Aram Armenovich Amirkhanyan vs. Khuseyn Uwaisovich Baysangurov

Tuesday in Pyramide, headlining a Siesta Boxing card. This will be a "unification" of sorts between the WBO International light middleweight title (1st defense of Amirkhanyan), WBA Continental light middleweight title (1st defense of Baysangurov), and the IBF's own International title (second defense of Baysangurov), with the vacant Eurasian Boxing Parliament 154lb title also on the line.

I've not seen much of Amirkhanyan. In fact, that sounds like a made up name. It literally contains within it "Amir Khan". Is somebody at BoxRec having a laugh?

Anyway, the older brother of somewhat more accomplished Khasan Baysangurov (and younger cousin of former world titlist Zaurbek) is pretty good, from what I've seen. Last time out he was added last-minute to Khasan's undercard and destroyed a Georgian spring lamb they'd found on short notice. I'm going to assume they aren't going to risk too big a leap up in class before having stepped him up properly, so unless "triple A" is some kind of diamond in the rough I'm leaning in the Chechen's favor. Amirkhanyan did apparently compete in the AIBA championships in 2013 at welterweight (the same class in which Daniyar Yeleussinov won gold), going 3-1 representing Armenia, but didn't quite reach the medal stage. So he was at least a serviceable amateur. Baysangurov, on the other hand, was a world champ, 6x Russian champ, and 2x European champ, so...

 

"Yes, my name is Aram Evanderholyfieldian".
"Pfftt..uh, oh you're serious. Mm. *stifling peals of laughter* Okay then.
[peeved] "What? Dude, wtf? That's a very traditional Armenian name. Are you insulting my heritage?"
"No, it just-"
"It dates all the way to our people's founding, during the reign of Evan Fieldsian the great, who moved our capital from Mobilealabamayan to Yerevan.."
"Sorry, I can't! "

 

Aram Amirkhanyan vs. Stanyslav Skorokhod:
https://ringside24.com/en/video/2022/

Khuseyn Baysangurov vs. Malkhaz Sujashvili:

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I hadn't realized Triple A beat Skorokhod last time out to obtain his WBO International belt; that's a pretty good scalp actually. I'm not sure "Assadullah" (the "Lion of God") has a better one, professionally.

 

I'm rethinking my pick on this one after having watched their most recent bouts. This will be a classic boxer vs. puncher match-up, and I think I might favor the boxer here. Amirkhanyan is definitely not a hard-hitting guy, and probably can't stand in the pocket and get (let alone keep) Baysangurov's respect - but he is a light-footed southpaw with very good defensive instincts, nice sense of range, knows when to clinch (and, judiciously, how often & for how long, without getting a warning from refs with hot trigger fingers), and has in his arsenal that very sneaky line drive counter left that could end up slicing & dicing the face of a come-forward banger who knows but one speed & direction of attack (Skorokhod, a boxer-puncher with probably a higher IQ and better front-foot defense than Baysangurov, had both lower eyelids turned purple & swollen by the final bell)...

 

@Somachenko @CST80

 

Fair enough.. did you watch the Skorokhod match? You see opportunities for Khuseyn to have more success than Stas?

 

Ought to be streamed here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp8MDXplZGY9eHKonoR-A7g

 

They may have lost the cold war and space race, but they're killing us in coverage of a now relatively obscure (both globally and especially in the former meccas of the US and to a lesser extent the UK) niche sport.

 

Well call me RJJ, because I'm grateful just to be mentioned in the same breath as Matuskha Rus'.