By Mark Wilson Smith
In what is shaping up to be a huge year for Maltese boxing, tonight brings us another potential classic as Christian ‘Coqqos’ Schembri faces off against Elton Azzopardi in a trilogy match at the Montekristo.
The eagerly-anticipated bout will be part of a huge two-day event organized by Gladiator’s Promotions. Friday night saw amateur boxers and MMA fighters take to the ring, while on Saturday fans will be treated to an evening of kickboxing and pro boxing matches.
The rivalry between Schembri and Azzopardi started in February last year, with the bout ending in a draw after 10 back-and-forward rounds.
Both boxers felt they had done enough to win and so a rematch was duly scheduled for December. On that night, it was Azzopardi who had his hand raised as the winner in a bout for the vacant Maltese Middleweight title.
Since then, Schembri has picked up a win over Britain’s Michael Horabin, while Azzopardi kept busy with a knockout win against novice William Knight.
As an extra layer of intrigue, the upcoming trilogy match will be contested at Super Middleweight – one division heavier than their previous encounters and the vacant Malta Boxing Association title will be on the line too, so there is more than just bragging rights at stake here.
When asked about this bout, Schembri said: ‘‘I’m really excited to get back in the ring after having three fights falling through over the last four months. It’s going to be a great fight against a great competitor like Elton Azzopardi.
“It’s going to be our third fight, the trilogy fight with the first bout being a draw and the second result being a win for Elton, so now I am looking forward to getting my own back and becoming the Maltese Super Middleweight champion in the process. See you all there and thanks everybody for the support.”
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After winning their last bout Azzopardi will be full of confidence, but will the heavier weight class be more suitable for Schembri? Whatever the outcome, fans are guaranteed an entertaining contest between two local rivals.
Elsewhere on the packed fight card, local favourite Brandon ‘Bogon’ Borg makes his first professional appearance since December 2022.
The Kalkara native is known for his slick skills and built up a large following after winning his first 10 fights in a row. His comeback opponent is Britian’s Seamus Devlin – a very durable, former bareknuckle boxer who has only been stopped once in his entire 54 fight career.
“I trained like my life is at stake,” said Borg. ‘I consider life as a boxing match – defeat is declared not when you fall, but when you refuse to get up. That’s what I always believe.”
The skillful and explosive Borg will definitely be too much for Devlin to handle, but can ‘Bogon’ become only the second man to stop the British
fighter?
For those who enjoy kickboxing and Muay Thai, they will be treated to a clash between Malta’s Jesred Piscopo and Morocco’s Badr Ghazy for the K1 Gladiators 70kg title.
Piscopo is well known to local fight fans due to his regular appearances on Gladiators shows and his eye-catching knockouts.
Definitely a fighter to keep an eye on, he feels his preparations have gone perfectly ahead of this title fight.
“It’s not the will to win that matters, everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare for the win that matters.”
Piscopo’s kickboxing gym mate Adam Laamouz is also in action on the night. He will be competing for the WBC Muay Thai Amateur Mediterranean title against Italy’s Luigi Merenda. Other recognisable names fighting include Faris Lukovic, Cleavon Falzon, and Foaud Wakil on a big night not to be missed.
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