By Francisco Salazar

Middleweight Ievgen Khytrov will return to the ring this Friday night, promoter Lou DiBella told BoxingScene.com in a recent interview.

Khytrov will face against gatekeeper Derrick Findley in an eight round bout at the Foxwoods Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. The entire fight card will air on FightNight Live's Facebook page, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT.

The hard-hitting Khytrov (14-1, 12 knockouts) last fought on Jan. 14, when he was stopped by Immanuwel Aleem in the sixth round in Brooklyn, New York.

Originally from the Ukraine and now residing in the Brooklyn area, Khytrov was moved along fairly quickly. The 29-year-old Khytrov fought only twice in 2016 after fighting five times in 2015.

Findley (27-21-1, 18 KOs) has fought contenders, prospects, and unbeaten fighters over the years, even taking fights on short notice against mostly super middleweights and light heavyweights.

The Gary, Indiana resident knocked out Donovan George in his last bout on June 23. The 33-year-old Findley has won four out of his last five bouts.

In the main event, heavyweights Alexis Santos (18-1, 15 KOs), from nearby Lawrence, Massachusetts, and Niall Kennedy (8-0, 5 KOs) of Ireland will square off in a 10 round bout.

In a clash of unbeaten cruiser weights, Joseph Williams (12-0, 8 KOs) and James Ballard (9-0, 3 KOs) will face off in an eight round bout.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for Boxingscene.com since September of 2012 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (Calif.) Star newspaper, RingTV.com, and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at santio89@yahoo.com or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing