Ruslan Chagaev and Francesco Pianeta looking sharp and ready for their WBA Heavyweight Championship showdown on Saturday (July 11th)

WBA World Heavyweight Champion Ruslan Chagaev and challenger Francesco Pianeta are ready for their title fight this Saturday (July 11th) at GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Germany. Both fighters looked very sharp and focused at the public workout at Allee Center in Magdeburg doing some pad work with their trainers Dirk Dzemski (Pianeta) and Pedro Diaz and Artur Grigorian (Chagaev).

“I enjoy being in Magdeburg”, says Chagaev. “I have received a very warm welcome and feel great being here.” Added coach Artur Grigorian: “Coming to Magdeburg feels like coming home for me. I defended my WBO World Lightweight Championship here back in 2002. The fans here are great and very supportive.” Chagaev had to pose for tons of photos and gave lots of autographs after his short training session.
Challenger Francesco Pianeta looked very calm and relaxed and said that he is looking forward to the fight. “Obviously, this is a tremendous chance for me,” said Pianeta. “Training camp went very well. Dirk is satisfied and when my trainer is happy, I am happy, too!”