Magee relinquishes European title in pursuit of world honours

Brian Magee has vacated his European super-middleweight crown to concentrate on his impending WBA world title challenge to Dimitry Sartison which is expected to take place in the new year. The EBU title will now be disputed between Stas Kashtanov and the first available top rated boxer.

The 35-year-old Magee, currently the WBA’s mandatory challenger, made a successful first defence of his European title with an eighth round retirement stoppage of Roman Aramyan in Dublin last month to seal his world title crack.

Reigning WBA champion Sartison, 27-1 (17), captured the vacant WBA title with a sixth round stoppage over Stjepan Bozic and unanimously outpointed Khoren Gevor in his first defence in July. The man from Kazakhstan’s solitary defeat came at the hands of the renowned Mikkel Kessler via a twelfth round knockout in June 2008.