Ali Akhmedov takes subsequent step in the direction of rivalry in opposition to Encarnacion Diaz

Ali Akhmedov is able to enter the combo of contenders at 168 kilos.

Akhmedov will sq. off in opposition to Encarnacion Diaz Thursday evening at Wayne State FieldHouse in Detroit, Michigan. The ten-round bout will happen on the Large Time Boxing USA card that will probably be headlined by the heavyweight bout between Jermaine Franklin and Devin Vargas. 

At Wednesday’s weigh-in, Akhmedov weighed in at 171.6 kilos. Diaz weighed in at 169.6 kilos.

Promoter Dmitriy Salita believes Akhmedov may very well be preventing a number of the greatest fighters within the tremendous middleweight division later this yr.

“Ali is among the most gifted fighters within the tremendous middleweight division from Kazakhstan,” Salita instructed The Ring Tuesday afternoon. “(He’s a) world class expertise (who) is a battle or two away from preventing one of the best on the earth. Large Time Boxing USA will give the followers a chance to see him develop below coach Jonathan Banks in Detroit, (which is) one in all boxing’s historic houses.”

Akhmedov (20-1, 15 knockouts), who now resides in Los Angeles, final fought on April 27, stopping fringe contender Carlos Rivero of Venezuela within the second spherical. In his earlier battle in September 2022, Akhmedov defeated Gabriel Rosado by unanimous determination. 

The 28-year-old has received his final 4 bouts since a December 2020 knockout loss to Carlos Gongora. On the time of the stoppage, Akhmedov was up on all three judges’ scorecards.

Akhmedov additionally has knockout victories over DeShon Webster, Marcus McDaniel, and David Zegarra. 

Diaz (18-4 1 No contest, 11 KOs), who’s initially from Nicaragua and now resides in San Jose, Costa Rica, stopped journeyman Celso Ocampo within the second spherical of his final battle on March 16. 

The 40-year-old Diaz has not misplaced since shedding by knockout to fringe contender Bilel Latreche on October 31.

Franklin (22-2, 14 KOs) weighed in at 254 kilos. Vargas (22-10, 9 KOs) got here in at 235.2 kilos.

In a compelling eight spherical conflict between unbeaten light-weight prospects, Joshua Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs) of close by Grand Rapids will face Roger Hilley (13-0, 8 KOs) of Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Each Pagan and Hilley weighed in at 135.4 kilos.

Salita famous tonight’s card is a mixture of fights between prime unbeaten prospects and contenders preventing in showcase fights, seeking to solidify their standing or transfer up the rankings of their respective weight lessons.

“This collection is a mix of Tuesday Evening Fights and ShoBox, with a objective of being the premier expertise growth platform in america,” mentioned Salita. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has coated boxing in Southern California and overseas since 2000. Francisco additionally covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He could be reached at [email protected]