“It was first offered in early January and I have said no on multiple occasions.”
Fiji lightweight champion Mikaele Ravalaca. Inset: Featherweight boxer Runqi Zhou.
There has been no agreement signed by Sydney-based featherweight boxer Runqi Zhou to come over to Suva in May to fight newly-crowned Fiji lightweight champion Mikaele Ravalaca.
This was confirmed to SUNsports yesterday by Zhou’s manager Tony Tolj.
“We have not agreed to that fight,” he said from Sydney, Australia, yesterday.
“It was first offered in early January and I have said no on multiple occasions.”
Tolj was reacting to comments made by Bluewater Boxing Promotions promoter Samir Khan last Saturday night of his intention to bring Zhou to defend his IBO (International Boxing Organisation) Asia Pacific featherweight title against Ravalaca in May.
Zhou fought in Nadi, last October where he stopped Ubayd Haider in the ninth round to claim the IBO Asia Pacific featherweight title.
Tolj said they have their reasons of not agreeing to fight Ravalaca.
“The weight was too high,” he remarked.
Speaking from Tokyo, Japan, Zhou’s trainer Angelo Hyder said they were offered to fight at 59 kilogrammes (kg) but his boxer (Zhou) is a featherweight boxer at 57kg.
“The money offered was not enough,” the world renowned trainer told SUNsports.
Tolj also indicated that in May, Zhou will be participating in a World Boxing Council (WBC) sanctioned Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia.
“I have said on numerous times that Zhou is scheduled to be in the WBC Grand Prix. If anything changes I would let him know. Never once have we as a team agreed to the fight (in Suva).”
Hyder who is with former world bantamweight champion Jason Moloney in Tokyo, reiterated that there has been no deal done with the Fiji promoter.
“Not even close,” he added.
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