Unbeaten lightweight contender Artur Subkhankulov returns this Friday at Melbet IBA Pro 9 as he takes on Tigran Uzlyan over ten rounds for the WBA Continental lightweight title live on the Seconds Out YouTube channel.
Hometown favorite Subkhankulov (9-0, 4KOs, 1-0 IBA Pro) enters the contest in fine form, following a dominant decision win over Australia’s Ibrahim Balla in April. Currently ranked at #7 in the IBF lightweight ratings, Subkhankulov will look to continue his charge towards a world title shot in the 135lbs division with another eye-catching display.
Uzlyan (12-1, 6KOs), whose only career defeat came at the hands of Bakhodir Usmonov back in 2022, comes into the bout on the back of his own career-best victory after picking up the WBA Continental lightweight title with a points win over Spain’s Juanfe Gomez in April. The 31-year old now has his sights set on spoiling Subkhankulov’s homecoming and returning to Adler with his WBA strap intact.
In the co-main event, world-ranked 168lbs contender Pavel Silyagin competes in his second IBA Pro bout when he takes on Venezuelan power-puncher Keiber Gonzalez for the IBA Pro Intercontinental super-middleweight title.
Silyagin (16-0-1, 7KOs, 1-0 IBA Pro) has strung together a series of standout victories of late, including comprehensive decision wins over Argentina’s Pablo Exequiel Corzo in July and former IBO world champion Carlos Gongora (IBA Pro) in May.
Now ranked at #7 with the IBF and #8 with the WBA, the slick, former Russian amateur star is on the verge of securing a major fight in the red-hot super-middleweight division, but will have to be wary of complacency against hard-hitting visitor Gonzalez (21-1, 18 KOs).
Elsewhere on the card, Oktyabrskiy’s Azalia Amineva (3-0, 1KO, IBA Pro) squares off against Turkiye’s Mollaoglu Neslihan (2-1, 0-0 IBA Pro) over six rounds in the welterweight division.
Local favourite Danis Gabdrafikov (4-0, 1KO, 2-0 IBA Pro) faces Kazakhstan’s Dilshat Nurym (9-1, 6KOs) for the WBA Central Asia welterweight title, while Bekkhan Israilov (1-0 IBA Pro) and Iman Ramezanpour (2-1, 1 KO, 0-0 IBA Pro) will slug it out over six rounds in an IBA Pro heavyweight contest.
In the opening bout of the evening, Russia’s Shkutyak Yaroslav (1-0) and Uzbekistan’s
Khalimjon Mamasoliev (2-0, 2 KOs) meet over six rounds in the cruiserweight division.
IBA Pro CEO Al Siesta said: “We are excited for another blockbuster week of IBA Pro action in Ufa, live and for free on the Seconds Out YouTube channel.
“The mission of IBA is to continue to deliver high-quality, competitive boxing for fans around the world – and this is another example of our commitment to that.
“[Artur] Subkhankulov and [Pavel] Silyagin are both on the verge of challenging for world titles in their weight classes, but they both have real tests in-front of them on Friday night. It is time for both men to show their championship quality and make a statement to the rest of their division.
“We look forward to showcasing the talent of IBA to the world in Ufa and guarantee a night of fireworks and top level competition.”
Chairman of Seconds Out, Lee Martin said: “Seconds Out continues its commitment to bring world-class boxing coverage to fans worldwide as we look forward to delivering all the action from the IBA Pro 9, live and exclusively on our YouTube channel.
