By Alexey Sukachev

Comebacking former fringe contender Alisher Rakhimov (25-2, 12 KOs) was forced to withdraw from his upcoming fight versus up-and-coming Russian prospect Aik Shakhnazaryan (8-0, 2 KOs) after being a victim of a brutal assault in his native land of Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. Rakhimov was scheduled to take on Shakhnazaryan on Nov. 4 in Krasnodar, Russia, as a part of Oleg Maskaev vs. Corey Sanders showdown.

“I got out of the gym and went home, when I was approached by several men”, recalls Rakhimov. “Are you Alisher Rakhimov?” they questioned and asked me for a collective photo. Then one of them suddenly sprinkled from a gas barrel, and the others began beating me using a bat in process. My leg was badly injured during this assault… I’m still recovering. I hope to start jogging and light conditioning in a week or so. I’ll ask my managers to re-schedule a fight with Aik Shakhnazaryan for a later date”, added the 35-year old former Uzbek Olympian.