SELCUK AYDIN vs LUCKY LEWELE

FRIDAY UPDATE:

Turkish welterweight prospect Selcuk Aydin is taking a significant step up in class when he meets South African Lucky Lewele on Saturday in a 12-rounder that should give a good idea of Aydin’s potential.

Aydin came in at 146 1/2 pounds at today's weigh-in, Lewele 146.

Aydin, 24, was a top-level amateur who boxed for Turkey in the Olympics and world championships and was a European championships bronze medallist in 2002 and silver medallist in 2004. He was suspended for hitting a referee — suggesting an impetuous nature — and turned professional.

So far, so good as Aydin has stormed to 14 wins in a row, 12 inside the distance. His German promoter, Arena Box-Promotion, seem to be putting him on a bit of a fast track. In his last fight he outpointed an Uzbek with a respectable record, but the fight with Lewele is a much bigger step up.

Lewele lost to the unbeaten Commonwealth Games gold medallist Bongani Mwelase in his last fight but it was a tremendous contest, with Lewele knocking his opponent down twice in the last two rounds of the 12-rounder.

Before this, Lewele’s only loss in the last six years was on a split decision to the world-class Isaac Hlatshwayo. He has won away from home before, stopping the German-based Turk Alpaslan Aguzum due to a cut in the eighth round of what was a close fight up that point.

Lewele will have one of South Africa's top trainers, Nick Durandt, in the corner with him. Durandt has a successful stable of fighters and he has a lot of experience working with South African boxers away from home, including the night he steered Sugarboy Malinga to an upset win over Nigel Benn in the U.K. Aydin has been confidently predicting a KO win but Durandt told the Turkish media today that it will not be happening. Durandt feels that Lewele has too much experience for Aydin. "It will be a long, hard fight and Lewele will win," he said.

My only glimpses of Aydin have been of him blowing away overmatched opponents, but his amateur pedigree is impressive and he could be the sort of fighter who is ready to break through in a big way. I cannot imagine the Arena people making a miscalculation at this stage of Aydin’s career and they must believe in him to put him into this dangerous-looking fight.

I think that Aydin, with his ambition and energy bubbling over, and spurred on by an enthusiastic Turkish crowd, will probably rise to the occasion and punch his way to a rousing win, but he is likely to meet stiff resistance and if he stops Lewele it will be a particularly noteworthy result.

RESULT: Aydin unan. dec.