Fedor Chudinov vs. Ben McCulloch & Alexander Ustinov vs. Chauncy Welliver RBR

Top of the hour. :good

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The heavyweight bout is only a marginal curiosity - and technically isn't even the co-feature, a mere 8-rounder scheduled fourth down on the marquee below a pair of vacant Russian titles (168lb and 175lbs) featuring combatants nobody outside Russia has even heard of - with the only real question being whether Ustinov can a) stop the obese American-Kiwi and b) do so faster than Lucas Browne, who set the bar at five rounds. Ustinov has fought plenty of men as big or bigger than Welliver and they were all better (losing to Pulev but victorious over Barrett, Vidoz, Gavern and Manswell - as well as Bakhtov and Tua, who, though both shot and considerably smaller, are still better than Welliver).

They'll be a combined 600lbs. :barf


The main event, however, could be a sleeper. Chudinov is the more well-known internationally and McCulloch is barely considered in the mix with top men in his weight class domestically, but that is largely to do with their respective promotion & management rather than a reflection of talent.

Chudinov is no doubt extremely powerful and has a terrific amateur pedigree, same as his brother Dmitry - but McCulloch is tough and can belt himself, and may actually have the more accurate, tidier style between them.

This is a leap up in class for McCulloch after years of slowdowns and setbacks killed his early hype in Oz (he was supposed to have competed in The Contender: Australia in 2009 but left with a neck injury before without having fought), but he is honestly no less of a step up for Chudinov in turn. Andy Perez, the previous Chudinov opponent, ran up a 19-0 (18.) record in DR but it was extremely padded, whereas McCulloch's 14-0 (11) isn't and may in fact have more legit bright spots than Chudinov's 11-0 (9), with the biggest actual name being the brittle-boned 40 year old Czech fringe contender Stjepan Bozic.

Sakio Bika uses McCulloch as his chief sparring partner and thinks very highly of him, not only putting him ahead of the field at home but going as far as saying he can potentially win a world title. (in Bika's own division, mind you, making them possible rivals)

 

Implications:

Chudinov is currently ranked WBA #2. McCulloch is #4.

There is currently no official #1 challenger. The spot is vacant.

At stake here, then, as well as the "interim WBA 168lb title" is becoming the mandatory for the real championship held by Carl Froch.


As for Ustinov, this is his first event under the banner of Vladimir Hrunov after recently defecting from K2, ending a six year relationship. Apparently there is bitterness on both sides and part of the lure coming to Hrunov was the promise of Ustinov being put in position to settle his grudge in the ring in a fight against erstwhile handler Wladimir Klitshcko. :think

Ustinov is currently rated #12 by the IBF and not in the WBA or WBO top 15. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, Hrunov can do to get him in line.

 

Random notes:

This is actually Ustinov's 2nd outing since he stepped out from under Klitschko's wing. He was a free agent when he fought David Tua, on a card staged by Tua's longtime promoter Duco Events - but is now locked down with Hrunov.

In addition to aiming for Klitshcko and Froch respectively for Ustinov and Chudinov, the rumblings are that Hrunov is looking to land a blockbuster showdown between Dmitry Chudinov and Gennady Golovkin.

While his foe may not have much name recognition outside his continent, the fact that Chudinov is facing a real super middleweight (let alone one that is rated) is a huge relief. Before this interim title bout materialized, his last plans since he saw action were negotiations over the summer with Shane Mosley for an October 11th clash at middleweight or a catchweight thereabouts, which thankfully never happened.

 

No, based on what I've seen he is actually pretty good. He is taller and rangier, and does crisper and cleaner work than Chudinov, has solid power himself (more than anyone Chudinov has faced, but it remains to be seen whether that's enough to get his respect) and seems to have sturdy whiskers.

 

Probably confidence in his man, and perhaps the assumption that McCulloch is just a bum with a high rating - which is no doubt the most appealing kind of guy you can fly in when building someone up - but without having done much homework on him beyond glancing at his record. Watching them in action, though, I don't see it being a total mismatch unless Chudinov's power is truly just freakish. (and even then, he is a bit sloth-like and may take a while to find McCulloch, while eating straighter punches on the outside)