By Monwabisi Jimlongo
With the travel restrictions having been lifted now, South African featherweight champion Asanda Gingqi will finally get an opportunity to fight against unbeaten Russian Albert Batyrgaziev.
Travel restrictions which were enforced after the discovery of the COVID-19 variant Omicron robbed Gingqi of a chance to face Batyrgaziev last year. The two unbeaten boxers were scheduled to meet in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) Intercontinental featherweight bout in Russia on Christmas eve.
With Gingqi unable to travel to Russia, the Russian ended up fighting against former World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver junior-featherweight champion Franklin Manzanilla and added the Venezuelan to his list of victims.
Now the two boxers are set to collide in a clash for Batyrgaziev’s IBF Intercontinental featherweight title in Russia on Friday, 11 March.
“It’s been confirmed now that I’m going to fight in Russia on the 11th of March,” Gingqi, who is unbeaten in seven fights with five knockouts, confirmed.
Gingqi from Mdantsane has not fought since he outpointed Abdul-Aziz Kunert to win the SA featherweight title in Johannesburg in September last year.
Meanwhile, Batyrgaziev, an Olympic gold medallist, has stopped all his five opponents including South African boxer Sibusiso Zingange.
Batyrgaziev made history when he became the first professional boxer to win an Olympic gold medal after he defeated American Duke Ragan at the Tokyo Olympics in Japan last August.
