By Grigory Stangrit (Allboxing.ru) and Alexey Sukachev

Top Russian cruiserweight Grigoriy Drozd (36-1, 25 KOs), a perennial contender in the 200lb division, now ranked #6 by the WBC, #9 by the WBA and #13 by the IBF, is out for approximately two and a half months due to an upcoming hand surgery.

In his latest win over faded Frenchman Jean Marc Monrose (25-6, 15 KOs), Drozd was forced to go the distance to win a wide UD against an opponent he would have seemingly wiped out in the other case. Drozd fought using only his left hand, omitting any use of his right.

“I hurt my right hand badly and possibly broke it in the opening rounds, while hitting Monrose’s forehead. "My surgery is planned for [this week] in Yaroslavl”, said Drozd prior to his trip to the old Russian city. “It’s an old injury, and now chiropractors will try to fix it. I’m out for two or two and a half months due to this problem. I’ll stay in shape by running and taking my time to do physical exercises”.