By Per Ake Persson

Rakhim Chakhkiev (16-1, 12KOs) lost to WBC cruiserweight champ Krzysztof Wlodarczyk this past weekend and thus also loses his position as mandatory challenger for EBU champion Mateusz Masternak. With hindsight it´s easy to see that the talented Russian was in too soon against an experienced champ like Wlodarczyk. Had he instead fought Masternak first and gained some valuable knowledge on fighting long distance fights he might have pulled it off.