Jameel McCline is Added To Bakhtin vs Briones Card

By Alexey Sukachev

Moscow fight card, pre-planned by top Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov for December 25, is slowly shaping up. New (and familiar) names have been added to the schedule recently, which now includes well-known American heavyweight Jameel McCline.

Another notable veteran to take part in local festivities will be former four-time heavyweight title challenger Jameel “Big Time” McCline, who has recently interrupted his two-and-a-half year-long retirement. McCline (40-10-3, 24 KOs), 41, faces popular Norway-based Russian journeyman Daniil Peretyatko (17-30, 7 KOs), also over ten.

In the main event, highly-ranked (WBA/WBC #4) Russian super bantamweight Alexander Bakhtin will tune-up against little-known Mexican Mario Briones (21-1-1, 15 KOs), whose only loss came in a fight against his only dangerous opponent (Filipino AJ Banal). Bakhtin was previously said to face former world champion Nehomar Cermeno.

Also making his comeback to the ring is highly regarded Russian cruiserweight Grigoriy Drozd (33-1, 23 KOs), who takes on Ugandan opponent Joey Vegas (12-6-1, 5 KOs). WBO #14 Germany-based Russian lightweight Eduard Trojanovskij (9-0, 7 KOs), known for his blowout of Polish perennial contender Matt Zegan in 2010, faces dangerous punches James Onyango (8-3-1, 8 KOs) over eight rounds.

Finally, making his professional debut is Russian heavyweight Sergey Rozhnov. Rozhnov, 29, was a long-time opponent for Kubrat Pulev in the Bulgarian national team, which he chose to fight for in mid-00’s. However, he is much more known not as a quality amateur boxer, but as a celebrity, after his part in the sex-tape scandal with 2006 Miss Bulgaria Slavena Vatova, making headlines in Bulgarian yellow press.