Marco Martini is the main attraction, when local heavyweight-hero turned promoter Werner Kreiskott and his Fight Club Wuppertal presents “Night Of The Lions”, on Saturday April 7 at the already sold-out Unihalle in Wuppertal, Germany.
In the evenings headliner, 25-year-old Martini, 14-3 (6), will square off with undefeated Yaser Yueksel, 5-0 (3), born in Turkey but fighting out of Cologne, for the vacant World Boxing Federation International Super Welterweight title.
Martini turned professional in 2014, and have not exactly had a smooth path. While he won his first seven bouts, he went through a period in 2016 where he lost three of four fights, and many ambitious boxers might have decided to make a career of something else.
But he never gave up, and has since won six straight to line up the big night against Yueksel, in front of his many home-town fans. He is bound to feel some pressure to perform impressively, and Yueksel has unquestionably come to spoil the party.
Also 25 years old, Yueksel is trained, and heavily backed, by former Cruiserweight contender Ruediger May, so he has plenty of invaluable experience in his corner. It remains to be seen if it will make a difference against Martini.
Also on the card will be WBF Womens Intercontinental Strawweight Champion Oezlem Sahin, 23-1-1 (7), in a non-title fight against an opponent yet to be announced.