Labinot Xhoxhaj Becomes New EBU European Champion

On November 23 in Heidelberg, Germany, Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Zakhozhyi (19-1, 15 KOs) defended his EBU European heavyweight title (over 90.7 kg) against Kosovo’s Labinot Xhoxhaj (20-0-1, 16 KOs).

The bout lasted all 12 rounds and concluded with a unanimous decision victory for Xhoxhaj – UD 12. The judges scored the fight 116-110, 115-111, and 116-110 in favor of the new European champion. This marks the first loss of Zakhozhyi’s career.

The fighters traded knockdowns during the bout: Labinot hit the canvas in the second round, while Zakhozhyi went down in the 10th.

Zakhozhyi had claimed the title in April by knocking out Germany’s Granit Shala (16-1, 6 KOs) in the second round. For Xhoxhaj, this was his third fight of 2024, following stoppage wins over Semir Dautovic (7-3-2, 5 KOs) in April and Vaclav Trocajek (6-5-1, 5 KOs) in September.