By Alexey Sukachev
Fresh off his bitter TKO defeat to WBO #2 rated cruiserweight Olexander Usyk (7-0, 7 KOs) this past April, Russian 200lber Andrey Knyazev (11-2, 6 KOs) has come back to Ukraine today for a joint camp with… Usyk. Knyazev, a former Russian and WBO Oriental titleholder, will help the 2012 London heavyweight gold medalist in his preparations for the upcoming fight with Johnny Muller on August 29 in Kiev.
Knyazev himself will start his comeback a week before in his hometown of Voronezh. The 29-year old Russian boxer-puncher is scheduled to fight faded former two-time world title challenger Yuri Barashyan (27-9, 18 KOs) over eight rounds.
Barashyan, 35, from Crimean Peninsula, was once representing Ukraine as a pro but continues his career in Russia, ever since Crimea became (at least, de facto) a part of Russia. His stellar moments came in 2008 and in 2009, when he first knocked out Thomas Ulrich for the European light heavyweight title, then was defeated by WBA 175lb champion Hugo Hernan Garay in Argentina, and then – on a closer nod – by long-time WBO king Zsolt Erdei in Hungary. However, he is just 0-4 lately being stopped in his two latest fights.