By Alexey Sukachev
According to Boxko.ru, IBF featherweight champion Evgueny Gradovich (19-0, 9 KOs) will fight next in late November or at the beginning of December. Gradovich, 28, was previously scheduled to fight in October. The date, the venue and the opponent for Evgueny’s fourth defense of the title will be known this week.
Transnational Boxing Ranking’s #3 rated featherweight South African Simpiwe Vetyeka (26-3, 16 KOs) is rumored to be a frontrunner to fight the slugging champion. WBA #4 Vetyeka, 33, who had been campaigning in the bantamweight and super bantamweight division, had a banner year in 2013, becoming a mastermind of an entire nation in process, firstly stopping Indonesian Daud Yordan for the IBO title, then adding his compatriot and seemingly eternal Super WBA champion Chris John to a victim list in one of a bigger upsets of 2013. He lost both straps on May 31, being held to a technical decision loss to Nonito Donaire.
Gradovich fought on the same card with Donaire and Vetyeka and survived a mild scare in the sixth-round knockdown to outlast mandatory challenger Alex Miskirtchian over twelve.