WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND – (Sept. 19, 2023) – Young wolf Adam Azim (9-0, 6 KO’s) is on the title trail: the 21-year-old prodigy heads to Wolverhampton on Saturday, November 18th to sink his teeth into defending EBU European Super Lightweight Champion Franck Petitjean (24-6-3, 6 KO’s), live and exclusive on Sky Sports.
Having been guided by BOXXER into a position to fight for the EBU title – a slot hotly contested by other British promoters – Azim is gunning for European gold in just his tenth professional bout. If victorious, he will follow in the footsteps of his oft-cited inspiration ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed in winning an EBU title while barely into his twenties and will catapult himself towards major world title contention.
After winning the French national championship and mounting three successful defences, southpaw Petitjean successfully stepped up to European level for his first stint as EBU super-lightweight level then challenged for the IBO world championship in 2018. He reclaimed the EBU title in June this year and will make the first defence of his second championship reign against Azim on November 18th.
“I’ve always loved a challenge and the fact that I can take part in a major event abroad is very motivating. I’m looking forward to pushing Adam to the limit and, of course, returning to France victorious!” said defending EBU European Super Lightweight Champion Petitjean.
“I am so excited for this fight – fighting for the EBU title in just my tenth fight is massive for me. I’m ready to put on a show and bring that belt home with me on November 18th,” said Azim.
Also entering the wolf’s lair on November 18th is EBU European Middleweight Champion Matteo Signani (32-6-3, 12 KO’s). He will defend his title against the Black Country’s own Tyler Denny (17-2, 3 KO’s), who hails from nearby Birmingham and will have an enormous wolfpack of supporters behind him when he enters the ring.
Known as “Il Giaguaro” (‘The Jaguar’), Italian veteran Signani has held the EBU Middleweight Championship twice, having reclaimed the belt in November with a TKO stoppage victory following a June technical decision loss. Signani is now 9-1 in his last ten outings.
Denny’s career resurgence in the last two years has thrilled British fight fans. The Midlands miracle man is 4-0 under the BOXXER banner, with three of those wins being successful English Middleweight Championship bouts, and now steps up another level and looks to add the European title to his collection.
“I feel very good and I will be stronger than ever for the challenge with Tyler Denny. I respect him and I have to recognize that he’s a tough guy for challenging me, but I’m Il Giaguaro, the champion, and I will stay that way for a long time to come. It will be a war – blood, sweat, glory!” said EBU European middleweight champion Signani.
Title challenger Denny said, “I’m expecting the hardest fight of my career but I’m more than ready and more than capable. I’m going to have an army of fans with me on fight night and the atmosphere is going to be incredible. I will become European champion on November 18th – that belt is staying in the Midlands!”
Ben Shalom, BOXXER CEO, said, “The journey with Adam Azim reaches new heights with every outing. Boxing knows what an incredible talent he is and to be challenging for the European title at 21 years of age, in just his tenth professional outing, speaks volumes about his ability inside the ring and the great work done by the BOXXER matchmaking team outside it.
“Franck Petitjean has a lot of experience and is the toughest opponent Azim will have faced to date. It’s a huge test but if he passes it then the sky really is the limit – we’ll be looking at world title opportunities for him next year as he looks to keep that promise he made to Amir Khan and win a world title even quicker than he did.
“The Tyler Denny story is having another incredible and definitely the biggest chapter added to it. Two years ago we looked at him and saw a boxer who had great potential but who hadn’t had the right opportunities at the right time. He’s gone 4-0 with BOXXER, he’s the English middleweight champion and now he’s stepping up for a European title. I honestly can’t wait to see if Tyler Denny can achieve something more boxers can only dream of. His army of supporters will be in full force on fight night.”
BOXXER: WOLVES AT THE DOOR takes place Saturday, November 18th at The Halls, Wolverhampton and airs live and exclusively on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. Further bouts for the card will be announced in the near future.
This event is presented in association with official partners bet365, Everlast, WOW HYDRATE and Village Hotels.
Sign up for presale tickets at BOXXER.com.
