The talent belt of Eastern Europe and Central Asia has gifted the boxing world with some of the greatest fighters ever to lace a pair of gloves. The recently retired Kazakh Gennadiy Golovkin and Ukraine’s Vasiliy Lomachenko led a golden generation from the former Soviet Union. Heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk now leads the way for a region that produces fighters with high technical ability and a mystique that draws in the Western fanbase.
Kazakhstan’s middleweight world champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly unified the IBF and WBO titles to stake a claim for the best fighter on the planet at 160 pounds, and Russian super welterweight world champion Balham Murtazaliev sat on the sidelines the entire 12 months following stoppage victories against Jack Culcay and Tim Tszyu in 2024. Murtazaliev will finally defend his hard-fought IBF title against Josh Kelly in Newcastle on January 31.
Who’s next to fall off the conveyor belt? In no particular order, here are three fighters I expect to break onto the world scene in 2026 from Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
1: Dzmitry Asanau (11-0, 5 KOs) – Lightweight – Belarus
The 29-year-old based out of Dubai linked up with Canadian promotional powerhouse Eye of the Tiger Management in 2024 following an opening period of his career on undercards in Hamburg, Germany. The accomplished amateur represented Belarus at the Rio and Tokyo Olympic Games, medalled at the European and World Championships, and claimed Gold at the 2021 World Military Boxing Championships in Moscow. I commentated on Asanau’s professional debut in 2022, where he scored an impressive second-round stoppage against Nestor Maradiaga (9-14-2 at the time), and even in the infancy of his career, he was far more naturally gifted than any of the fighters I had witnessed in the abyss of German boxing for a number of years.
In an interview with EOTT’s Head of Development, Marc Ramsay, he told FightsATW last year: “We are not going to waste our time with six-round fights. We want him in good fights quickly.” Asanau’s promoter has rolled him out four times since his signing, where he claimed a fifth-round TKO against Matias Carlos Rueda, a wide unanimous-decision victory over Francesco Patera, and a third-round stoppage over the undefeated Laid Douadi. He’s scheduled for another ten-rounder in April with an opponent yet to be announced. “It was a no-brainer for us to sign him,” Ramsay added. “He’s very disciplined and is a good kid. When we sign a fighter, it’s because we believe he will make it to the end of the road.” Asanau is currently ranked in 4th place by the WBC, where champion Shakur Stevenson is moving up a weight class to challenge Teofimo Lopez next month. The IBF also has Asanau ranked 12th.
2: Hasanboy Dusmatov (7-0, 5 KOs) – Flyweight/Super flyweight – Uzbekistan
The 32-year-old southpaw from Andijan is one of the most decorated amateur fighters ever, with his latest triumph winning his second IBA World Championship Gold medal this month in Dubai. The technically astute Dusmatov, who doesn’t mind counter punching in the pocket, made his professional debut in the relatively obscure setting of the Pablo Cesar Cano-Roberto Ortiz undercard in Mexico on November 11, 2019. Dusmatov scored a second-round knockout against the little-known Jesus Cervantes Vilanueva (9-7 at the time). It would take over a year for Dusmatov to enter the ring as a professional as he continued his medal haul in the amateurs. Ahead of his pro debut, Dusmatov had already secured his legacy with silver medals at the Asian Games in 2018 and the IBA World Championships in 2017, gold medals at the Asian Championships in 2015 and 2017, and most importantly,y he became an Olympic gold medalist at light flyweight at the 2016 Rio Games.
His professional record would slowly build against relatively low-quality opposition until he was tested against the undefeated Mexican Moises Caro in 2022, claiming a third-round stoppage victory to take his pro record to 5-0. He has since picked up routine unanimous-decision victories against Siphamandla Baleni (21-5-2 at the time) at the end of 2023 and Mark Antonio (11-2, 11 KOs at the time) this past July. Dusmatov’s most impressive showing comes from his official professional boxing. Former world title challenger Samuel Carmona went ten rounds with Dusmatov last April on Umar Kremlev’s IBA Pro circuit, a professional rules contest sanctioned by the IBA that is not included on your professional record.
Dusmatov took the wide decision on all three scorecards and had proved he could stand up to the power of a world-level operator such as Carmona despite his official record not improving. Since turning professional, the medal haul has continued in the amateurs: Two gold medals at the Asian Games and Asian Championships in 2022, two gold medals at the IBA World Championships in 2023 and 2025, and a second Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Paris Games, being the highlights. Currently ranked in 11th place by the IBF at flyweight, Dusmatov is primed to have a crack at the elite of his division. His style is fan-friendly and transfers well to the professional discipline. Managed by Vadim Kornilov and supported by the IBA, Dusmatov has the arsenal in his corner to create some big opportunities in 2026.
3: Sultan Zaurbek (20-0, 13 KOs) – Super featherweight – Kazakhstan
The 29-year-old southpaw from Shymkent has flown largely under the radar, having turned pro in 2018 with the once powerful MTK Global. Having achieved little of note in the amateur system, Zaurbek split his career between second- and third-tier events in the UK and his native Kazakhstan, while his backroom team probed his way up the rankings in more recent times with the London-based outfit, Wasserman Boxing. His opposition hasn’t been at the very highest level, but his management has worked him into 2nd place in the WBA rankings and into 3rd place with the IBF. He’s also ranked 14th by the WBO. Eduardo Nunez currently holds the IBF title and will face WBO title holder Emanuel Navarrete in February. With no fighter ranked ahead of Zaurbek in the 1st and 2nd positions in the IBF rankings, a mandatory shot at the champion will be offered in the first half of 2026.
James Dickens is the current WBA world champion following an unexpected knockout against Russian hopeful Albert Batyrgaziev in July. Russia’s Elnur Samedov sits one place ahead of Zaurbek in the WBA rankings, but he’s just a fight away from a shot at the WBA title. How does Zaurbek compare to the current champions? He’s yet to be seriously tested, but his power is being complimented with six stoppages in his last nine fights. The champions in his division are beatable and ageing, as Zaurbek is expected to come into his prime next year. Kalle Sauerland, Global Head of Boxing at Wasserman, said: “Sultan is the most dangerous and devastating man in the super featherweight division, and he is destined to rule at 130lbs.”
Honourable mentions:
Russian light heavyweight Imam Khataev (11-1, 10 KOs) did get his chance at crossing over into the elite of his division with an unfortunate majority-decision loss to David Morrell on the Shakur Stevenson-William Zepeda undercard. The R dominated the first half of the contest and scored a knockdown in the fifth round. However, despite gassing a little in the later rounds, he was the clear winner to those watching.
Ukrainian light heavyweight Daniel Lapin (12-0, 4 KOs) is highly regarded in the region and trains alongside the Usyk team. The 28-year-old southpaw has yet to show the full potential his talent suggests. Lapin sneaked past England’s Lewis Edmondson with a majority decision victory on the Usyk-Daniel Dubois undercard. It’s more likely that the towering Ukrainian will break through in 2027 or 2028, but he’s in with a shot to come through next year ranked at number 5 by the WBA.
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