What a great opportunity this is for the pair of them! Ibragimov-Holyfield undercard set![FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif] Tokarev, Azzaoui, King Khabib in action[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]September 11, 2007[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Alexey Sukachev[/FONT] It was a very, very late evening yesterday, when Yuri Fedorov, the local promoter of the upcoming Moscow boxing extravaganza, revealed the full list of combatants, who would take their part in Russian version of pugilistic Octoberfest. Though everything is subject to change, all the fighters, except Vadim Tokarev, are now paired. The show, scheduled to take place at the Khodynka Ice Palace on October 13, will start with a cruiserweight four-rounder that will feature an unbeaten Samoan-Kiwi prospect Monty Betham Jr. (5-0, 3 KOs). Betham, a pro debutant earlier this year, is going to test his skills against Nicaraguan trialhorse Milton Rodriguez (1-3, 1 KO), who has a three-bout losing streak, being consecutively disposed by his local rivals Evans Queen, Carl Davis Drummond and Henry Saenz. Former Russian amateur star "King" Khabib Allakhverdiev, also undefeated at 5-0, 2 KOs, will be featured in his first career six-rounder. The talented light welterweight will go another Nicaraguan in Elvin Perez (2-2-2). Cruiserweight powerhouse Vadim Tokarev (23-1-1, 16 KOs), rated #8 by the IBF, will be back to the ring for the first time since his spirited but unsuccessful effort in an IBF eliminator against Marko Huck. Tokarevs opponent will be determined in the near future. The first of three title fights will see Kiwi cruiserweight of Arabian descent Mohammed Azzaoui (21-0-2, 7 KOs), rated WBA #8 and IBF #15, taking on rugged Costa-Rican journeyman Henry Saenz (16-6-1, 12 KOs) for the IBO 200lb title. Two main fights of the evening will be staged at the end. Long-time Russian IBF mandatory challenger Dmitry Kirillov (28-3, 9 KOs) will finally take his spotlight against two-time title underachiever Jose Navarro (26-2, 12 KOs) for the vacant IBF 115lb belt. The event will be crowned by a heavyweight world title showdown between the reigning WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov (21-0-1, 17 KOs) and the living ring legend Evander Holyfield (44-8-2, 27 KOs) in Ibragimovs first title defense.
Pretty big move for Betham. Havent seen much of him but he looks alright so far, a little bit like a more mobile, less crude Hoppa, really fit and strong how you would expect an ex footy player to be. Id really like to see his skills tested. Azzaoui is actualluy Algerian but it aint a big deal Algeria is an Arab country. Azzaoui is not bad, I think he has set himself apart at cruiser in the region. He reminds a bit of that Erdei, very skilled, quite quick but seems to lack that mongrel and power thats needed for the pros. I think Tuassa once he sorts himself out will give him a run for his money, I think the 200 pound limit at cruiser now is a god send for Laurie who seems to be a bloke who has always been in that limbo between a small (too small) heavy and a decent sized cruiserweight. He certainly has the talent and all the moves.
It aint that good mate. I have fox for a start which means I can watch a lot of local stuff and what they replay from the UK and the states, im willing to listen to other people, people in the in industry and full blown historians of boxing and I have a decent collection on my computer and DVD. Plus youtube is great for at least getting a look at a fighter, in the past that was hard.
Thats exactly the same stuff as i do. Im a big fan of our local fighters, watch all the overseas stuff on fox, & go on youtube & catch other clips of boxers on the net.:good
Honestly I got time, I go to uni which means I do nothing. Im not sure what Kegsy does, maybe he is just someone that can retain knowledge well. For me I just breath the shuff and to be honest I do a lot more research and reading than actually watching of bouts usually.
lol @ whatarock its true i went to tafe and breezed through a diploma without any of there books or anything shame the course wasnt a bit longer so i could relax abit mroe lol, big move for betham they obviously see something they like in him, soo good on him....
being on that card is an awesome opportunity for those guys, i know azzoui and he is a good guy, i wish him well, imagine meeting holyfield, what a rush
yeah dude wouldnt it be awesome - and fighting in front of a big russian crowd would also be fantastic; i wonder if it will be anything like Rocky IV? :think
