Bakary Samake and Ermal Hadribeaj will meet on May 23 at Willy-Jürissen-Halle in Oberhausen, Germany, in a WBC junior middleweight title eliminator.
Samake (19-0, 11 KOs) is ranked No. 1 by the WBC at 154lbs and No. 10 by The Ring. The 22-year-old Frenchman turned professional in 2021 and enters the fight after stopping his last three opponents, including previously unbeaten Alejandro Ortiz in October.
Hadribeaj (22-0-1, 8 KOs), a 32-year-old southpaw from Albania, is ranked No. 3 by the WBC. He built much of his record in the United States before continuing his career in Europe, and last fought in November with a shutout 10-round decision over Placido Ramirez.
The bout was originally planned for the canceled April 25 card topped by Tony Yoka vs. Lawrence Okolie. After that show fell apart, the WBC ordered a purse bid, which Arena Box Promotions won with an offer of $339,817.
The winner will move closer to a shot at WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, who has recently been linked to a possible unification fight with IBF champion Josh Kelly.
Vergil Ortiz currently holds the WBC interim title, but his recent legal dispute with Golden Boy Promotions has left the mandatory picture more open.
