Russian heavyweight of the PFL league Oleg Popov explained to why his fight with Sergei Pavlovich in 2015.
Pavlovich currently competes in the UFC; in 2023, he challenged for the interim heavyweight title in a fight with Britain’s Tom Aspinall, but was defeated. Popov, 32, is competing in the PFL Grand Prix and will face another Russian fighter, Denis Goltsov, in the final.
— On your statistical resource Tapology, you have a cancelled fight with Sergei Pavlovich. Could you really fight in 2015?
– Yes, we had to fight. At that time I was under contract and in all my first fights I was most often a substitute, having 10-14 days to prepare. Then I had a combat sortie, I was in the fields, they offered me to fight, I asked the commander for leave and fell ill with pneumonia before the battle.
— What did you know about Pavlovich at that time?
“I knew him, I knew that he was a rising star, that he was a strong guy, he demolishes everyone in the first or second round. In fact, I heard a lot about him. In fact, Sergei also served under contract and acted according to the rules of army hand-to-hand combat. And I myself often traveled to the Southern Military District to attend the Chepik tournaments and the Margelov Cup, they told me that Sergei Pavlovich was just before me and that he played well,” Popov told .
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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.
