by Pavel Yakovlev (2/1/10) – Heavyweights Timur Ibragimov and Awadh Tamim will finally meet this Saturday, six weeks after their original match was postponed due to a training injury sustained by Ibragimov. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds, and it is reportedly for regional belts sanctioned by the WBA and IBA.
Tamim (11-1; six kayos) is a heavy underdog against the seasoned Ibragimov. However the fight could prove to be action packed. In a previous appearance in Russia against Denis Bakhtov, Tamim revealed himself to be a swarming, aggressive fighter with a stiff left jab and a strong overhand right. The Tanzanian native has fast hands and is powerfully built, standing 6’1/2” tall, and weighing 230 lbs.
Ibragimov (26-2-1; 14 kayos), although known chiefly as a safety-first technical boxer, can be explosive when he connects with his heavy right hand.. In a 2007 match against Timo Hoffman, Ibragimov’s thudding rights repeatedly had the rugged German on rubbery legs. Ibragimov also evinced his power in a 2006 bout against Calvin Brock. Brock won the fight by decision, but admitted afterward that he was hurt early by Ibragimov’s right hand, and consequently felt compelled to box cautiously.
Thus, Tamim’s attacking style could compliment Ibragimov’s favored tactic of right-handed counterpunching. “He’s busy with his hands and you never know what he’s going to do next,” said Ibragimov of his opponent. Ibragimov also stated that he and his trainers had formulated a fight strategy after studying films of Tamim.
The Yuri Fedorov Sports Lab promoted event features two other regional title bouts as well.
World rated Russian middleweight Dmitry Pirog (14-0; eleven kayos) will meet Aaron Mitchell (27-1; 21 kayos) in a scheduled 12 round match. Pirog (ranked 4th by the WBC, 15th by the WBA, 12th by the IBF, and 15th by the WBO) won the WBC International middleweight title last June by decisively outpointing the more experienced Ghanan Kofi Jantuah. Pirog also holds knockout victories over Kuvanych Toygonbayev and Aslanbek Kodzoev, who are both formidable opponents.
Standing 5’11”, Pirog is an aggressive, hard-hitting boxer-puncher who throws every punch in the book. Constantly moving his upper body in many directions, Pirog is not easy to hit and he makes ample of use of a variety of punching angles. He is a very energetic fighter who works behind a busy, stiff left jab, and he never misses an opportunity to work the body. Impressive also is that Pirog uses fast footwork to maintain optimal distance between himself and his foes at all times. Pirog definitely has “killer instinct”. When he senses that his foe is hurt, Pirog quickly unloads with heavy combinations, evincing flashy finishing power with both hands.
Mitchell, of Vero Beach, Florida, is a puncher himself, having stopped 21 opponents. But the heavily muscled American lacks Pirog’s speed, athleticism, and firepower. Mitchell has not yet fought anyone of Pirog’s caliber: Mitchell’s best-known opponent so far is journeyman Manning Galloway, whom he kayoed in 2002. Also, at 40 years of age, Mitchell is 11 years older than Pirog. Thus, it is hard to imagine that the American will offer Pirog must resistance this Saturday.
In a 147 lbs. bout scheduled for 12 rounds, Vitaly Demyanenko (17-0; 11 kayos) meets Argentine veteran Jorge Daniel Miranda (34-7; 13 kayos). At stake are Demyanenko’s WBO Asia Pacific, WBC Asian Boxing Council, and PABA welterweight title belts. The world rated Demyanenko (ranked 12th by the WBC, 10th by the WBA, and 9th by the WBO) is a southpaw who is known for his aggressive style. Noteworthy is that Demyanenko is the son of Viktor Demyanenko, who won a silver medal for the USSR in the 1980 Summer Olympics as a lightweight.
For Demyanenko, this fight represents a minor step upward in the caliber of his opponents. Miranda is a seasoned professional who has beaten previously undefeated fighters Hector David Saldivia and Victor Manuel Purreta. However, Miranda has been knocked out three times himself since 2008, so there are indications that he may be vulnerable. At 26 year old, Miranda is the same age as Demyanenko, but the Argentine, after 41 professional fights, is probably not as fresh as his Kazakh opponent.
The card also features four preliminary bouts. Light welterweight Khabib Allkhverdiev (11-0; six kayos) of Uzbekistan meets Kenya’s Kevin Onyango (6-4; one kayo) in a scheduled eight rounder. In a scheduled eight round light heavyweight fight, Roman Simakov (9-1; five kayos) of Russia faces Ukrainian Vasyl Kondor (18-8; five kayos). In a super bantamweight bout scheduled for eight rounds, Sahi Usarov (13-0; six kayos) of Tajikistan faces Ilhom Rahimov (6-0; four kayos) of Uzbekistan. At heavyweight, Magomed Abdusalamov (6-0; six kayos) meets Kenyan Raymond Ochieng (20-9; 17 kayos) in a scheduled six rounder.
Saturday’s promotion will be held at the Aquarium Hotel at the Crocus Expo Center in Moscow. It will be broadcast live via www.ringstars.ru and Russian network television. Ticket information is available at http://www.ringstars.ru/contacts/.