Losses in his last two fights have robbed South African cruiserweight champion Thabiso ‘The Rock’ Mchunu of an opportunity to challenge for the World Boxing Association (WBA) bridgerweight title.
This was confirmed by Mchunu’s trainer Sean Smith, who revealed that his boxer is now set to travel to Russia for a date with Russian boxer Muslim Gamzatovich Gazhimagomedov later this month.
“Thabiso Mchunu is going to fight against Muslim in Russia on the 31st of January. Initially, they offered us the fight for the WBA bridgerweight title, but the WBA refused to sanction the bout because Thabiso lost his last two fights,” Smith said.
The 36-year-old Mchunu from KwaXimba, Cato Ridge, in KwaZulu-Natal lost his last two fights to Ilunga Junior Makabu from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Argentine boxer Yamil Peralta Alberto.
Meanwhile, the 27-year-old Gazhimagomedov is unbeaten in five fights, having won three of those bouts by stoppages. Gazhimagomedov bagged a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2017 European Championships.
A gold medallist at the 2019 World Championships and European Games, Gazhimagomedov will be fighting against a South African boxer for the second time in his professional career. He defeated Akani Phuzi on points in Dushambe, Tajikistan, in October 2023. – Monwabisi Jimlongo
