Original article (in Albanian) was published on 11/08/2023; Author: Ilda Hoxha
Robin Krasniqi did not secure the ‘WBC Silver’ title in the duel that took place on August 5th at the “Fadil Vokrri” stadium in Pristina. The French Boxing Federation has made it clear that this match was not contested for a prize.
In a post dated August 6th, the media published an article stating that Albanian athlete Robin Krasniqi had won an important title during a boxing match held in Pristina.
Robin Krasniqi turns dreams into reality, Boxer wins the ‘WBC Silver’ title, declared champion in the heart of Pristina,” writes “Shqiptarja.com”.
The news has also been reported by other portals such as: “Konica.al”, “Gazeta Koha Jonë”, “ABC News”, “Gazeta Sportal”, “Lexo.al”.
The World Boxing Council (WBC) is one of the four main organizations that organize professional boxing matches. In 2010, WBC introduced the ‘WBC Silver’ title as a replacement for interim titles. A published list by the organization includes various boxers who have held this title although Krasniqi’s name does not yet appear.
Faktoje decided to verify the article, as online search did not yield any publications in foreign media regarding the receipt of such a significant award. Only a few English-language articles from Albanian media outlets were found.
The only online development related to this match is a statement from the French Boxing Federation, clarifying what transpired during Krasniqi’s duel with Nadjib Mohammedi in their confrontation in Pristina.
The French Boxing Federation stated that due to a lack of necessary financial resources, the match was not for the announced title.
“This meeting between two experienced lightweights was supposed to conclude with a ‘WBC Silver’ belt, aimed at elevating the winner in the WBC rankings. However, due to financial reasons, it ultimately became a title-less battle,” reports the French Boxing Federation.
Indeed, Krasniqi was not awarded any belt after his victory, which is evident in the full video of the confrontation between the two boxers.
Furthermore, the French Boxing Federation, which oversees both amateur and professional boxing, assessed that Mohammedi was deprived of a significant victory.
“Mohammedi lost by disqualification in the ninth round of a fight he largely dominated against Robin Krasniqi,” states the federation’s report.
In connection to this matter, Robin Krasniqi commented on social media. Through a Facebook post, Krasniqi simply discusses his victory against his opponent but does not mention any prize. Moreover, on his social media profiles, there are no photos of him with any belt won during the August 5th match.
“It’s been almost 20 years since I started my professional boxing journey, and on Saturday, August 5th, in the evening, I had my 60th duel. In the meantime, I’ve won 2 world titles, 2 European titles, and numerous international titles. However, yesterday and today, I realized through social media that I hardly understood boxing. In fact, it looks like I came to Kosovo so the referee could give me the victory,” writes the boxer, among other things, expressing his frustration about the criticisms.
Kosovo media have also clarified in a lengthy article that the match was not for the title, despite the victory in this match by the Albanian boxer.
