Danny Roman fights Murodion Akhmadaliev: A preview

If you haven’t heard of Murodjon Akhmadaliev, perhaps you should have.

The undefeated 25-year-old Uzbek won the bronze medal at bantamweight at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and has moved swiftly as a pro to establish a 7-0 (6) record and navigate his way into the WBA mandatory contender position at super bantamweight.

This Thursday the explosive puncher will face WBA and IBF 122-pound champion Daniel Roman 27-2-1 (10) at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida.

Win, lose or draw, it’s all but guaranteed a lot more people will know Akhmadaliev’s name after what looks to be an action-packed fight on paper.

Roman of course is no walkover. In his last outing in April, the 29-year-old American wrested the IBF belt from southpaw TJ Doheny 22-1 (16) by majority decision in what was widely considered one of the fights of the year.

Akhmadaliev is another lefty.

“Murodjon Akhmadaliev beat my teammate Isaac Zarate so I’m very familiar with him,” said Roman, who hasn’t lost a fight in more than six years. “I know he’s a strong kid, an aggressive fighter, he’s hungry and he’s going to try to take me out as best he can.

“He makes a few mistakes, he likes to fight with his hands down, not sure if that’s his style, but those are the flaws I see in him.

“Akhmadaliev might not have the experience as a pro, but he was a great Olympic amateur who won a bronze metal. At this level there are no easy fights. His style and my style are going to make for a great bout.

“It was a great training camp like always. We expect Akhmadaliev to come with his best and we are not taking him lightly. My shoulder injury is behind me and I’m feeling 100%. This is a world championship fight and we are ready to go.”

There is the added incentive for Akhmadaliev to match Leon Spinks’ record of becoming a unified world champion in just his eighth pro fight and become the first unified ruler from boxing-mad Uzbekistan.

“It’s history in the making,” Akhmadaliev said. “To become a unified champion in just eight fights and the first from Uzbekistan is really some great history for me to make, I want to make my country proud. Boxing is the number one sport in Uzbekistan and with God’s blessing, I think everything will play out well.

“It’s a dream come true for me. I have been climbing this mountain for 17 years, in the gym twice a day in that time. I’ve broken my wrists, my fists, my nose, bloodied face, had cuts; all that sacrifice is for fights like this.

“I know people think I am inexperienced and Danny will take me out or something like that, but trust me, I have given it my all for 17 years and it will be no different for fight night.

“This is the most important fight in my career so far. I’m fighting the unified champion, the best in the division, so it’s a big step up for me but we’re very well prepared for this fight with my coaches Antonio and Joel Diaz.

“I’ve only had seven fights and I haven’t felt challenged in any of those fights. I am not comparing those fights to this one as I know they are different and this is a hard fight.

“All the talk about his experience that he brings to the ring is fine but it’s only when we get in the ring together that we will see who is the best fighter, the most experienced, who is stronger, faster, sharper and smarter. I don’t like to talk too much; I love to fight, and I can’t wait to fight him.”

So how does it all play out?

Akhmadaliev is naturally heavy-handed, pivots well to create angles and can hurt you with both hands to the body or head. A stalking pressure fighter, he cuts the ring off well and fights in explosive bursts, often looping his shots from unconventional angles.

Against Roman he will be giving up reach and will need to be wary of the champion’s straight shots down the middle. There are also question marks around how Akhmadaliev will handle the pace of the fight, particularly in the later rounds where Roman is known to dig deep. Akhmadaliev has only been past the sixth round once, his ninth-round knockout of Zarate.

Tough one to call, but my gut feel is if Akhmadaliev can’t hurt or drop Roman in the first six frames, the more experienced champion will run over him late to retain his titles in a close one on points.