He repeated the experience by organising the World Boxing Championships Salim Medjkoune/Mahyar Monshipour in Clermont-Ferrand in 2003 and 2004.
He lost his belt to Thai Somsak Sithchatchawal on 18 May 2006, in a match that won The Ring Fight of the Year and Harry Markson Awards, the latter the prize for "fight of the year" awarded by the Boxing Writers Association of America.