European super-bantamweight champion Rendall Munroe will make the fifth defence of his title against Simone Maludrottu in November. Munroe, 29, will have the home advantage at the Harvey Hadden Sports Centre in Nottingham after promoter Frank Maloney won purse bids for the fight against the mandatory challenger. Maloney is set to attend the WBC convention in Jeju, Korea next month with the aim of persuading the governing body to grant the contest eliminator status for their world title held by Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka. Leicester southpaw Munroe is currently ranked number two for the title by the organisation, with Maludrottu placed at 13th. Didnt Maludrottu fight Ian Napa a little while ago ?
Yeah he beat Ian although Ian put up a good effort Maludrottu won the fight decisively and is well thought of and will be Munroes toughest fight to date. Maludrottu has mixed in world class for a while. Maloney's done Munroe a big favor getting him this fight at home.
This should be a good fight and Munroes hardest test so far. If he wants to claim a world title shot he will have to win in style. Malodrottu vs Napa was a mismatch.
Just Boxrec'd Maludrottu.... been inactive for a while - this is one of those 'right time' fights IMO. Fancy Munroe to look impressive after his fairly long layoff. Don't fancy his chances against Nishioka though - probably a wide points loss :deal
Maludrottu can beat Munroe if he's at his best. He's probably past his best, but there is always that chance. He's a good boxer, which is something Munroe has never encountered, I envisage him looking quite pedestrian at times.
Fancy another trip up to Nottingham if Maloney can stack the card. I think that if Munroe can get up for this one he can win on points, if he's not at his best and willing to go to the well Maludrottu could be a handful
Leicester’s unsung Rendall Munroe makes the fifth defence of his European super-bantamweight title against Italy’s seasoned and highly capable Simone Maludrottu in November in Nottingham. Munroe, who lives in nearby Leicester, won the title from Spanish puncher Kiko Martinez in a big upset early last year in Nottingham and has proved a busy champion, so busy in fact that he's also added the Commonwealth title to his resume. The really big fights have eluded him, however, although he did trounce Martinez again, the man who holds an 86-second, two-knockdown stoppage of former WBA super-bantamweight champion Bernard Dunne. In truth, Munroe deserves a ‘world’ title shot. Maludrottu challenged for the WBC bantamweight title against Japan’s tasty Hozumi Hasegawa early last year in Japan and was unanimously outscored by a man who fights out of the southpaw stance like Munroe, which is a good omen (for our man). Maludrottu moved up to super-bantamweight afterwards, where he has beaten four nobodies (the last, in a six-rounder). His best days might have come and gone at bantamweight. The 31-year-old, nicknamed “Boom Boom”, held the European bantamweight title for a number of years and made a whopping eight defences. His victims included quality Brits Ian Napa and Damaen Kelly (twice). He looked lucky to beat Kelly in their first fight in Belfast - very lucky - but stopped the Irishman in three rounds in a quick rematch in Italy. Kelly called it a day afterwards. Maludrottu can clearly go a bit but Munroe looks to be right at his peak at 29 and does everything well in there at a hot pace. Plus, he moved down from featherweight to lift the EBU belt and is immensely strong at 8st 10lbs; Maludrottu moved up, as we know, and remains pretty well untested at the weight. He will feel the difference in natural weight and strength for sure against the muscled, 5ft 7ins Munroe, who grafts in his day job as a bin-man. Everything considered, the bigger, fresher, busier, hungrier home man gets the job done in a good match.
This ones a tough one for me, I think Munroe can win but he'll have to be at his very best (something I think he's lacked in his last 2 or so fights)
