Nikolay Potapov Ready To Shine In Stateside Debut
Oct 29, 2015 • 9:16 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
Nikolay Potapov is all set for his U.S. debut, as he appears in the chief support of Thursday’s show at Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn, New York. For the second time in six days, the intimate venue will play to a sold out crowd, with Potapov putting his unbeaten record on the line versus Pedro Melo in a scheduled 10-round bantamweight bout.
“I am very excited to fight in New York City, the world’s big stage for boxing and to box on the popular ‘Brooklyn Brawl’ series,” Potapov (13-0, 6KOs) told BoxingScene.com. “I want to make a statement with my performance, excite the fans and the press attending October 29th event.”
The 25-year old prospect has fought exclusively in Russia since turning pro in 2010 following a rich amateur career that boasted more than 150 wins and numerous tournament championships. Hailing from the blue collar town of Podolsk – roughly 90 minutes from Moscow – Potapov quickly made the transition from amateur to pro, to where his handlers opted to raise his game early in his career.
His progress caught the eye of Dmitriy Salita, a former super lightweight contender and now an active promoter in the New York City region who host’s Thursday’s show.
“I keep my eye on upcoming talent in the boxing world and have noticed Nikolay’s potential, talent and fast progression a long time ago,” Salita said of the bantamweight. “I have a great relationship with Pavel Popov of PBL Promotions (Potapov’s promoter in Russia) who brought me on board .
“I am very happy to work together with PBL to move along Nikolay, who I believe is one of the best contenders in the world. He only had 13 fights and is already ranked number eight in the world on BoxRec with fewest amount of fights in top 10 fighters. He is right behind (former champion) Tomoki Kameda, one of best fighters in the division who is 31-2, compared to Nikolay at 13-0.”
The move came at the right time for Potapov, who was due to fight earlier this year only for his opponent to no-show. It explains what has been nearly a year in between fights, though for now he can take comfort in knowing there will be a fight on Thursday.
Both fighters made weight, which means that Melo (13-10-2, 6KOs) – a durable veteran from Mexico – has made it further along than Potapov’s last scheduled opponent. Despite the 50 weeks between fights, the unbeaten Russian insists that ring rust won’t be a factor. What will be a factor is his determination to not just win, but look good in the process, knowing that it will only motivate his team to keep him active from here on out.
“I know I will stay busy and that Dmitriy Salita will get me meaningful fights and exposure I need at this point in my career,” Potapov says of his perceived future. “For this show, I already got a great amount of visibility and promotion in the boxing world and especially in the New York region.
“Melo is a tough opponent, but I am in great condition. I have been in the United States for several days training and sparring at Fight Factory gym in Brooklyn. I feel ready to perform and look forward to fighting for a world title.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
