ARENA returns to "Kugelbake-Halle" for the fourth time

Steffen Kretschmann continues his way "back to the top" against Cisse Salif

German heavyweight hope Steffen Kretschmann (14-1, 13 kos) has very good memories of Cuxhaven. On September 12th 2008 "Kretsche" stopped US journey man Otis Tisdale at the Kugelbake-Halle; on November 18th the 29-year-old southpaw needed only two rounds to get rid off "Highlander" Marcel Zeller at the same venue.

But after his last appearance at the North Sea Kretschmann had some serious problems. At first an inner ear injury stopped him from fighting in Cuxhaven again on March 6th, 2009. Then he shockingly lost to Russian veteran Denis Bakhtov by 1st round tko. Now "Kretsche" wants to find back to the winning ways taking on tough guy Cisse Salif (23-16-2, 21 kos) who was born in Mali but is fighting out of Las Vegas.

"This is a true test for Steffen", states promoter Ahmet Öner. "After this fight we will know exactly how good he is. Salif is a strong fighter who has only been stopped once (by Ray Austin) but has the punching power to knock out his opponents. Steffen has to be aware and show that he has what it takes to make it to the top."

In more heavyweight action "The Hunter" Wladimir Virchis will give his comeback after losing a WBC eliminator against Juan Carlos Gomez in September 2008. Virchis has terminated his contract with Universum / Spotlight and will give his debut under the ARENA banner.

Completing the "heavy night" of Cuxhaven will be "Sandman" Konstantin Airich, Ondrej Pala from the Czech Republic and unbeaten Turkish prospect Yakup Saglam. There will be eight fights in total. Eurosport will broadcast the show live starting at 22:00h (10pm). Ticket-Hotline: +49-4721-404 444.

WBA featherweight champion Gamboa to defend his title against Whyber Garcia

Heavyweight sensation Odlanier Solis takes on Monte Barrett

"This feels like making history", said ARENA-CEO Ahmet Öner before entering the plane to New York on Tuesday morning. This Saturday (October 10th) Öner and his Hamburg based ARENA Box-Promotion will co-host "Islands Warriors - Latin Fury 12" along with Top Rank and PR Best Boxing at world famous Madison Square Garden. "The MSG is the place where all fighters and promoters want to be", adds Öner. "I am very proud that we made it there in only three years. I want to thank our partners at Top Rank that they opened this door for us. I think Gamboa and Solis are exceptional talents who deserve to enter this most prestigious venue where so many great champions have fought true ring battles."

On October 10th Öner's Cuban Olympic gold medallists want to add another chapter to the Madison Square Garden's great history. "El Ciclon" Gamboa defends WBA featherweight championship for the first time against Whyber Garcia from Panama.

"La Sombra" Solis who is already rated on #7 in the WBC world rankings defends his WBC international championship against two-time world title challenger Monte Barrett. "Originally we wanted Solis to take on Kevin Johnson", says Öner. "But Johnson got an offer from the Klitschko management to take on Vitali so he pulled out of the Solis fight. You can't blame him for that. I am glad that we found an excellent replacement in Monte Barrett."

In the main event of "Island Warriors - Latin Fury 12" WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez defends his belt against Rogers Mtagwa from Tanzania.

The Pay Per View event will be broadcasted worldwide. SKY will cover the show in Germany; FOX will present it in Turkey. "I am very happy especially for our German fans that they can watch Gamboa and Solis live", says Öner. "They have a huge fan base in Germany who will get up at 3am on Sunday morning to watch the show."

Kretschmann, Oral and Airich back in action in Spain

On September 18th ARENA and promoter Ahmet Öner will return from the summer break with a great show in Spain! At Gran Casino de Castellon German heavyweight prospect Steffen Kretschmann, rising middleweight star Mahir Oral and Konstantin Airich will try to get back from their respective losses in June (Kretschmann and Oral) and March (Airich).

After his upset tko-loss to Russian veteran Denis Bakhtov on June 26th Kretschmann wants to return to the winning ways against Turkish tough guy Ergin Solmaz. ARENA's second heavyweight hope Konstantin Airich faces strong Russian Yuri Lunev. And Mahir Oral comes back from his great fight against unbeaten middleweight-king Arthur Abraham on June 27th with a fight against former stable-mate Alexander Sipos.

"Kretschmann and Airich have to prove that their respective losses were just fluke", states Öner. "We will see how they can deal with the situation mentally. Most heavyweights have had losses in their careers; some come back stronger, others can't recover from it. We will see how these two do. Mahir Oral showed great heart and a stunning performance against Abraham. The whole world saw that he's got championship potential. But he has to show a good fight as well to commend himself for another shot at the title. So I expect dominant performances and clear wins from all three of them."

The show will be televised LIVE on Eurosport starting at 9:00pm.