IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev has been medically cleared to resume training without limitations, and Kathy Duva of Main Events gives an update on what could be on the horizon.
The 32-year-old undefeated champion Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) hurt his right hand prior to facing Tim Tszyu in October. With an injured hand, Murtazaliev still performed a demo job on the former WBO champion Tim Tszyu, scoring a third-round TKO. That night, Tszyu was a considerable odds favorite, and Murtazaliev introduced himself to the boxing world as a major player with a massive stoppage on Prime Video.
The hard part is getting a fight after beating one of the most avoided fighters in the division at the time, but it appears Murtazaliev and his promoter Duva plan on returning soon for a big fight now that he has been medically cleared to train without any restrictions.
The junior middleweight division is red hot, and after a huge win by WBC interim champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. on Saturday and victories by contenders Charles Conwell, Xander Zayas, Jesus Ramos Jr., and Serhii Bohachuk in the last six months, Murtazaliev wants to ensure that the fans know he is ready for all challengers as his name isn’t brought up enough in those conversations. His promoter, Duva, recently gave FightsATW an update on what could be on the horizon for Murtazaliev.
“Bakhram (Murtazaliev) was recently given the all-clear by his doctor to start training,” said Duva. “The good news is that his hand feels good. Ramadan starts on Friday so he plans to begin training in earnest after Ramadan ends in late March. In the meantime, we will wait for the result of Fundura-Booker (March 22) and begin to consider all of the available possibilities for a fight sometime in June. But at this point, other than the general desire to unify the titles, there is not yet a clear plan in place for Bakhram’s next fight.”
Murtazaliev has been active on X (or the person he has designated to run his account if not him), and in the past month, he’s posted, “I’ve started to notice that none of the ‘champions’ mention my name. The question is why?” and “The champion has a name! Remember this!” This update by Duva is promising, as fans have been eagerly anticipating the return of Murtazaliev, who appears ready to get back in the ring.
Whoever Murtazaliev fights next, one thing is for sure: fans will tune in as he has displayed his toughness and strength at the highest level. The only question that remains is who will be that fighter that will take the tough test of facing Murtazaliev. It won’t be long before we find out.
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