By Peter Lim

An eclectic cast of foreign fighters will take the stage at the latest Savarese Boxing fight card at the Bayou City Events Center in Houston. Prospects from Kazakhstan, England, El Salavador, Nigeria and Puerto Rico will showcase their skills tonight.

Arriving in the United States just two months ago, Radmir Akhmediyev has already generated substantial buzz among those who have watched him spar and viewed footage of his amateur bouts. Akhmediyev, 24, will make his pro debut tonight against Chris Doyle (0-1).

Although knockouts and TKOs are rare in the amateur ranks, Akhmediyev stopped 25 of his 80 opponents over an eight-year amateur career that saw him tally a 63-17 record. For his first sparring session in the United States, he was thrown in the ring and held his own against former titleholder Austin Trout.

Despite his outwardly confident and laid back demeanor, Akhmediyev said the prospect of turning pro in a foreign land has had butterflies fluttering in his belly.

"I am very, very nervous," Akhmediyev told The Houston Chronicle. "I cannot sleep at night. I think about it all the time."

Having fought seven of his eight pro bouts on the Savarese stage, Pablo Cruz (8-0, 3 KOs) of El Salvador has become one of the more attention-grabbing boxers at the event, thanks in part to his raucous cheering section that includes his own mini marching band. Cruz's mode of combat in the ring is equally energetic; he is a face-first brawler who doesn't mind absorbing a punch or two on to get on the inside where he excels at trench warfare.

"The main thing is I have to look great and look like I'm dominating the fight," Cruz told the Chronicle. "If the knockout comes, it comes; if it doesn't, it doesn't."

Cruz, 27, will face Raymond Chacon (5-9) in a six-round featherweight bout.

Coming off a minor setback in his career, Nigerian-American Darlington Agha (9-0-1, 6 KOs) takes on Eric Lindsey (3-13, 1 KO) in a heavyweight bout. In his last bout, Agha was held to a draw against an opponent he had previously defeated.

Small for a heavyweight at six-foot-even, Agha, 31, said he has improved his game recently by incorporating some James Toney's slick, elusive, counter-punching moves into his style.

"Boxing's an art," Agha said. "It's not checkers, it's chess - every move sets up the next one."

Puerto Rican lightweight Ivan Otero (13-2, 4 KOs) will face Adam Ealoms (3-5-3, 1 KO) in a six rounder. Otero, 27, has fought his almost exclusively under the Savarese banner since he turned pro in 2010.

Undefeated Craig Callaghan (6-0, 4 KOs) of Liverpool, England, will face Robert Hill (3-17, 1 KO). A six-foot-one welterweight, Callaghan, 26, has scored two first-round knockouts since his long-awaited visa to fight in the United States was finally granted in February.

In other bouts:

Heavyweight Steven Moreno (6-1, 6 KOs) takes on Jamal Woods (5-13-3, 5 KOs).

Welterweight Alberto Robles (2-0, 1 KO) faces Willie Miller (0-8-1).