FORMER cruiserweight world title challenger Thabiso Mchunu returns to the ring this evening in the latest IBA fight night. Headlining in Moscow against Olympic silver medallist Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, Mchunu will have his work cut out in this 10-round bridgerweight affair.
Mchunu is no stranger to winning on the road and boasts a previous double success in Russia, having defeated Denis Lebedev and Evgeny Tishchenko. The South African is expecting a hat trick later.
‘I’m always inspired to do my best and deliver to the best of my abilities, this fight at the IBA Champions’ Night is a great privilege and I’m excited to deliver a good show,’ said Mchunu.
‘I will win this fight, they keep making the same mistake with me in Russia because I personally perform well here and it’s my favourite boxing venue.’
Those back-to-back wins should’ve heralded a new dawn for ‘The Rock,’ but he has lost his last two contests and needs an upturn in form here. In 2016, Mchunu was competitive early on against future undisputed heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
The South African’s coach, Sean Smith, thinks a change is coming for his 36-year-old fighter.
‘We need a change of momentum with his career, hopefully this could be it. We enjoy fighting in Russia and hope for more exciting opportunities with a good win,’ stated Smith.
‘We could go down to cruiserweight and hopefully get a big fight. Otherwise, if he wins, he can rematch Muslim for the WBA Championship.’
Other African boxers featuring in the Moscow IBA Champions’ Night card are Nigeria’s female flyweight Ayisat Oriyomi, unbeaten in nine fights, and Cameroon’s light-welterweight Mouhamed Oumarou, who takes on Russia’s Tamerlan Ozdoev, while Oriyomi meets Kazakhstan’s Angelina Lukas in a WBA elimination fight.
