Bakhram Murtazaliev could become the next star at 154 if he can clean up the division and beat the top names brave enough to fight him.
10-year professional Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) made a name for himself among hardcore boxing fans by destroying former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu in three rounds last Saturday night at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.
What IBF 154-lb champion Murtazaliev needs to do now is defeat these fighters to claim the throne in the division:
– Terence Crawford
– Sebastian Fundora
– Israel Madrimov
– Serhii Bohachuk
– Errol Spence
– Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Murtazaliev, 31, will have to work fast to get those fighters to agree to fight before he starts to age. As fighters avoid each other, it could take Murtazaliev years before he gets a chance to fight most of those fighters. It’s under ideal circumstances, with him winning.
Crawford is unlikely to accept a fight with Murtazaliev as he wants to make sure he doesn’t lose while he waits for Canelo Alvarez to bless him. At first, Crawford may have thought that it would be a piece of cake for him to take down all the belts at 154, but after his fight against Madrimov, he understands that it will not be the same for him.
“We had the shock that Murtazaliev beat Tszyu. Now you realize that Murtazaliev is a very destructive and powerful force within the weight class. You have a weight full of powerful and destructive forces,” said Paulie Malignaggi Probox TVdiscusses IBF junior middleweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev’s third-round knockout victory over former WBO 154-lb champion Tim Tszyu last Saturday night in Orlando.
“You had tactical and beautiful boxing with Madrimov and Crawford. Which direction are you going to take? I don’t know if Crawford wants to fight at 154 anymore because there isn’t enough star power there to pique his fancy. I think Vergil Ortiz and Murtazaliev will be a clash of destructive forces.”
“If Murtazaliev goes out there and beats all these guys. He’s not a big talker or very marketable, but guess what? He is a bad man. He beat an entire weight class. Now you have a star on your hands,” said Chris Algieri. “If you can fight and beat everyone, eventually everyone is going to pay attention.
“When you have a guy like Murtazaliev, who’s been fighting unknown for his entire career. He put money aside for a lot of opportunities. He fights Tim Tszyu and blows him out of the water. That’s how you become a star.”
