German-Albanian boxer defends title in hometown of Bulqiza

TIRANA, Oct. 20 – German- Albanian WBC Eurasian Pacific middleweight champion Mike Keta has defended his title in his hometown of Bulqiza, northern Albania, in a spectacular knock-out win in the third round over Russia’s Marat Khuzeev.
“Thousands of Albanian fans came to support their local hero but couldn’t get into the open air Arena in Bulqize which had just been built up for this event. So the fight was broadcasted live on giant video walls outside of the stadium for the people in attendance who later on celebrated Keta’s victory with car parades and dancing in the streets,” World Boxing News reported.
It was the first time in its long history that the WBC sanctioned and supervised a fight in Albania. “Mike did an outstanding job”, said his brother, trainer and promoter Jonny Keta after the show. “I am very proud of him and of everybody who helped to turn this event in such a major success. There was a lot of pressure on Mike in front of his home crowd. Still he showed an excellent performance and got the job done in style. He proved today how strong he really is.”
Keta stuck to his game plan and put a lot of pressure on his challenger finally knocking him out in round 3 with a vicious body punch. The hook to the liver turns into Keta’s trademark punch. When he captured the EPBC title in July he stopped Mikheil Khutsishvili from Georgia in round 7 with a devastating power punch, too.
WBC Eurasian Pacific middleweight champion Mike Keta dedicated his title defence on October 18th in Bulqize (Albania) to the worldwide battle against breast cancer.
“We are happy and proud to follow the lead of the WBC in trying to raise the awareness for breast cancer. We have to fight cancer as good as we can. So I urge all of our friends and fans around the world to do regular screenings and medical checkups,” said his brother.
In addition to the battle against breast cancer campaign, Mike Keta also dedicates his first professional fight in Albania to the people in his hometown Bulqize which will host an international championship for the first time ever. “Bulqize is well known for its chrome deposits and should be a rich city – but it’s not. By hosting this event in our hometown we hope to have the chance to give something back to our people and our country,” said Jonny Keta.