PROMOTERS Branco Milenkovic and Don King will clash for the second time.

PROMOTERS Branco Milenkovic and Don King will clash for the second time.

The two boxing gurus first clashed last week for the right to host the IBF bantamweight championship eliminator between their respective charges, Vus'Umuzi Malinga and Joseph "King Kong" Agbeko. Milenkovic and King could not reach agreement and the IBF will call for purse bids this week.

Now the two promoters are squaring up for the WBA cruiserweight championship. Milenkovic had made a surprise move by signing mandatory challenger Valery Brudov. The 33-year-old Russian has an impressive CV of 38 wins (27 KOS) against two losses.

King controls the champion from Panama, Guillermo Jones, who has 36 wins (28 KOs), three defeats and two draws.

The WBA has already called for a purse bid scheduled for January 21.

Milenkovic snatched Brudov from under King's nose. The veteran American promoter was still negotiating with the fighter when he was snapped up by Milenkovic.

Milenkovic told Sowetan yesterday he had signed a two-year-deal with Brudov.

Two weeks ago Milenkovic outbid top-ranked promoter Bob Arum for the IBF mini flyweight championship between Nkosinathi "Mabhere" Joyi and Arum's fighter Raul Garcia.

Milenkovic said he would do his utmost best in both purse bids against King.

It is obvious that Milenkovic, who has competed successfully against the world's biggest promoters, has outgrown the local market by signing this Russian cruiserweight fighter.

Milenkovic was bestowed with the lifetime achievement award for his successes by Sport Minister Makhenkesi Stofile in 2008, while both the WBC and IBF voted him their promoter of the year.