By Alexey Sukachev
Russian super featherweight champion Evgueny “Happy Gilmore” Chuprakov (13-0, 7 KOs), a sneaky, well-rounded boxer from Ekaterinburg, Russia, managed by Vadim Kornilov, will go for his first international title on September 26 in his hometown at the Arena.
The card will be promoted by German Titov, and his son Alexey Titov will act as a matchmaker.
The vacant WBO European 130-pound title will be up for grabs, and Chuprakov’s opponent will be a tough one – the former IBF super flyweight champion Dmitry “Baby” Kirillov (31-6-1, 10 KOs).
Kirillov, 36, is very much over the hill but he can still be a better test for Chuprakov than any of his recent opponents. Chuprakov hasn’t been seen against a tough foe arguably since his win over Alexey Shorokov in November 2013.
Kirillov’s best win came six years before that with his close unanimous decision over Jose Navarro for a vacant IBF super flyweight belt. He defended it once (on a draw against Cecilio Santos) before losing it to Vic Darchinyan in August 2008. Kirillov was retired for almost five years before lacing up his gloves again in May 2013. He is 2-2 since, with his latest two bouts being losses to Marko McCullough and Dennis Ceylan.