Listen up, boxing hipsters!
It’s a weekend you’ll probably reference for years to come: Oleksandr Khyzhniak’s professional debut.
The popular Ukrainian fighter, who won middleweight gold for his country at the 2024 Paris Olympics, makes his debut this Saturday in a pay-per-view event in Lesniki, Ukraine, under the Usyk17 Promotion banner promoted by Oleksandr Usyk.
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So if Krzynyak wants to achieve even a modicum of success in the sport like Usyk, Vasily Lomachenko and the Klitschko brothers, you can introduce him to your mates in a bar a few years later, and just before he retired he had an in-depth chat with The Uncrowned Ahead of Saturday’s WBC middleweight title fight, originally scheduled for late January, Adamus exudes a confidence that will force Adams to dig deep if he wants to defend his 160-pound title this weekend in Orlando, Florida.
Adams was no fool. The Dominicans performed well last time out in Saudi Arabia against common rivals Shirazi, but unfortunately the night ended in a draw after confirming their game plan against the English.
But Adames should be ready for a different kind of fight as he defends his crown for a third time. Williams is an aggressive fighter who comes forward and has enough evidence to prove that the challenger won’t back down in the DAZN main event.
2. Olympic gold medalist Szyznyak makes his professional debut
Look, predicting whether an amateur boxer will successfully transition into the pros is a bit of a fool’s game – but I’m willing to play it with the aforementioned Oleksandr Khyzhniak.
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The 30-year-old is an all-around destruction machine whose life has been greatly affected and will be looking to continue his success into the professional game after nine years on the losing side.
His amateur record was 126-17, with gold medals at the Olympics, World Championships, European Games, European Championships and Youth World Championships. Next? Hoping to beat Colombian Wilmer Baron 1-0 as a professional.
Under the watchful eye of Oleksandr Usyk, Khyzhniak has all the tools to become a superstar in the years to come – so don’t miss his first move this weekend so you can claim you “knew him before he was cool” like I did with Geese this year…
Ukrainian gold medalist Oleksandr Khyzhniak poses on the podium during the medal ceremony for the men’s 80kg boxing category at the 2024 Olympic Games.
(Anadolu, Getty Images)
3. Lidard continues his middleweight push
George Liddard lit up the York Hall in east London last October, knocking out Kieron Conway in the tenth round to become the British and Commonwealth middleweight champion.
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A few months later, the 23-year-old from Essex became the talk of the domestic Matchroom stables – and he’s taking to the world stage starting this weekend.
Lidard will headline for the second time in a row on Saturday night at London’s Copper Box Arena when he faces veteran former European middleweight champion Tyler Denny, with a win for Lidard potentially giving him a world title shot sooner than expected.
His weekend promoter, Matchroom chief executive Frank Smith, saw the £160 opportunity, claiming “the sector is open” and “there aren’t too many stars out there”.
But Eddie Hearn’s promotional outfit could see Austin “Ammunition” Williams and George Lidard soar up the middleweight rankings if their stars align this weekend.
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4. Alim refuses to admit he was a huge loser to Martinez
With BetMGM odds of +900, Immanuwel Aleem is one of the biggest dogs of the weekend.
The 32-year-old dubbed “The Chosen One” will take on the undefeated Lester Martinez this Saturday night on ProBoxTV, with the Guatemalan looking to bounce back from a frustrating draw with Christian Mbili last September.
The super middleweight bout in San Bernardino, Calif., is for the interim 168-pound WBC title, with underdog Aleem confident he can become the first to break the 30-year-old Martinez’s record.
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“I don’t understand what a loser is. I can fight. I can see. And I have hands,” Aleem explained during media workouts this week.
If only boxing were this simple…
Teremoana Teremoana is a fearsome presence in the ring.
(Matt Roberts via Getty Images)
5. Teremoana Teremoana is so good, they named him twice
Footballer Jay-Jay Okocha was one of the most exciting players in the Premier League throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
The Nigerian is a brave, flamboyant and exciting attacking midfielder whose skills and flicks can easily confuse the best defenses in the world.
They’ll say “JJ is so good, they named him twice” Australian heavyweight Tremoana will look to take a leaf out of Okocha’s book this weekend as he continues to climb the heavyweight ladder.
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The 28-year-old, who is 9-0 since turning pro in 2020 and served a nine-fight layoff, will return to action this weekend in Orlando for the first eight-round fight of his career.
Tasked with derailing the Teremoana x2 train, Curtis Harper brings his 19-12 record to Caribbean Royals after losing to American southpaw Roney Hines three weeks ago.
