WBA Interim Super Featherweight Champion Albert Batyrgaziev (Russia), the Tokyo Olympic featherweight gold medalist, with a perfect record of 12 wins (8 KOs), will make his second title defense against WBA No. 5 ranked contender James “Jazza” Dickens (UK), who holds a record of 35 wins (14 KOs) and 5 losses. The bout is scheduled for July 2 (July 3 Japan time) at the Rixos Tersane Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey.
The event, titled “IBA Pro 7 Champions’ Night in Istanbul”, is promoted by Al Siesta’s IB Challenger Sports & Marketing. Siesta is a promoter of Kyrgyz origin with British citizenship. In a unique twist, the event will also feature bare-knuckle fights, conducted without gloves.
One of the bare-knuckle bouts will feature Murat Kazgan (Turkey), a fighter with extensive combat sports experience and international appearances, representing the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). He will face American fighter Will Chope, known for his career across various MMA organizations, in a gloveless showdown.
The co-main event features Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia), the Tokyo Olympic lightweight bronze medalist, who boasts an undefeated record of 7 wins (6 KOs). He will face former world-ranked boxer Shohjahon Ergashev (Uzbekistan), who has 25 wins (22 KOs) and 2 losses, in an IBA Pro 63.5 kg rules bout—an important step up in Bachkov’s professional career.
This will be Batyrgaziev’s first fight outside of Russia, although he previously claimed the vacant IBA title during his first title defense on March 7 (March 8 Japan time) in Moscow, defeating Argentina’s Nery Romero (18 wins, 10 KOs, 1 loss) by unanimous decision over 12 rounds.
While the combination of professional boxing and other combat sports on the same card is unthinkable in Japan, it has happened once before—when a professional boxing world title match and a kickboxing bout were held on the same program in the country.
On January 12, 1976, at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, the main event featured WBA World Super Featherweight Champion Ben Villaflor (Philippines), who was based in Hawaii, defending his title against WBA No. 8 contender Mamoru Kashiwaba (Noguchi Gym). Despite it being his first bout after undergoing surgery for a detached retina in his right eye, Villaflor proved too strong. Kashiwaba, known as the “Japanese Muhammad Ali,” was stopped by a TKO in the 13th round.
In the semi-final, Tadashi Sawamura (Meguro Gym), the Oriental Kickboxing Lightweight Champion, took the ring. Nicknamed the “Demon of Kickboxing,” Sawamura secured his 224th career KO victory. The event was held as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the Noguchi Gym and was realized as a “special exception” approved by the Japan Boxing Commission (JBC).
In Thailand, it has long been customary to hold events that feature both Muay Thai (the national sport) and professional boxing on the same card. However, such mixed-format events are rare in other countries.
The International Boxing Association (IBA), originally founded in 1920 as the governing body for amateur boxing, has undergone a turbulent history—losing its Olympic recognition, undergoing internal splits, and shifting toward overseeing professional boxing. This March, the Japan Boxing Federation officially withdrew from the IBA. The current president, Umar Kremlev of Russia, appears to be seeking a new direction for the organization—but what lies ahead remains uncertain.
Whether the WBA Interim Super Featherweight Title is considered the second or third tier of the championship is unclear, but the Tokyo Olympic featherweight gold medalist’s talent is undoubtedly real. We look forward to seeing how he continues to evolve in the future.
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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