The Florian Marku vs Chris Kongo grudge match will take place on the undercard of Fabio Wardley’s British heavyweight title defence against Frazer Clarke on March 31, live on Sky Sports.
With Marku-Kongo more bad blood is being added to BOXXER’s hotly-anticipated Easter Sunday showdown between unbeaten heavyweights Wardley and Clarke at The O2 in London.
There’s no love lost between Marku and Kongo, who had to be pulled apart following an explosive press conference altercation last year.
It will be a clash of styles as the “Albanian King” and “2 Slick” meet in the capital to settle their long-standing feud in a fascinating 10-round contest.
Marku, an unbeaten former IBF International champion, made short work of his last opponent, stopping Dylan Moran inside 60 seconds on the undercard of the Liam Smith vs Chris Eubank Jr rematch on September 2 in Manchester.
The 31-year-old will be raring to go following this speedy stoppage win and is expected to bring an army of Albanian supporters with him to London.
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Florian Marku produces a flurry of punches on Dylan Moran, forcing referee Mark Lyson to jump in after just 54 seconds
Kongo returns following a narrow points defeat to Ekow Essuman for the British and Commonwealth titles in January of last year.
The Bermondsey man thought he did enough to edge the contest but found himself on the wrong end of a majority decision at Manchester’s AO Arena.
Kongo warned: “I’m back in my backyard, and I’m not here to play games.
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Highlights of the British and commonwealth title fight between Ekow Essuman and Chris Kongo. Repeats of Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith are on Sunday January 22 at 8am and 3pm
“Marku might think he’s dangerous, but he’s just another stepping stone on my path. I’ll show everyone why I belong at the top, starting with a victory at The O2, South London.”
Marku though is promising an inside the distance finish. “I’m really pleased that all my fans get to see me put on a special performance on this great card at The O2, live on Sky Sports,” he said.
“It’s been two-and-a-half years since my last fight in London. I can’t wait to get back in the ring and for all my fans to see me knock out Chris Kongo.”
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Chris Kongo and Sebastian Formella go the distance in a hard fought clash in which Chris Kongo wins on points at Wembley Arena
Promoter Ben Shalom said: “This is a great addition to what is going to be an incredible night of action at The O2.
“Florian Marku vs Chris Kongo is a fight fans have wanted to see for years. Finally, we will see them in the ring on Sunday March 31. It’s another unmissable ‘Bad Blood’ matchup and a must-win fight for both men.”
In the main event unbeaten heavyweight rivals Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke collide on the ‘Bad Blood’ show for the British and Commonwealth championships on Sunday March 31 at The O2 Arena in London, live on Sky Sports.