Hard-hitting Ghanaian Sena Agbeko is in a confident mood as he gets set for the biggest night of his pro career, live on Showtime, as he faces off against heralded amateur standout Vladimir Shishkin.

The pair square off on February 17 at Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut and will act as main event on the Salita Promotions card that also features rising stars such as Mark Reyes Jr who clashes with Janelson Figueroa Bocachica in the co-main event.

Agbeko discussed his preparation for the Shishkin clash, a fight that is arguably a massive step up for the Ghanaian.

Agbeko said, “Camp has gone unbelievably well for me. I’m feeling really confident going into this fight and I can’t wait to show off my ability and shock a lot of people. Shishkin is a good fighter but so am I, and I’ve been ready for an opportunity like this for a long time, so I’m excited to take it.

“I want to thank my advisor Mike Leanardi and Victory Sports and Entertainment for getting me this opportunity to box on Showtime, and also thank you to Dimitry Salita and Salita Promotions for facilitating that. As I said before this is the opportunity I’ve been craving and I’m excited to shock the boxing world with a victory next week.”

Agbeko’s opponent comes in the form of heralded amateur Vladimir Shishkin, who enters the ring with a perfect 11-0 record, with 7 of those victories coming inside the scheduled distance. Agbeko opened up on his mindset entering the fight with the undefeated Russian. 

He said, “I know all about Shishkin. He was a world class amateur and he is a good professional. I believe I am a lot more experienced as a professional, however, and this experience will play a factor in the ring on the 17th.

“I am very fit and very strong. This is something you don’t get in amateur boxing. Professional boxing is very different physically and I believe I have the advantages from a physical standpoint. This will be a key factor in this fight.

“I believe a victory against Shishkin will open a lot of doors for me. I am fighting on a massive platform, live on Showtime, and it’s a platform millions of people will be watching throughout the USA. I know that if I box to the best of my ability and win, that I will continue to get more big opportunities. So I am ready to take this chance with both hands.”