Franck Petitjean was supposed to rematch Enoch Poulsen for the European junior welterweight title on June 10 in Paris. However, Poulsen has withdrawn from the bout due to an injury. As a result, the European Boxing Union has scheduled Petitjean to face Samuel Molina at the same venue on the same date in a fight promoted by Europrom. The winner of this match will challenge the champion Poulsen at a later date.
Poulsen won the vacant title last April in Copenhagen, Denmark after a tough 12-round unanimous decision against Franck Petitjean. Due to the close outcome of their first fight, a rematch was planned which did not materialize despite several attempts from both sides. Therefore, it has been decided to maintain the title’s active status by allowing Petitjean to face the highest-ranked available contender.
Petitjean, a 35-year-old southpaw fighter with a record of 23-6-3 (6 knockouts), turned professional in 2010. Although he has lost a couple of fights, he has learned from them and has progressed in his career. He won the French national title and moved into European class, but fell short against Mohamed Mimoune (UD 12) and Poulsen (UD 12).
Meanwhile, Samuel Molina (25-2, 11 KOs), a 24-year-old Spanish fighter, has been highly active since turning pro in 2017. Molina has won all of his 25 fights at home and is also a former national champion. He secured that title by defeating once-touted Jon Fernandez via a 10-round unanimous decision.
However, Molina has struggled in his two fights outside of Spain, losing to Artem Harutyunyan (TKO 5) and Francesco Patera (MD 10). Molina has won his last six bouts and currently enters this fight in great form.
Notably, Molina has fought six times since Petitjean’s last fight.
This fight gives Petitjean a big opportunity. He has the home advantage and will be the favorite to win against his much younger opponent, provided the ring rust — due to his having fought in only one bout in the past four years — does not hurt him.