On April 6, Russian boxer Bakhram Murtazaliev became the IBF world champion in the super welterweight division(69.9 kg), defeating Jack Culcay in a fight for the vacant title in Germany. The representative of Russia knocked out his opponent in the 11th round. At that moment, two judges (Polish Pawel Kardyni - 96-94 and American Francis Jackson - 99-91) gave the victory to Murtazaliev on their scorecards, while the third (German Karoline Pütz - 95-96) had Culcay in the lead.
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In an exclusive interview with Telecomasia.net, Bakhram Murtazaliev:
- talked about the tricks of Jack Culcay's team;
- explained the difficulties of fighting on the 27th day of Ramadan;
- found Tim Tszyu’s offer strange;
- named his preferred opponent;
- evaluated Tszyu's defeat to Sebastian Fundora;
- revealed the optimal time and place for the first title defense.
"I was ready to fight on Mars or Saturn"
- Bakhram, how did you react when your fight with Jack Culcay was scheduled for April 6, just before the end of Ramadan?
- I thought it was impossible. My only condition was to fight before Ramadan. I was ready to fight anywhere, even on Mars or Saturn. We spoke with my manager, everything had already been discussed, the fight had to take place before Ramadan. And then this happened. I called my manager right away. He said they should offer two dates, that nothing was confirmed. But a week passed, and there were no new dates. Then my manager called me and said they sent a letter to IBF. They responded that boxing nights, the Champions League, and other competitions are held in Muslim countries. Basically, they said that fasting and holding fights is normal practice.
The opponent's team was going to sue the IBF if they changed the date for me. I took it as an ultimatum. If I didn't fight, I would be removed from the rankings. I'd been number one for four years and then suddenly it was either I fight or end my career. Fasting during Ramadan is a duty of a Muslim. I had to train at night and sleep during the day. In the end, that’s what we’ve got. Their plan was very good. They would have tied my hands and legs before I entered the ring if they could. It was Bakhram's shadow that fought. I had no strength, no endurance, nothing in this fight.
“It’s wrong to schedule a fight on the 27th day of Ramadan"
- Sounds like they would have tied your hands and legs, if it had been in the rules.
- I told my manager and promoter that it felt like they took me to his backyard to take the belt. Scheduling a fight on the 27th day of fasting was absolutely wrong and ungentlemanly! My body was already exhausted; I had to cut the last two kilograms on the day of the fight. After that, you can't do anything, you have to wait until seven in the evening, then have a drink and eat. It was really very difficult.
- The opponent needs to be put in an uncomfortable position. They can also be understood.
- This is a sport. It would be very degrading for me, for example. Speaking for myself, what's the point of winning if the opponent can't give his 100% during the fight? There must be some honor, dignity.
- Can your situation be compared to fights that boxers take on short notice?
- It's different. People sign up for that, they take risks. I mean, I'm in the rankings, I'm at the top, I've been there for over four years. I didn't deserve to be in such conditions.The IBF should have accommodated me in this situation, but they didn't. What’s going to happen next time? They’ll tell me to defend the belt during Ramadan. I'd rather just give it away. I would say: "Thanks for letting me wear it for a bit."
"I'm a bad example of a Muslim"
- Can you be used as an example to other Muslims who do not fight during Ramadan? "Despite the difficult conditions, Bakhram Murtazaliev won the title in Ramadan on his opponent's territory, knocking him out in the 11th round. What about you?"
To be honest, I am a very bad example. I do not recommend anyone to fight during Ramadan. The worst part is that in the last ten days, I had to pray all night, be in the mosque, and read the Quran. And I was just preparing for the fight. I’m the worst example. I am an example of what you shouldn’t do.
- Almost the entire 11th round you were chasing Culcay around the ring, and he wouldn't fall. What were your thoughts at that moment?
- I found my second wind in the tenth round. After the fifth or sixth round, I felt tired and spent two or three rounds in a real slump. My legs were shaky, my arms felt weak. But going into the tenth round, I felt like I got back maybe 30-40%. At that moment, I knew I could push harder. With each round, he was slowing down due to the damage to his body. I wasn't sure about the knockout, but I was confident that I would secure the championship rounds. He ended up missing a left hook and he took it real hard. I don't know how he managed to stay on his feet. He was swaying like a bobblehead. I chased after him for a long time because I couldn't hit him properly.
- Was Culcay the toughest challenge in your career?
- If you look at my record, there are no seriously tough fights in it. I created all the difficulties myself. I was fighting with COVID-19, then a broken rib, or a fever. Mostly, whenever there was competition in a fight - it was created by me. I wasn't prepared for them very well. Culcay had a very rich amateur career. If you do the math, he was head and shoulders above everyone I've fought. It's hard to evaluate him correctly because I was far from my best condition. Endurance is my main advantage, but I was starting to get worn out after the fifth round and couldn't perform at 100%.
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"I want to fight Fundora"
- Are there any indications of fights against other champions?
- First, I would fight with Sebastian Fundora. We are in the same promotional company. He has two belts. It’s perfect. But most likely, he will have a mandatory defense. They mentioned an Englishman, Josh Kelly. As far as I understand, he's supposed to fight someone in May (Kelly's fight hasn't been officially announced yet). I was offered to fight in July and go to the opponent's country. These people are something else. Why don't they want to fight on equal terms? We are both ready, let's see who's better. Why should I be the one who’s underprepared? It's just not right. I have a title, so I will fight when I want to. If they want to take the title, they should adapt.
- How should one work against Sebastian Fundora?
- I think you just need to hit his body and not overthink it. Basically, he's not the most technical or fast guy. But his height is different. It's slightly inconvenient that he's a southpaw, but fighting him isn’t some unsolvable mystery. Tim Tszyu proved it in the early rounds, by the way.
- Did the cut that Tim Tszyu received at the end of the second round hinder him from defeating Sebastian Fundora?
Before the fight, I told the coach that Fundora would win. I was about 90% sure of it. I don't know why everyone thought Tszyu would dismantle him. Their height difference is 20-25 cm, Fundora has very long arms, he works very well. At the beginning of the fight, Fundora just got back into the groove after a long break. There's no denying that the cut did its job. However, Artur Beterbiev fought with a much worse cut against Marcus Browne. For me, Fundora was the favorite before the fight.
"My coach couldn't come to the fight"
- Did you receive any offers from Tszyu's team?
- Exactly, Tim Tszyu and his team offered me a fight in July. I told them to come to America, we'll fight here. Right now, it doesn't make sense for me to fight on his turf if he has nothing to offer. America, September-October, I'm ready to fight anyone, it doesn't matter.
- You had Daniel Bagdasarov in your corner, not Roma Kalantaryan. Why?
- Roma is still my coach. Daniel was just an assistant who came to replace the coach. Due to some circumstances, Roma couldn't make it.
- Did this greatly affect the course of the fight?
- I think it did. My coach and I went through all the preparation, starting from May last year. He's a good psychologist, very calm person. He sees the whole picture in the ring and during sparring. He gives me correct clues, he’s not panicking. The cornermen I had just now, they were more nervous than me, and that caused me more stress than necessary. But they are great guys, they helped me a lot. However, it’s the coach that should be in the corner.
- What's the situation with former undisputed champion Jermell Charlo?
- Honestly, I don't know. I didn't really follow him after he relinquished the title. If he returns, why not. At this moment, if he stays in this weight class, Jermell is the strongest boxer. I would gladly fight him. I would give him the chance that he didn't give me.
"Fundora is my priority because he holds two belts"
- The fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev has been officially announced for June.
- Artur had a fantastic fight with Callum Smith. There wasn't a single moment where you could think that something was wrong with him. So, for me, the odds are 55 to 45 in favor of Artur. It was a fantastic fight, I am a fan of both boxers, I really like how they fight. I'd rather have no predictions, I'll just watch it. I think it's going to be an unbelievable fight.
- In The Ring magazine, you are ranked tenth in your weight division and without a photo. Do you have anything to say to the authors of the ranking?
- No. Their job is to compile rankings. For example, in Boxrec, in 2018-2019 I was ranked 12-13. And in 2022, it was already 50-80. That's how they want to rank me. The main thing is that we have a belt, now everyone will want to fight me. I will fight two or three boxers who are higher than me in the rating, and, God willing, I will advance. If I don't move up after beating them, it's not a big deal.
- Do you want to challenge anyone?
- I would fight Fundora. He is my goal. Charlo, Errol Spence, and everyone else are after him. Spence has moved up to our weight. He challenged Fundora. I would also fight Tim Tszyu, but in America. I'm from Russia, he's from Australia. I think it would be fair to have a fight on neutral ground. Fundora is my priority because he holds two belts.
"There’s a chasm between Lomachenko and Kambosos"
- Sebastian Fundora can fight Terence Crawford due to WBO commitments. What would be the result?
- I am a big fan of Crawford, so I will root for him, I’m giving him about 95 percent. Terence is currently one of the strongest boxers in the world. But I wouldn't rate him higher than Vasyl Lomachenko in his prime. Over the last 10-15 years, no one has done what Lomachenko did. He's just been very unlucky in professional boxing. He’s a phenomenal athlete.
- I would pick him in a fight against Devin Haney.
- Absolutely. Anyone who understands boxing would give the win to Lomachenko. Even promoter Bob Arum apologized to Vasyl.
- On May 12, Vasyl Lomachenko will face George Kambosos.
- Kambosos' last fight, in my opinion, was not very good. Lomachenko should not have any problems because Devin Haney went to Australia and beat George. There is a deep chasm in terms of boxing between them. Although Kambosos did surprise everyone once by defeating Teofimo Lopez.
