World ranked 175-pound contender Otis Griffin has just informed 15rounds.com that he has signed to meet once-beaten Karo Murat in an elimination bout with the IBF #2 light heavyweight ranking at stake on May 7th at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
Griffin (23-7-2, 9 KOs) of Sacramento, California rode a four-fight win streak into an IBF title elimination bout against Yusaf Mack this past March. Griffin had received a lowball offer to fight reigning IBF kingpin Tavoris Cloud, but opted to take the Mack bout instead in order to optimize his earning potential for the title bout. However, Griffin’s strategy backfired a bit, as Mack took a twelve-round split decision after several postponements of the bout. Now Griffin, currently the IBF #7 ranked light heavyweight contender, gets a second chance at making the Cloud bout a reality.
Murat (23-1, 13 KOs) of Kitzingen, Bayern, Germany is coming off of an eight-round unanimous decision over Griffin acquaintance and fellow Sacramento resident Christian Cruz which took place this past February in Germany. Murat’s only defeat came at the hands of current WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title holder Nathan Cleverly via tenth-round stoppage at the ringside physician’s request last September. Murat is currently the IBF #9/WBO #10/WBA #13 ranked 175-pound fighter.
Their light heavyweight elimination bout serves as one of main undercard attractions to the IBF Middleweight title bout between champion Sebastian Sylvester and mandatory challenger Daniel Geale.
Mario Ortega Jr. can be reached at ortega15rds@lycos.com.
