Igor Mikhalkin: record, next fight and profile →
It appears that former WBA, IBF cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev will hold his next fight against Turkish boxer Hizni Altunkaya, according to a report by Ring Polska . BoxingScene.com previously reported that Lebedev will return to the ring in Chelyabinsk on September 7.
EC Boxing stage the first show of the season on September 15 at the Hansehall in Luebeck (Germany). On the bill are light heavyweight stars Igor Mikhalkin, 21-2, reigning IBO champ Karo Murat, 32-3-1 and IBF Baltic and Swedish titleholder Sven Fornling, 14-1 along with super lightweight Fatih Keles, 10-0-1, and heavyweight Ali Eren Demirezen, 9-0.
Ratings for HBO’s boxing doubleheader Saturday night seemingly were impacted by direct competition from premium-cable rival Showtime. HBO’s main event, Sergey Kovalev-Igor Mikhalkin, attracted a peak audience of 674,000 and an average audience of 599,000, according to ratings revealed Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research. The co-feature of HBO’s “World Championship Boxing” offering, Dmitry Bivol-Sullivan Barrera, drew a peak viewership of 570,000 and an average viewership of 512,000.
Kovalev vs. Mikhalkin Fight Photos Gallery - New York, NY: Sergey "Krusher" Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KOs) of Russia delivered another trademark crushing performance with a seventh round stoppage of Igor Mikhalkin(21-2, 9 KOs) of Russia at The Theater at Madison Square Garden to retain his WBO World Light Heavyweight Championship. Photos by Ed Mulholland.
The Theater, Madison Square Garden, New York City - WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev (32-2-1, 28 KOs) stopped Igor Mikhalkin (21-2, 9 KOs) in the seventh round. What hurt Mikhalkin in this contest was his lack of power. Mikhalkin was able to land some good shots and landed them often, but there was no power on them - which made Kovalev keep coming and keep throwing.
Kovalev, Mikhalkin, CompuBox - Like all great punchers, Sergey Kovalev's offense is his defense. His offensive numbers are not overly impressive (although he did land 6.5 jabs per round, slightly higher than the light heavy. avg.), it's his defense.
On Saturday night from the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Sergey Kovalev makes his 2018 debut as he faces Igor Mikhalkin in defense of his WBO light heavyweight title. The "Krusher'' won that belt on November 25th as he knocked out Vyacheslav Shabranskyy in two rounds.
Sergey Kovalev figures he's known Igor Mikhalkin since he was about 17, back when they were amateur teammates in Russia. Come Saturday, that will mean nothing. "We were like friends, but only friends can beat on each other and don't be upset at each other," Kovalev said. They meet in the Theater at Madison Square Garden for the WBO light heavyweight title that Kovalev (31-2-1, 27 KOs) regained in his last fight after dropping it in the first of his consecutive losses to Andre Ward.
Kovalev, Mikhalkin Weight-In Photos Gallery - Upsetting Kovalev on Saturday night will take by far the best performance of Mikhalkin’s career. Kovalev, the defending WBO light heavyweight champion, is regularly listed as a 20-1 favorite in a 12-round fight HBO will televise from The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.