Had Murodjon Akhmadaliev not misplaced his IBF and WBA junior featherweight titles to Marlon Tapales final April, he’d have been entrance and heart to face Naoya Inoue for the proper to grow to be the undisputed champion.
As everyone knows, Akhmadaliev, rated at No. 3 by The Ring at junior featherweight, was controversially crushed by Tapales, thus shedding his bargaining chips. The Filipino parlayed that triumph into the Inoue sweepstakes and was finally stopped in 10 rounds.
In the meantime, the previous beginner standout from Uzbekistan returned with a win a complete win over beforehand unbeaten Kevin Gonzalez (TKO 8) final December. He hoped that might result in a long-awaited combat with Inoue.
Nevertheless, it seems Inoue will face TJ Doheny in September earlier than all being effectively rounding out the 12 months towards IBF obligatory Sam Goodman, leaving Akhmadaliev and not using a dance accomplice.
“I really feel like I used to be purported to combat Inoue when Tapales fought him,” Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 knockouts) instructed The Ring. “Tapales didn’t have a lot success towards him and I really feel I is usually a far more aggressive combat.
“I’m not in a rush to combat him, I can combat him in December however I do consider they won’t combat me. Clearly, TJ Doheny just isn’t a high contender within the weight class proper now.”
The truth is, Akhmadaliev was completely satisfied to go a step additional.
“I consider they’re attempting to keep away from the combat with me,” he mentioned. “It looks like with him being such a legend and pound-for-pound fighter that he needs to be preventing high opposition even when they’re not mandatories and I really feel I’m one of many high fighters within the division.”
His supervisor Vadim Kornilov, who additionally works with Dmitry Bivol and a slew of different high Uzbek fighters together with Israil Madrimov, needs his fighter to be acknowledged and never handed over.
“Once more there’s no rush however on the identical time I don’t suppose the combat will occur,” mentioned Kornilov. “It appears Inoue is searching for a neater combat proper now with TJ Doheny and in December, I’m assuming they’ll go one other manner or change the burden class at that time and attempt to keep away from a combat with MJ.
“If we’re what’s taking place in Saudi Arabia, the most effective are preventing the most effective and that is a kind of fights, the place the most effective would meet probably the greatest within the division and that is the place you’ll be able to show you’re the most effective, not by preventing different guys which have already been crushed quite a few occasions.”
Akhmadaliev, who’s the WBA obligatory and Kornilov appear to have a degree and are extra worthy than Doheny (26-4, 20 knockouts). Nevertheless, the 37-year-old Irish-born Australia resident, who’s The Ring’s No. 8-rated 122-pound fighter, is well-known and regarded in Japanese circles, going 4-0 there, notably besting Ryosuke Iwasa (UD 12) in 2018. His final three outings, all wins, inside the space, have additionally taken place there. Although good wins, Inoue can be a major step up.
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