Light heavyweight Vasiliy Voytsekhovsky, arguably one of the most flamboyant figures within the Russian fight scene, starred last night at the Mir concert hall in Moscow, Russia. The heavily tattooed fighter got past once-defeated compatriot David Gladun with the sixth-round TKO in a fire-fight, which served as the main event of the card promoted by Alexy Titov.

Voytsekhovsky,  25, started slowly and allowed Gladun, 31, to get well into the bout. Vasiliy’s opponent was better in the opening rounds but slowlyVoytsekhovky got rolling, applying his trademark pressure and aggression against his counterpart. 

Vasily’s punch output, better punching power, and a new-found fire range allowed the favorite to make a breakthrough in the fourth. Voytsekhovsky (now 10-0, 6 KOs) came in with a big overhand right, then repeated the trick in round five with the right hand swing. The end came in round six after Gladun (now 8-2, 5 KOs) was cornered and punished mercilessly.

The winner wasn’t very pleased with his performance. 

“Once again, my character has pulled me through. Honestly, the fight was a very nervous, very much a see-saw. I saw my opponent was tired, but my head was a mess. I cannot rate my performance higher than a C. I have a big room for improvement with my defense. Not that I was hit by something serious, but I need to improve.... not to win on my sheer will alone, I need to increase my boxing IQ, and I need to be more sophisticated and improve as a boxer. Maybe my lack of amateur background plays a role here," said Vasily.

Voytsekhovsky, who is managed by Egis Klimas and promoted by RCC Boxing Promotions, started boxing at the age of 18, but he had a rough upbringing and street fight experience as a football fan, rooting for Torpedo Moscow. A devout follower of the Russian Orthodox Church, he views his boxing career as a way to express his faith through fighting, although some of his views and their expression aren’t shared by everyone - which produces a slight halo of controversy around the fighter. 

What is next for Vasily? He called for a fight with former IBO and WBA interim light heavyweight titlist Robin Krasniqi (51-7, 19 KOs). The fight is highly unlikely under the present circumstances but there is a workaround. Team Voytsekhovsky started legal procedures to acquire Serbian nationality for their fighter, as it should help to secure Vasily fights outside of Russia. Serbia is considered a friendly nation in Russia.

“I’d love to receive Serbian citizenship to be able to fight on the world scene and, maybe, for world titles. By doing this, I’ll be able to further strengthen ties between our fraternal nations. I’m surely not planning to abandon Russian citizenship. And under present sanctions, the Serbian passport will give me a chance to fight internationally”, said Voytsekhovskiy to Russian media outlets.