Manuel Charr and Gonzalo Omar Basile will face off for the vacant WBA International heavyweight title over a scheduled 10 rounds in Goeppingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany, on Saturday, September 17.
Fighting out of Germany by way of Lebanon since 2005, 31-year-old Charr (29-4, 17 KOs) has won several regional and minor titles, including the vacant WBC International Silver heavyweight title in November 2011 by retiring Marcelo Luiz Nascimento in the eighth. He lost out on the WBC World heavyweight title in September 2012, Vitali Klitschko stopping him by fourth-round TKO, and the vacant WBC International heavyweight title in May 2014, Alexander Povetkin knocking him out in the seventh. Fifteenth-ranked by the WBA, “Diamond Boy” most recently fought this June, stopping Andrei Mazanik by seventh-round TKO.
Abundantly tattooed Basile, fighting out of his native Argentina since 2003 (68-11, 31 KOs, 1 no contest), has won minor and regional titles, including the interim WBC Mundo Hispano heavyweight title in March 2006 by beating Luis Oscar Ricail via unanimous decision, the interim WBC Latino heavyweight title in March 2008 by stopping Mauro Aparecido Gomes via second-round TKO, the vacant WBO Latino heavyweight title that September by beating Raphael Zumbano Love via unanimous decision, and the vacant IBF Latino heavyweight title in June 2013 by stopping Victor Dario Gimenez via seventh-round TKO. Forty-two-year-old “El Paton” last fought this February, beating Christian Nazareno Fernandez by unanimous decision.
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
