Sports Digest: Uzbeks on the path to titles

The past week has been filled with significant events involving Uzbek fighters. The bout considered the biggest and most sensational fight in the history of Uzbek boxing has been confirmed. Murodjon Akhmadaliev will face the undisputed world champion. Another Uzbek boxer will participate in an eliminator fight for the WBA belt in his weight class. Additionally, footballer Eldor Shomurodov of “Roma” has once again been named the club’s best player of the month.

We will discuss these and other important sports developments today in QALAMPIR.UZ’s sports digest.

Ramazon Temirov’s Opponent and Fight Date Confirmed

Reports on social media suggest that Uzbek UFC fighter Ramazon Temirov may face Kazakhstani fighter Asu Almabaev in his next bout.

The fight is expected to take place on July 26, 2025, as part of the UFC Fight Night event in Abu Dhabi.

For your information, Temirov last competed in March this year, where he defeated American Charles Johnson by decision. Almabayev, on the other hand, lost his most recent fight to Portuguese fighter Manel Keipe by knockout.

The 28-year-old Temirov has fought twice in the UFC and won both matches. The 31-year-old Almabaev has participated in five UFC fights, winning four and losing one. The Kazakh MMA fighter’s only defeat came in his last bout.

Bektemir Melikuziev to Take Part in WBA Eliminator

Uzbek professional boxer Bektemir Melikuziev will face American boxer Darius Fulghum in his next fight.

This match is scheduled for May 30, as part of a professional boxing event in Las Vegas, USA. It will be a WBA eliminator fight in the super middleweight category.

A promotional video for the bout, held as a qualifying fight for the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt, has already been released.

The dynamic video features highlights of both fighters in professional matches as well as their training sessions.

For context, Bektemir Melikuziev has fought 16 times professionally, winning 15 bouts and losing just once. Darius Fulghum remains undefeated, having won all 14 of his fights.

Akhmadaliev and Inoue Fight Confirmed

Uzbek boxer Murodjon Akhmadaliev, who competes in the super bantamweight division and currently holds the WBA Interim title, has reached an agreement to fight the division’s undisputed champion, Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue. Promoter Eddie Hearn announced the confirmation on his Instagram page.

Eddie Hearn posted that negotiations for the fight had officially concluded.

“Negotiations are complete. A ‘Monster’ against Uzbek power. The best fight in the division,” Hearn wrote in his post.

Inoue is scheduled to face American boxer Ramon Cardenas on May 4. Akhmadaliev is also expected to fight in May. The much-anticipated super fight between Akhmadaliev and Inoue is planned for September 14 this year in Tokyo, the capital of Japan.

For your information, 30-year-old Ahmadaliyev has participated in 14 professional bouts, winning 13 and losing one. The 32-year-old Inoue remains undefeated with a 29-0 professional record.

Bakhodir Jalolov Unlikely to Face Usyk

Uzbek professional super heavyweight boxer Bakhodir Jalolov is unlikely to get a chance to fight Ukrainian star Oleksandr Usyk.

According to the Kazakh publication “Sports,” Usyk recently stated that he plans to retire after two more fights. One of those bouts will be against British boxer Daniel Dubois on July 19 in London. For the final fight, Usyk is considering either Anthony Joshua or Tyson Fury as his opponent.

This makes the chances of a fight between Usyk and Jalolov—who has repeatedly expressed interest in facing him—very slim.

Azerbaijani boxer Kamran Shohsuvarli commented on Jalolov’s career, noting that the highly anticipated fight between Jalolov and fellow heavyweight Magomedrasul Mejidov never took place.

“I didn’t even want to spar with Jalolov. I clearly remember that Bakhodir Jalolov, a two-time Olympic champion, once refused to fight against three-time world champion Magomedrasul Mejidov. Yes, Jalolov was a top-level boxer of his time, but Mejidov or Joshua didn’t achieve major success at their peak. If Jalolov had been at the Olympics when they were considered world champions, he wouldn’t have been able to stand against them,” Shohsuvarli said.

For reference, Bakhodir Jalolov returned to the ring on April 5 in Astana after a long break. He faced Ukrainian fighter Igor Shevadzutsky and, surprisingly, failed to knock out his opponent. Jalolov won the bout by unanimous decision, marking the first time he has gone the full distance in a professional match.