Sergey Kuzmin vs. Amir Mansour & Eduard Troyanovsky vs. Carlos Manuel Portillo RBR

They usually do, and to sweeten the pot even more the average debuting/green Russian is a good deal more skilled than a new pro with comparable experience in almost every other country in the world. Few nations treat boxing with as much reverence as Russia does, and so almost everybody that steps into a gym and comes out with the conviction (and supporting approval of their peers/coaches) is probably qualified to be in the ring, which can not be said of, say, a yokel from the American deep south who insists on campaigning professionally despite showing zero aptitude (bringing dishonor to his ancestor's roots in the Motherland...yes I'm talking about Zelenoff )

In other words, a bottom-tier 4-rounder in Russia is going to be fought at higher skill levels and provide more entertainment value than a bottom-tier 4-rounder virtually anywhere else, besides perhaps Mexico (which has a famously terrific and thriving domestic scene and provides a good proving ground for international prospects with ample room to improve on a steady-incline learning curve)

 

Be that as it may, it has always been popular. Crowds are routinely sold out (no matter the venue size) and the people cheer vociferously.

 

Next??? I thought it was the co-main event?

 

Oh never mind. The giant screens over the ring were showing the faces & names of Troyanovsky & Portillo; for a moment I worried that match was about to start while I'm still @ work.