Fedor Alekandrovich Chudinov vs. Miguel Izek Chilemba Zuze

March 21, unless COVID-19 has anything to say about it.

Interesting clash between world class fighters in their early thirties, both of whom are removed a few years from their peaks (for Chilemba, taking a stab at Sergey Kovalev's unified light heavyweight titles in 2016, and for Chudinov losing his WBA super middleweight title in the same year to Felix Sturm).

This will be the first time campaigning under the 168lb cap for the Malawian-South African (of ancient Judean provenance) in a decade, since he drew with countryman Thomas Oosthuizen for the IBO super middleweight title.

Currently the Russian is ranked WBC #5, IBF #8, WBO #11, and is the WBA's "golden champion", whatever in the hell that is, having rebuilt momentum since the broken jaw & KO loss to Groves (and far surpassed his brother Dmitri as the family's ace) - while Chilemba is absent from the world rankings, having lost four of his last six.

 

I think Chilly in his pomp was a better fighter, but yeah...he's old & busted, and Fed's rolling. I'd be very impressed/surprised if Chudinov stopped him, even now.