By Per Ake Persson

Panama´s largest promotional outfit, Promociones y Eventos del Istmo, have signed up unbeaten Zapir "Zap" Rasulov, 25-0. "El Zap" hails from Russia but have been fighting out of Berlin during his pro career and is managed and trained by Mario Pokowietz.
 
Rasulov have held the Youth titles with the WBC, IBF and IBO but have yet to fight any names. Zapir have been fighting mainly at jr welter and welter.
 
The road to Panama came with stablemate and now WBA regular middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin, but Rasulov couldn´t get a visa in 2010 and was inactive the whole year. It was similar in 2011 when Zapir only had two fights at home in Berlin - a year in which Pokowietz and Rasulov parted ways with Golovkin.
 
However, after finally making his Panamanian debut in March, Istmo was so impressed with Zapir that they signed him to a promotional deal.