Boxing News: Florian Marku Set to Fight Chris Kongo, Date and Venue for Grudge Match Revealed

It will be an all-British melee on March 31 at London’s O2 Arena. Highly regarded prospect Frazer Clarke will try to grab hold of Fabio Wardley‘s regional heavyweight title. But the BOXXER headline will have an additional attraction.

Bitter rivals Florian Marku and Chris Kongo will join the duo for an exciting showdown. Both welterweights made news last year after a meet-up at a press conference escalated. Lushnje, Albania-born Marku, remains unbeaten. However, Kongo hasn’t been so lucky, having lost his international silver title roughly a year ago. Whatever is said and done, the Easter Sunday extravaganza is sure to keep the viewers on the edge of their seats.

Battlelines Drawn: Florian Marku vs. Chris Kongo

Last year, Florian Marku fought Dylan Moran on the Liam Smith–Chris Eubank Jr. undercard on September 2 at the Manchester Arena. So sometime in August, while ‘The Albanian King’ was giving an interview, Chris Kongo barged in. Seemingly, he wanted a match between the two to get rolling. Yesterday evening, Michael Benson updated that the two will indeed square up to close the long-pending argument.

While he persisted, Florian Marku told him to get his act together and defeat the boxers who had beaten him earlier, such as Ekow Essuman and Michael McKinson. Then Marku told him to go away, as he had been interrupting the interview. But Kongo didn’t budge, resulting in the Albanian boxer pushing him away. Soon, a scuffle broke out. Thankfully, timely intervention from the security personnel brought things under control.

Per the available reports, Sky Sports will air the matches in the United Kingdom and Ireland, whereas Peacock will pick them for the United States.

‘The Albanian King’ and ‘2 Slick’: Career Overview

‘The Albanian King’, equally adept in mixed martial arts, began his professional journey five years ago. In 2021, he won his first belt, the IBF international welterweight title, after a split decision win over Maxim Prodan. His moment came when he knocked out the highly experienced Chris Jenkins during the first title defense on April 2, 2022.

In August of that year, fighting for the first time in his home country, Albania, Florian Marku scored a unanimous victory over Miguel Parra Ramirez, taking away the vacant WBC (interim) silver welterweight title. On March 31, he will enter the ring with a record of 13 wins, zero losses, and one draw.

Chris Kongo, on the other hand, has experienced a fluctuating journey in the past few years, going through phases of challenges and successes. Facing his first loss three years ago, he lost the WBO global welterweight title to Michael McKinson on March 27, 2021. He won the next two bouts the following year. Especially the fight with Sebastian Formella made him the WBC international silver welterweight champion. But on January 21, last year, Ekow Essuman inflicted his second defeat. His record now reads 14 wins against 2 losses.

Thus, it’s crucial for the 31-year-old Londoner to get back on his feet as soon as possible. The fighters in the 147-pound weight class might present a more nuanced and technically refined spectacle catering to the discerning taste of purists.

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Who’s your pick for the win on March 31: Marku or Kongo? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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