By Alexey Sukachev
It was quite a long time ago when we heard something new and something positive about a whole bunch of Russia-based fighters, guided by influential local promoter German Titov and his partner Kirill Pchelnikov. BoxingScene contacted Titov (2007&2008 Russian promoter of the year, according to the Professional Boxing Federation of Russia) to erase this white spot.
Here is what German has to say.
About WBO middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog (18-0, 14 KOs), “Dmitry will most probably fight his obligatory challenger and fellow compatriot Gennady Martirosyan in late August or in September. Pirog rejected the American offer to fight overseas as it was highly unprofitable. Money for Dmitry is here, in Russia, and not in the States right now. Dmitry himself wants to clash against WBO #1 Martirosyan (22-2, 11 KOs) in Krasnodar, which is just a few miles away from his home. The probability of the fight is over 90%, and Team Martirosyan waits for the signed agreement, so we hope to resolve all remaining issues in the shortest time possible. This collision will be televised on the same basis we used for Maciel fight – there will be a broadcast for Russia and for the United States as well”.
About WBO #12 light welterweight Ruslan Provodnikov (19-1, 13 KOs), “Ruslan was first scheduled to fight on July 22 on ESPN. However, for a variety of reasons his next appearance is moved to August 12. Ruslan, who is currently preparing for his future opponent, who isn’t solidified yet, will fight a ten-rounder in the main event of the Friday Night Fights”.
About 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medalist Felix Diaz (9-0, 6 KOs), “Felix is also in preparations. He will come back against a serious opponent on the undercard of Provodnikov's fight. It’ll be a title bout but I’m not sure about the number of rounds yet”.
About 2008 Beijing Olympics super heavyweight bronze medalist Vyacheslav Glazkov (9-0, 6 KOs), “Our Ukrainian hope is currently in the States working hard in the gym. Next for him is a televised eight-rounder in July. We are high on Slava, and we feel he is the future of his weight class”.
About perennial cruiserweight contender Grigory Drozd (33-1, 23 KOs), “I’m glad Grigory is finally back to work. We missed him. He took a long time off to think about his future in boxing but he is now serious about coming back and fighting the best. He has recently conducted a warm-up (UD 8 over 13-33-3 Remigijus Ziausys). Another one will follow in September. Then we are planning a major title fight for him but I’m not sure about which particular belt we shall go after”.
About Uzbek light middleweight Sherzod Husanov (15-0-1, 7 KOs), “I cannot say anything definite in regards to Sher’s future. I’m not yet convinced he will continue his boxing career. There’s a bunch of reasons, which can prevent him from doing that”.
About WBO #3 lightweight Alisher Rakhimov (22-0, 11 KOs) of Uzbekistan, “To my mind, Alisher is one of the most talented guys in neighboring weight classes. He is aging slowly but his skills are still intact. However, we need a major fight for him. There’s a probability we shall get one in September. Alisher is ranked third by the WBO. Surely, Juan Manuel Marquez will not fight us but there’s a chance that the interim title will be vacant, and we shall look at this opportunity”.
About WBO #15 featherweight Vyacheslav Gusev (19-2, 5 KOs), “We are planning it big for Slava. With a strong financial and pecuniary support from Kemerovo government (Kemerovo is Gusev’s hometown), we shall look for something really big. I’m planning a major title fight for Vyacheslav at the end of this year in Kemerovo, and that’ll be really huge”.
About WBC #9 light heavyweight Roman Simakov (17-1-1, 8 KOs), “Roman will have a title fight somewhere in 2011 but this will be a minor title fight. Simakov himself knows he isn’t ready for something big right now. Before aiming at the best in his weight class, he should prepare himself well, and we shall offer him this opportunity”.
About his Russian activities, “This summer is pre-planned to be rather lazy. I’m not going to stage something serious here this time. However, the upcoming autumn will be much more interesting. As for the nearest future, look for July 2 Tyumen extravaganza, promoted by Kira Plotnikova, which will feature an interesting clash between Fariz Kazimov (12-1-1, 3 KOs) and Dmitry Mikhailenko (11-0, 4 KOs) for the so-called Supercup super final. This should be a thrilling affair”.
