urkal in Germany will give him every confidence of going one better against Witter in Britain.
No date or venue announced for their fight as yet.

I think the lack of posts on this thread reflects perfectly Witter's lack of star appeal.

It is a very strange decision, if this European challenge was going to be a much easier challenge than Pinto then I could understand the decision - however, it seems like this opponent is still Witter hardest fight (excluding Judah) by some long way. This Battaglia obviously belongs in the fringes of world class, and this fight is very interesting.

I applaud both Witter and FW for taking this match,but it only makes me even more curious about Pinto.

Yes it is strange, dangerous opponent than none (or not many) of us or the doodles have seen.
Witter had better win, at least if he'd fought and lost to Pinto it would've been to a guy of whom there are great expectations.
Very odd move for Warren, that's towo high risk fights in a row, reinforcing my (and others') opinion that he wants Witter out of the way.
Does anyone know if there is still talk of Witter leaving SN?

This fight fills me with tremedous indifference. I was really looking forward to the Pinto one though.
I think the real danger the Witter camp saw was Junior getting sparked by the ( supposed ) big punching Pinto. I don't think this Italian is going to knock him out though, the worse that'll happen is a points loss. He can come back from that probably, with all those fantasy titles floating about.

Battaglia got all his knockouts early in his career. Since he's stepped up it's been points all the way.

This Battaglia is one tough character. He's from Sicily. Despite being floored in the first he won at least 6 rounds on my card if I remember correctly. Given the fact that Urkal is really a world class operator you gotta put things in perspective.

However, why he had 4 bouts with this Antonio Mastantuono is beyond me. Urkal is his only name opponent. I doubt Battaglia has the experience to deal with an awkward and slick boxer like Witter.

As for Battaglia's his loss against Fabrice Colombel:
Colombel is an underestimated fighter who faced good competition throughout his career. Last time I saw him he nearly finished belgian prospect(well...he's had only one loss and punches like a wrecking ball)Jackson Osei Bonsu."
Colombel is a big puncher and is a treat to anyone on the European scene.
So the knockout loss and the flash knockdown against soft punching Urkal does not necessarily means a bad chin.

In short a better test than for example Jurgen Haeck, Battaglia might take him into the mid-rounds, but I see Witter(who should now be considered in his prime) winning this one.

Yes, in this country, it's a winnable fight for Witter. He'll tell everyone that if he becomes European champion he'll be in a better position to secure a fight with Ricky Hatton, but we all know that's bull.
Witter, sadly, threw away his chance when he bottled the Pinto fight.

bennie wrote:Yes, in this country, it's a winnable fight for Witter.

Good point, if this fight would have been on Sicily he would have to knock him out 14 times to win the fight on split decision.

How come he and Gianluca Branco never fought each other, Dutch?

anyone read the NOTW today? MH bidded for the Witter fight!

had a look at this guys record and Witter might not have it all his own way.

shakermaker wrote:anyone read the NOTW today? MH bidded for the Witter fight!

had a look at this guys record and Witter might not have it all his own way.

Mick Hennessy bids just to think he's a big player. But we all know he's a bit player.

bennie wrote:

shakermaker wrote:anyone read the NOTW today? MH bidded for the Witter fight!

had a look at this guys record and Witter might not have it all his own way.

Mick Hennessy bids just to think he's a big player. But we all know he's a bit player.

apparently MH bidded didn't bid in Euros so the bid wasn't legit......FW goes to great lengths to show off. Guess who won the bid? Yours truly??!!

If MH did win the bid what impact would it have with Witter-FW and their contract?

Only Mick Hennessy could bid in the wrong currency!
As to your question: It's no secret that Witter and Warren don't get along. Warren called Witter's mentor, John Ingle, "a two-faced whinger" recently, so you can imagine the atmosphere. But as Mickey Duff once famously said of his relationship with Lloyd Honeyghan: "There's nothing in the contract that says we have to like each other."

bennie wrote:Only Mick Hennessy could bid in the wrong currency!
As to your question: It's no secret that Witter and Warren don't get along. Warren called Witter's mentor, John Ingle, "a two-faced whinger" recently. So you can imagine the atmosphere. But as Mickey Duff once famously said of his relationship with Lloyd Honeyghan. "There's nothing in the contract that says we have to like each other."

thats a good quote!

I'd imagine it would could Witter's ties with SN and possibly wreck any slim chance Witter had with fighting RH but the BBC would have gave Witter a decent profile.

bold move by MH trying to nab one of FW fighters!

Mick didn't exactly break the bank with his bid did he, Warren's winning bid works at around £ 56,000 I think, which doesn't seem a helluva lot.

That seems very low for a European fight doesn't it?

I didn't know it was that low!!!! That is a pittance

bennie wrote:

shakermaker wrote:anyone read the NOTW today? MH bidded for the Witter fight!

had a look at this guys record and Witter might not have it all his own way.

Mick Hennessy bids just to think he's a big player. But we all know he's a bit player.

What's Warren then? He's so big he doesn't need to steer any fighter toward a genuine title!

The fact is that Witter was injured. That's the reason the Pinto fight didn't take place.
The fact that his opponent is now just as tough in my opinion assists Witter's cause in persuading those among you who disbelieve the injury existed.
The kid's an acquired taste - no doubt at all, and there's an element of cry wolf here, and due to his silly outbursts etc Witter reaps what he sows.
The purse for this title fight is a pittance.
Was MH serious ?
Doubt it.
Even if he won - Witter is contracted to Warren.

I'm still a tad annoyed I didn't get to put £50 on Pinto to KO Witter. Would have been decent odds too.

Such is life......

bennie wrote:How come he and Gianluca Branco never fought each other, Dutch?

I'm sorry Bennie, Italy is a bit too far away for me I guess. I don't know the story behind this. I'm sure he's not with OPI2000 like Branco is.
You asked about the italian Vincenzo Gigliotti in an other thread, to be honest I know very little about him

Dutch Windmill wrote:

bennie wrote:How come he and Gianluca Branco never fought each other, Dutch?

I'm sorry Bennie, Italy is a bit too far away for me I guess. I don't know the story behind this. I'm sure he's not with OPI2000 like Branco is.
You asked about the italian Vincenzo Gigliotti in an other thread, to be honest I know very little about him

No worries, Dutch. Any clue as to when that French heavyweight prospect is fighting again? The one who licked Palatis last time out.