By Alexey Sukachev
Denis Berinchyk, the most recent signee of K2 Promotions, will make his long awaited debut on August 29 as a part of Kiev night of boxing, which will feature WBO I/C cruiserweight title match-up between Olexander Usyk and Johnny Muller as its main event.
Berinchyk, 27, will fight a familiar opponent for Ukrainian fight fans. 39-year old Belgian Tarik Madni was 14-0 when he lost his undefeated record to Wladimir Kravets on a one-sided unanimous decision in August 2010 in Donetsk. In his very next fight Madni was beaten equally one-sidedly by Victor Postol, this time in Kiev. Madni was just 5-7-1 since his loss to Kravets, and his record now reads as 19-8-1, 1 KO.
Berinchyk is a teammate of Usyk not only in terms of professional boxing. Both were integral parts of exceptionally talented Ukrainian amateur national team, which dominated the international unpaid ranks in 2011 and 2012 – which also included such blue-chip prospects as Evguen Khytrov and Olexander Gvozdyk, another prospect Taras Shelestyuk and reigning WBO featherweight champion Vasyl Lomachenko. Competing as a light welterweight, fan-friendly slugger Berinchyk won silver medals in both 2011 world championship in Baku and 2012 London Olympics, getting nods over such fighters as Jeff Horn, Thomas Stalker, Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo and Anthony Yigit among others.