Vladimir Igorevich Shishkin vs. Sergey Khomitsky

Wednesday in St. Petersburg, Russia, headlining a Patriot Boxing card (owned by promotional newcomer Alexander Popov*, who just a year into the game already has the domestic rights to Murat Gassiev - shared with the Florida based Warriors Boxing - and the Chudinov bros). The interim WBA super middleweight Asian title is on the line. Neither man is currently ranked top 15 by the WBA, nor any other major org - potentially able to punch a ticket in with this bauble, or at least push nearer that outer threshold. The bar for cracking the WBA's top 15 shouldn't be too high to clear, as there are names down there as obscure as Jayde Mitchell and Mickael Diallo...and former contender Paul Smith, whose last meaningful victory was notched over Tony Dodson 5 years ago, going 5-4 since then.

Shishkin has three inches of height and seventeen years' worth of "youth" advantage on the Belarusian yeoman. That said, Khomitsky is a huge step up in class for the Russian national amateur bronze medalist, yet to graduate beyond 8-rounders and here scheduled to go twelve with a far more dangerous opponent than his previous best rival, trial horse Konstantin "The Volga Cossack" Piternov (failing to stop or even drop Piternov, an indicator to separate the decent prospects from the chaff). The elder boxer is coming off a loss to Dmitrii Chudinov, who in turn lost earlier this year to Lolenga Mock (who's even older than Khomitsky, by three years). For nearly two decades now, the Ghost has served as truth serum for prospects and contenders, upsetting many an unready youngster and performing well even in his losses, of which only two were stoppages (the first of those at the hands of Golovkin, a bout which celebrated its eleventh anniversary last Friday). It has now been over three years, however, since his last upset (over Adam Etches, then 18-0 @ the Sheffield Arena)

Shishkin vs. Piternov, last December:

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Chudinov vs. Khomitsky, this February:

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No word on whether this card will be televised or streamed anywhere. Watch this space.

*I believe - though can not yet confirm - that he is the same Popov that fought @ heavyweight in the 90's, peaking with a spirited broken-nose loss to future world titlist Bruce Seldon:

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I'll be rooting for ol' Siarhei but I think he takes a wide UD loss here, after having a look at their respective most recent outings.

Shishkin lacks the amateur pedigree of the Night Wolf but is much fresher (Chudinov's victory over Khomitsky on the WBSS semifinal Callum Smith vs. Nieky Holzken undercard was sandwiched between the aforementioned defeat to Mock and then a subsequent wide UD loss to Uzbek prospect Azizbek Ogli Abdugufurov earlier this month, following three years spent toiling in the gutter fighting in dull affairs with gormless opposition after being outclassed & stopped by Chris Eubank, Jr.) and he should be able to form the same kind of protective moat around himself with his rangy & busy jab that shorter & slower Chudinov was able to do in his match with Khomitsky, whose killer instinct seems greatly diminished lately - and who got plunked on his ass by Chudinov walking into a weak and not particularly fast 1-2.

 

@Somachenko @PinoyProdigy anybody have the inside track on a FB stream or TV broadcast, anything?

 

Yeah, and his style is too careful & measured to fit the profile of unbeaten guys that Khomitsky has in the past been able to break and deflower - pampered, come-forward types like Buglioni & Etches who got spoiled bashing up tomato cans and fell in love with their power, coming to believe erroneously that with no finesse required they could just walk through anybody.

 

This definitely won't air on Матч! Боец; they're showing an M1 kickboxing show instead, with Sergei Kharitonov vs. Frédéric Sinistra headlining, from 8pm-midnight local time in Moscow.

 

On the off chance we find an outlet to watch this card, the co-main event is a showcase for Vladimir Gagikovič Saruhanân, an unbeaten Armenian-Russian super lightweight prospect who boasted a "good but not great (or even very good, quite frankly)" amateur career...eliminated consistently from international tourneys by the likes of José Carlos Ramírez and Fatih Keleş, and trying but failing to earn a spot on Russia's national team for the London Olympics.

 

Saruhanân's opponent will be 22 year old Uzbek hard-charger Ziyoyidin Zaynidin Ogli Toxirov, who debuted last April, went on a 4-0 (4) tear, and then hit a brick wall in the form of Zaur Abdullaev, knocked out halfway into a classic "somebody's 0 must go" prospect battle.

Vladimir Gagikovič Saruhanân vs. Maxim Churbanov:
(his most recent fight, versus Zoltán Szabó on the Gassiev vs. Dorticós undercard, is unavailable online near as I can see. The upload the WBSS has on their YT channel includes 3 hours' worth of supporting matches, but starts cutting in at the very end of Hurricane Futa's upset over Vage Saruhanân - not sure if any relation, btw, kind of would be surprising if not...)

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Zaur Abdullaev vs. Ziyoyidin Toxirov:

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