One of Russia’s most high-profile boxers, Dmitry Kudryashov (26-6, KO 25), admitted this summer on that he “ended his career a long time ago” and continues to compete because of his love of fighting. . And the last time the 37-year-old boxer entered the ring was at the end of April, when he knocked out American pugilist Sam Shewmaker in the first round. Kudryashov’s next fight has not yet been announced, but the boxer himself keeps himself in good shape and says he is ready to “go for a fight even tomorrow.”
In an interview with , Dmitry Kudryashov said how long he plans to perform and briefly recalled his street fights. And the conversation with Kudryashov began with predictions about two upcoming high-profile fights with the participation of Russians – Gassiev against Wallin and Asbarov against Papin.
“THROUGH THE FIGHT WITH WALLIN, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO JUDGE GASSIEV’S COMPETENCE AT HEAVYWEIGHT.”
— Dmitry, on September 30, the former WBA and IBF heavyweight champion, Russian Gassiev, will hold his fifth fight in the heavy division in Belek, Turkey. And finally, Gassiev has worthy opposition – Swede Otto Wallin, who is in the top 15 of the WBC, WBO, IBF rankings, who suffered his only defeat in a competitive fight in September 2019 against the current WBC champion, the British Tyson Fury.
“I asked a boxer, who I won’t name, who Wallin was, and he couldn’t tell me anything intelligible. How to say it correctly… Murat will be faced with a southpaw gifted in boxing. Yes, Wallin is not that hyped and promoted. Although Wallin is a strong boxer. This is the option in a fight with which one can judge Murat’s viability in the heavyweight division. It’s clear that Murat is already an accomplished boxer, winning belts in the premier heavyweight division. But heavyweight is different.
“A lot of people know Wallin from his fight with Fury.
— Yes, from the meeting with Fury, from the fight with Dominic Breazeale (Wallin beat the American in February 2021. — “” note). In other words, Wallin is a good option to test yourself. Wallin is a southpaw who knows how to box. I saw the fight between Wallin and Breazeale. And when Dominic stepped forward, Wallin leaned on the ropes and stood up. He doesn’t need to do this with Murat. Murat will not forgive him, because Gassiev hits hard. At the same time, we will see if Gassiev has enough punching power for a heavyweight.
I repeat, despite the fact that Wallin is unfamiliar to a wide range of spectators, he is a strong and trained boxer with the dimensions of a heavyweight (the Swede is 197 cm tall). On the one hand, this fight is a good option for Murat. On the other hand… Wallin doesn’t have much fame.
— Does Gassiev have this reputation on the scale of the royal division?
– Well, Murat is known as world cruiserweight champion. In our country, Gassiev is much more famous than Wallin, despite the Swede’s fights with Fury or someone else.
If we talk about the predictions for this fight… I understand you ask this question, but I don’t know how to answer. I would like to see Gassiev’s quick victory. It seems to me that this won’t happen… But if it works, it will be a clear success and proof of Murat’s worth as a true heavyweight. Wallin hasn’t been eliminated yet. And a quick win over Wallin would be a great candidacy. But in any case, I see Murat winning, most likely on points, but there will be no questions about this fight. If Murat pushes Wallin and puts pressure on him, the Swede will be in big trouble.
“A FIGHT WITH ASBAROV WILL BE AN EASY JOB FOR DAD”
— On October 28, Moscow will host an interesting fight in the premier heavyweight division between Russians Alexei Papin and Soslan Asbarov (more on this confrontation here)
— Probably, my opinion will not be considered objective. Even if, as a person, I can assess the chances of both… It seems to me that the upcoming fight will be an easy task for Papin. Yes, you can watch my fight with Asbarov (Kudryashov lost to Asbarov by unanimous decision in September 2022 – Rating from )… But I watch everything Asbarov did before and after me. And it goes without saying that he is a top boxer and could pose problems for Papin. I fought with Alexey, I was in the ring with Asbarov. And I see Papin as the winner of the match.
—Are you hurt by the failure of the fight with Asbarov? Or do you approach it on a “no big deal, let’s move on” principle?
“I’m not bothered by this result at all.” If Asbarov suddenly wants to try again, I will happily do so.
“It doesn’t matter who you fight with”
— You indirectly talked about a rematch with Asbarov, I would like to ask a banal question: when will we see Dmitry Kudryashov in action?
– If you have such a desire, you will definitely see it. I’m fine, nothing hurts anywhere. I was supposed to fight Lucas Browne in October, but that fight doesn’t seem to be happening.
— How long will you wait for relevant proposals?
“I haven’t expected anything for a long time. » Well, they call me, they offer me – I box. But it’s been a long time since I had any long-term plans. Although I’ll be honest, I love fighting and I will do it until I’m 80. If my health permitted. And who knows how much more I’ll box. How much God will give. So far I enjoy doing it.
— Do you just like the process, or should the control also be appropriate? Suppose they call you and offer to fight at short notice – in a week…
– Why not? I’m actively training now. At least I’m ready tomorrow.
– And the name of the opponent…
– It doesn’t matter at all.
— Are there those with whom you definitely will not fight for money?
– We need to think about it. We are talking about a sporting match and not some kind of conflict or fight. It’s a sporting competition, we are all athletes. The main thing is that it interests the public.
“DID NOT EARN ANY POINTS IN THE STREET”
– When was the last time you fought outside of the training room or ring?
– A long time ago. Surely, if he had fought, everyone would have heard about it.
– So who won “a long time ago”?
“I didn’t lose on the street.”
-Do you remember the most flamboyant fight?
– (Laughs). When did everyone applaud? I will say this: I did not win on points. Only ahead of schedule (laughs). I ended all my fights by knockout.
— Now, do you train more with iron or do you work with boxing equipment?
– Iron and boxing training. Now Zhenya Goncharov and Vitaly Bigdash arrive at the camp. I will be in good shape soon.
— You had two accelerated wagons at the start of 2023, in the summer of 2022 you moved a train weighing 300 tonnes…
“I won’t do this anymore.” It’s an unpleasant idea: you can get injured and be inactive for a very long time. This is all childish and it is better not to repeat it.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
