Bakhram Murtazaliev could become the next star at 154 if he can clean up the division, beating the top names who are brave enough to fight.
10-year pro Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) made a name for himself with hardcore boxing fans by destroying former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu in three rounds on Saturday night at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
What IBF 154-lb champion Murtazaliev has to do now is defeat these fighters to claim the throne in the division:
– Terence Crawford
– Sebastian Fundora
– Israel Madrimov
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Errol Spence
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Murtazaliev, 31, will need to work quickly to get those fighters to agree to fight him before he starts to age. The way fighters avoid each other, Murtazaliev could take years before he gets the chance to fight most of those fighters. It is in ideal circumstances, with him he wins.
Crawford is unlikely to agree to a fight with Murtazaliev because he wants to make sure he doesn’t lose while waiting for Canelo Alvarez to bless him. In the beginning, Crawford may have thought that it would be a piece of cake for him to collect all the belts at 154, but after his fight against Madrimov, he understands that it will not be the same for him.
“We had the shock of Murtazaliev beating Tszyu. Now you understand that Murtazaliev is a very destructive and powerful force in the weight class. You have a weight full of powerful and destructive forces,” said Paulie Malignaggi to Probox TVdiscussing IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev’s third-round victory over former WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu on Saturday night in Orlando.
“You had a tactical and beautiful boxing match with Madrimov and Crawford. Which direction are you going? I don’t know if Crawford wants to fight at 154 anymore because there’s not enough star power to tickle his fancy. I think Vergil Ortiz and Murtazaliev would be a collision of destructive powers.”
“If Murtazaliev goes out there and beats all these guys. He’s not a big talker or very commercial, but guess what? He’s a bad guy. He beat a whole weight class. Now you’ve got a star on your hands,” he said. Chris Algieri. “If you can fight and beat everybody, eventually everybody will be careful.
“If you have a guy like Murtazaliev, who fought unknown for his whole career. He took money aside for a lot of opportunities. He fights with Tim Tszyu and blows him out of the water. That’s how you become a star” .
