25.9.2007: After many background disturbances over the past weeks it was now officially confirmed by Fight Production that Dutch heavyweight banger Richel Hersisia will return straight into championship boxing by contesting the vacant WBF Intercontinental crown with Brazilian champion Marcos Celestino in Soumagne, Belgium this coming Saturday (Sept. 29).

Problems had reached a height when original opponent Daniel Peret got stopped in another fight with two weeks to go. Fortunately, Celestino, 36-20 (24 KO’s), was preparing for the seventh (!) defence of his Brazilian title and when that got cancelled just the same, the 41-year-old ring veteran jumped at the chance to fight Hersisia, himself a former holder of the ‘world’ version of the WBF title and current Dutch & Benelux champion.

It will be Hersisia’s second outing under trainers – and former ‘world’ champions – Ralf and Graciano Rocchigiani, and his first after losing a controversial points verdict to Ukrainian Taras Bidenko in June. The ‘Dutch Sonny Liston’ gave the WBA world ranked Bidenko all he could handle for the full 12 rounds and took the boos the crowd greeted the verdict with as a motivator for working even harder. Hersisia held camp for seven weeks at the Rocchigiani’s gym in Duisburg, Germany, and sparred with Fight Production stablemate Willi Fischer and South African Miyan Solomons. The 33-year-old man from Den Haag, born on Curacao and sporting a record of 29-2 (23 KO’s), is still dead serious about gatecrashing the big-time heavyweight picture.

The show in Soumagne, near Liege, in Belgium is a WBF doubleheader which sees hometown hero Geoffrey Batello challenge WBF International cruiserweight champion Jean-Claude Bikoi is the co-headliner. It is staged by Alain Vanackere’s Euroboxe in cooperation with Hersisia’s management Fight Production.