Sadriddin Akhmedov is eager to make a statement to the rest of the middleweight division.
The unbeaten Akhmedov will face Raphael Igbokwe on December 13, promoter Tom Loeffler announced Monday evening. The 10-round bout will take place at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California and will stream live on UFC Fight Pass (10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT).
“We think Sadriddin is a future world champion,” Loeffler told The Ring Saturday night. “This will be his second fight with us. These are the types of fights where he can show where he’s at in the middleweight division.
“Raphael Igbokwe was stopped by (junior middleweight contender) Serhii Bohachuk and went the distance with (WBA world junior middleweight titleholder) Israil Madrimov. This will be a good test for Sadriddin.”
Akhmedov (14-0, 12 knockouts), who is originally from Astana, Kazakhstan and now resides in Santa Monica, California, made his debut with 360 Boxing Promotions on August 31, knocking out Antonio Todd in the opening round. The fight also took place in Santa Ynez.
In his previous fight, which took place in December 2022, the 26-year-old Akhmedov stopped Nkululeko Mhlongo after the opening round.
Most of Akhmedov’s fights after making his pro debut in April 2018 were under the Eye of the Tiger Management.
Igbokwe (17-5, 5 KOs) has not fought since October 7 of last year, defeating unbeaten prospect Imaud Louis by unanimous decision. The win over Louis took place six weeks after Igbokwe lost by knockout to unbeaten Andreas Katzourakis.
The 32-year-old, who resides in Houston, Texas, was stopped by Bohachuk in September 2021. Igbokwe lost by decision over 10 one-sided rounds to Madrimov on April 8 of last year.
Loeffler also confirmed to The Ring that lightweight Karlos Balderas will return to action on the Hollywood Fight Nights card. Balderas, who recently signed a promotional deal with Loeffler’s 360 Boxing Promotions and resides in nearby Santa Maria, was scheduled to return to action on August 31, but had to withdraw due to an injury suffered in training camp.
Balderas was also scheduled to return to the ring on June 7, but his opponent, Gilberto Zarate, reportedly weighed in at 149 pounds, 12 pounds above the contracted weight of 137 pounds.
December 13 will mark the final 360 Boxing Promotions card of 2024.
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]
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