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27/11/08 - Aleks says he will fight Barnett in January
Aleksander Emelianenko says he will be rematching Josh Barnett at Affliction 2 in January.
The Russian heavyweight told Sports.ru that a ‘verbal agreement' for the match is in place.
"An agreement has been reached that the Affliction show on January 24th will hold a rematch with the former UFC champion Josh Barnett," he said.
"And there is a chance that before this I will fight at the traditional New Year's Eve show in Japan. But talks on this fight are still going on."
Aleks and Barnett had a memorable fight in the Pride organization and the Russian has frequently insinuated since then that Barnett is scared of fighting him again.
But the accusation is something that Barnett has always strenuously denied.
Backstage video of the first Affliction show in July this year showed Barnett looking for Aleks in the dressing rooms.
When he found him, he said: "I'm not scared to fight you again."
In addition to announcing the Barnett fight, Aleks told sports.ru that he would soon be taking up professional boxing.
He claimed he has negotiated his debut with Golden Boy Promotions (Oscar DeLa Hoya's company).
According to Aleks, he will box not because the money is better, but to revive interest in boxing across Russia.
John Joe O'Regan
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