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MTK Global have today announced the acquisitions of several top-quality prospects from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
The names, easier to write than vocalise, are: Shakhobidin Zoirov and Hurshid Tojibaev of Uzbekistan, as well as Sultan Zaurbek and Azhbenov Nurtas of Kazakhstan.
Looking beyond the names, it’s clear the four have serious amateur pedigree. Flyweight Zoirov, for instance, has a 2016 Olympic gold, while Tojibaev has a victory over Team GB’s Joe Cordina, Zaurbek got the better of Olympic champion Robson Conceicao, and Nurtas defeated Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, another Olympic champion.
MTK Global CEO Sandra Vaughan said: “This is a real breakthrough for MTK Global. Central Asia is arguably the most productive conveyor belt of top-class boxers and this is just the beginning of our involvement there.
“The amateur achievements of these four young fighters are well-documented but we believe they will excel even further as professionals and we look forward to guiding their careers.
“Signing our first Olympic champion in Shakhobidin Zoirov is a huge moment. There really is no limit on how far we can progress – just about the only certainty is that he won’t be the last Olympic champion we sign.”
If history tells us anything it’s that boxers originating from a ‘stan’ country tend to know how to fight, both as amateurs and professionals. What’s more, Gennady Golovkin, the superstar known as GGG, is living proof that the language barrier, and an unconventional first and surname, isn’t enough to stop a great amateur becoming a great and famous pro.
The names, easier to write than vocalise, are: Shakhobidin Zoirov and Hurshid Tojibaev of Uzbekistan, as well as Sultan Zaurbek and Azhbenov Nurtas of Kazakhstan.
Looking beyond the names, it’s clear the four have serious amateur pedigree. Flyweight Zoirov, for instance, has a 2016 Olympic gold, while Tojibaev has a victory over Team GB’s Joe Cordina, Zaurbek got the better of Olympic champion Robson Conceicao, and Nurtas defeated Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, another Olympic champion.
MTK Global CEO Sandra Vaughan said: “This is a real breakthrough for MTK Global. Central Asia is arguably the most productive conveyor belt of top-class boxers and this is just the beginning of our involvement there.
“The amateur achievements of these four young fighters are well-documented but we believe they will excel even further as professionals and we look forward to guiding their careers.
“Signing our first Olympic champion in Shakhobidin Zoirov is a huge moment. There really is no limit on how far we can progress – just about the only certainty is that he won’t be the last Olympic champion we sign.”
If history tells us anything it’s that boxers originating from a ‘stan’ country tend to know how to fight, both as amateurs and professionals. What’s more, Gennady Golovkin, the superstar known as GGG, is living proof that the language barrier, and an unconventional first and surname, isn’t enough to stop a great amateur becoming a great and famous pro.
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