Coach Sharabutdin Atayeva Soltan Migitinov is convinced that the Russian boxer is superior to the Azerbaijani of Cuban origin Loren Alfonso.
The fight for the IBA belt in weights up to 86 kg between Atayev and Alfonso will be the headliner of the upcoming tournament “Night of IBA Champions”, which will take place on February 16 in Dushanbe. Ataev (6-0, KO 4) is the 2023 world champion and two-time champion of Russia. Alfonso is a bronze medalist at the 2020 Olympic Games, a 2021 world champion and a winner at the 2019 European Games.
“We organized a full-fledged camp and deliberately prepared for this battle. We know the opponent very well, we have met him more than once. I think we approached the fight wisely, but the ring will show everything. I think this confrontation is rather fundamental for him. We lead 2-1 (in personal meetings). And we understand perfectly that Alfonso is also preparing this meeting with a desire for revenge. We are aware of this. Alfonso is dangerous with his speed and good movements. Let’s be honest, he’s a great boxer, a world-class athlete. But the current champion is Sharabutdin Ataev. Alfonso has boxed in the final twice, been an Olympic medalist and Sharabutdin has won the world championship once so far. As a result, Ataev must continue to prove his leadership. But, in my opinion, Sharabutdin Ataev is better than Lorena Alfonso,” said Migitinov, whose words to were provided by the press service of the Russian Boxing Federation.
The upcoming fight will be the fourth in the head-to-head between Atayev and Alfonso, and so far the score of personal meetings is in favor of the Russian. For the first time, these athletes met in the quarterfinals of the 2021 World Championships, when Alfonso showed himself stronger by the majority of the judges’ decisions. But then Ataev won, and exclusively in the final – first in February 2023 by unanimous decision at an international tournament in Morocco, then in May by split decision at the World Championships in Tashkent.
The IBA Night of Champions tournament in Dushanbe will be broadcast live on the channel.
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.
