Bakhodir Jalolov: Future Star?

Bakhodir Jalolov: Future Star?

By George Priestman

In an era where heavyweight boxing has become the money division, a fascinating breadth of fighters exist right now with exciting matchups to be made.

These fighters possess serious knockout power and the age-old mantra of ‘one punch can end a fight’ is the very definition of heavyweight boxing. Which is exactly why these fighters top the bills and why fans rush to the stadiums and purchase the pay-per-views because they want to see action just like this.

With the focus very much on the fighters at the top-level right now, up and coming heavyweights aren’t as well publicised as they should be. Names that most boxing fans will be familiar with would be Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, and Tony Yoka but you can add Uzbekistan fighter Bakhodir Jalolov to that list.

Who Is He:

The giant Uzbekistan fighter has begun his professional career in good fashion, with a record of six fights, six wins and six knockouts. Following on from a very successful amateur career which has given him vital experiences as a foundation to build off at the start of his pro career.

He stands at a menacing six foot seven inches, in a southpaw stance and he is a man who carries serious punching power. However, what makes him different from all the other big punching eastern European fighters is that he possesses terrific hand speed and really sharp footwork which allows him to mix it up with staying behind the jab and controlling fights or allowing him to find opportunities to detonate the left hand.

Amateur Career:

At only 25, the Uzbekistan fighter has put together a very good amateur career that deserves recognition. Four years ago, at 21 years of age, he managed a Bronze medal In the AIBA World Boxing Championships where Frenchman Tony Yoka took the crown.

After that experience, he went on to become two Asian Champion between 2017-2019. Then, he won the coveted AIBA World Championships, beating Kamshybek Kunkabayev in the final. His total amateur career to date is 61 wins and 11 losses and he will be looking to go all the way in Tokyo in the summer as he ventures to win Olympic Gold.

What’s Next:

At the beginning of any fighter’s career, promoters look to match them up with fighters usually of a lower level therefore the fighter can improve and get that vital experience before moving through the ranks. At 25, there is no real rush to jump into fights against much more experienced fighters.

Perhaps this is why he has chosen to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo for Uzbekistan in the Super Heavyweight (+91kg) discipline. With many regarding him as a favourite for the gold medal, it a big statement to win gold as many fighters who do so, go on to fight at the pinnacle of heavyweight boxing; Anthony Joshua, Wladimir Klitschko Alexander Povetkin and Lennox Lewis to name a few.

Whilst It is no guarantee of success in the future, it is certainly a significant factor and something that will elevate his profile and perhaps get him closer to fighting higher level opponents more quickly.

Currently, he stands ranked at 162 in the world on Boxrec but make sure you follow his Olympic journey to get a real sense of his talents as I suspect he will become very well known in years to come.