Ready to Fight's summer recruit, manager Max Michailew, has been coaching Ukrainian boxing hotshots and Ready to Fight flagbearers Petr Ivanov and Karen Chukhadzhian. Post-bout, Max gave us the lowdown on their latest ring victories and the roadmap ahead.
On October 28th, under Munich's bright lights, our Ukrainian sluggers Chukhadzhian and Ivanov threw down some show-stopping performances, much to the delight of the German crowd.
Ivanov stepped into the squared circle for an IBF second middleweight division ranking scrap. But there was a plot twist – his original dance partner dropped out due to visa woes. Enter the stand-in, who Ivanov adapted to on the fly and dispatched with a TKO in the fourth.
The headliner? Chukhadzhian's tango with Italy's Pietro Rossetti. Karen not only bagged the IBF International welterweight strap – a prize that wasn't even on the bill initially – but also earned high praise from promoter Erol Ceylan for his world-class boxing skills. Karen, the bullfighter, tamed Rossetti with the flair of his coach, former world champ Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Manager Michailew's got a gut feeling: Chukhadzhian and Ivanov are on the world champion trajectory.
Rewind to early 2023: Chukhadzhian vied for world glory but got edged out by a whisker in a split decision against the American hotshot Jeroen Ennis. Still, Michailew's stoked that Karen's German showcase, where he's ranked 22nd in BoxRec, got eyeballs from the IBF President Daryl Peeples.
Plans for Ivanov?
Michailew's crystal ball shows Germany as fertile ground, yet the world title chase might pull him to foreign turf. As for Chukhadzhian? Fresh off his October triumph, he's eyeing a leaderboard leap in the IBF ranks, with sights set on division dominator Terence Crawford.
As for Ivanov, currently the IBF's seventh-ranked international champion, he's poised to climb the ladder post-victory. Saul Alvarez sits atop his division's throne, but Ivanov does not shy away from a challenge.
P.S. We're all in – knuckles white and cheering for our champs to conquer the boxing world!