Kotai Relinquishes WBC Belt, Trains For Debut With New Trainer

PHOTO: Mihaly Kotai, seen here doing commentary for Hungarian TV RTL Klub, will soon be back inside the ropes.

25.03 - With top-rated superwelterweight Mihaly Kotai currently preparing for another British appearance on April 12 with new German trainer Theo Kerekesch in Warsaw, Poland, the undefeated Hungarian's manager Olaf Schroeder confirmed that they have relinquished the WBC International title Kotai won last year.

"We have made this decision with great regrets, because the WBC and their chairman for the International titles Mauro Betti have always treated us very fairly and with great respect," said Schroeder from his office in Bielefeld, Germany, today.

Meanwhile, Kerekesch, speaking over the phone from the Polish capital, is happy with the way the first training camp under his guidance is going: "Chris Zbarski (Kotai's promoter) has supplied us with lots of different sparring partners, so whoever will be Mihaly's opponent, we will be prepared. I am satisfied with the new things we try to add and some corrections we are working on. Most importantly, Mihaly is very keen to improve and has a fantastic work ethic - which is important for me, because that's the base to make it all worthwhile." The 66-year-old trainer came out of a retirement that lasted two years in order to take on the world-ranked Kotai, who so far is undefeated in all his 21 professional fights (with 11 wins via the short route).