Iegor Golub on Berinchyk's Underdog Status

Ukrainian coach and Ready To Fight ambassador Iegor Golub, in an interview with the YouTube channel Tyke Myson, discussed his perspective on his athlete, lightweight fighter Denys Berinchyk (18-0, 9 KOs), being seen as the underdog in his upcoming fight against WBO junior lightweight champion Emanuel Navarrete (38-1-1, 31 KOs).

- You've watched his fights. I believe you've seen a lot of bouts. He's genuinely a top-tier fighter, having captured titles across three boxing divisions. That's an impressive feat. In your opinion, what boxing qualities have enabled him to accomplish this?

- I think it's his anthropometry; he's quite tall. Then there's the Mexican boxing school ethos, throwing a barrage of punches. He's unique, somewhat awkward in his movements. A very intriguing opponent for us.

- But there are flaws in his game, correct?

- Plenty.

- Like what? Anything specific you noticed that you can share?

- No, I won't disclose anything. Let's just hope all goes well, and we can discuss more details afterward, whether it pans out or not. But there's a strategy for every boxer, a counter for every move. Everything is within Denys's and my reach.

- His last bout was somewhat challenging, but he managed to defend his WBO belt with a draw against Robson Conceicao. What's your take on his most recent fight?

- Well, his bouts tend to follow a similar pattern. The fight with Robson was particularly appealing to me. Robson is also a complex boxer. They brought the fight to a draw. It even felt to me that this fight outshone the main event that night. Shakur Stevenson fought someone. It was a captivating match, an unconventional boxer. We'll see, as they say.

- As it stands, the bookmakers have Denys pegged as a considerable underdog for this fight. How accurate do you think this is? Is Denys really such a big underdog, or is he not an underdog at all in this matchup?

- If people and the bookies reckon we're the underdogs, then so be it. There was a point when the odds were something like 4.25 for Denys. I don't delve into this stuff; they set the odds, and they set them. They once had Oleksandr Usyk at 2.9 against Anthony Joshua. But we saw what happened. Let them set whatever odds they like, Golub stated.

The bout between Berinchyk and Navarrete is expected to occur on May 18.