By Alexey Sukachev

The World of Boxing promotional company is best known for staging huge, long-night tournaments, featuring the who’s who of Russian boxing – like Denis Lebedev, Alexander Povetkin or recently retired Grigoriy Drozd. However, there are different shows, produced by the leading Russian boxing group.

One – a smaller and a more club-like tourney – will take place on March 17 in a luxury village of Zhukovka, Russia. Zhukovka is a place filled with power, power of tycoons, nouveau riche’s, oligarchs etc.

The place, chosen for the night, cannot have a more fitting name – Floyd Mayweather Boxing Academy.

The show, billed simply “The Prospect”, will indeed feature three WoB’s young guns. In the main event, hard-hitting cruiserweight Alexey Papin (9-0, 8 KOs), fresh off his sensational blowout of Ismayl Sillakh, will square off against fellow undefeated but considerably less experienced Vladimir Kelesh (4-0, 2 KOs) in what is expected to be a one-sided beating. Papin, 30, had a huge year in 2017, stopping all four of his opponents in less than three rounds, Sillakh being the quickest victim.

Former amateur standout and reigning Russian cruiserweight champion Alexey Egorov (4-0, 3 KOs) can have a tough assignment against Brazilian hard nut Hamilton Ventura. Despite his questionable record (15-5-1, 13 KOs) Ventura can be really dangerous, which he showed also in Moscow by brinking recently retired 2008 Beijing gold medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev on the brink of defeat in a heated eight-rounder. Both Egorov vs. Ventura and Papin vs. Kelesh are scheduled for ten.

WBO #11 light welterweight Georgiy Chelokhsaev (13-1-1, 11 KOs) isn’t expected for a long night against Hungarian journeyman Zoltan Szabo (20-9, 11 KOs). Rounding the card is Magomed Bulguchev (5-2-1, 1 KO).