The European cruiserweight situation has changed again.

Firstly, Leonardo Mosquea was injured and unable to defend his title after Knockout Promotions had secured a fight for their man Mateusz Masternak to challenge got the title in Zakopane, Poland, on October 4.

In stepped Artur Mann. However, the German was also injured and unable to face Masternak (49-6, 32 KOs), who will now instead face experienced campaigner Joel Djeko (19-3-1, 9 KOs). The two will contest the vacant title at the same venue and date.

"We've faced a series of challenges in the lead-up to our upcoming event, but we’ve worked tirelessly to ensure the show goes on and to secure a title opportunity for Mateusz Masternak," Jacek Szelagowski the Vice-president of Knockout Promotions told The Ring.

"After learning that Leonardo Mosquea had suffered an injury, our team immediately began searching for a suitable replacement. Artur Mann, a German fighter known in Poland for his victory over a local competitor in a previous main event, was quickly secured and ready to step in.

"However, after a week of finalizing the fight details and beginning promotional efforts, we were notified that Mann, too, had sustained an injury, forcing us to go back to the drawing board. Our team left no stone unturned—reaching out to multiple boxers, sending emails, and making countless calls—but one by one, each option fell through for various reasons.

"At this point, we'd like to extend our special thanks to the European Boxing Union (EBU), who stood by us and offered invaluable support in these challenging circumstances. With their help, we received special approval to bring in a second replacement: Belgian boxer Joel Djeko.

"Djeko, a tall and unconventional fighter, stands nearly two meters tall and brings a unique challenge to the ring. But Mateusz Masternak did not hesitate for a second to accept the fight. We are proud to have secured this high-stakes showdown and look forward to an exciting, action-packed battle. With so much on the line, we’re confident that fans will be treated to a thrilling spectacle."

Masternak has been a professional since 2006. The Polish fighter won his first 30 fights and claimed the aforementioned European title, but lost it in an 11th-round stoppage defeat to future WBC titleholder Grigory Drozd. Afterwards, he came unstuck in 12-round losses to Youri Kalenga and another future cruiserweight champion in Tony Bellew.

However, he bested former unified cruiserweight kingpin Jean-Marc Mormeck in a 10-round split decision before stopping Kalenga after six rounds of their rematch. A narrow competitive defeat by former two-time champion Yuniel Dorticos saw him exit the World Boxing Super Series in the opening round, back during the division's 2018-19 season.

The 38-year-old contender rebounded with six consecutive victories to earn a shot at then-WBO titleholder Chris Billam-Smith. Although he was leading on two of the scorecards after seven rounds, he was stopped with a broken rib in the eighth. The 38-year-old has since returned with two victories in 2024 - most recently a points nod over Floyd Masson.

Djeko made his professional debut in 2011. He lost an early fight to Alexandru Jur (MD 4), drew with Bilal Laggoune (D 8) and later on lost to Craig Kennedy (SD 10) in May 2016.

The 36-year-old found some form with wins over grizzled veteran Valery Brudov (UD 6), Simone Federici (UD 10) and previously unbeaten Ricardo Snijders (UD 12) saw him given the opportunity to face 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka, who stopped him in the 12th and final round up at heavyweight in March 2021. He has fought just twice since.