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Andrei Mikhailovich vows to knock out 'bogan' Aussie rival Issac Hardman in grudge clash
Sam Wilson in Brisbane
05:00, Nov 07 2022

Andrei Mikhailovich is relishing going into the lion's den to face Australian Issac Hardman in Brisbane.
Kiwi middleweight sensation Andrei Mikhailovich will end a busy year with a grudge match against one of his fiercest rivals from across the ditch.

Unbeaten Mikhailovich (19-0, 11 KOs) is poised to face Australian Issac Hardman at Brisbane's Nissan Arena on December 16, his promoter Dean Lonergan confirmed to Stuff, in what looms as a stiff test of the 24-year-old's credentials.

But it's a challenge the Russia-born puncher is relishing as he looks to continue his rapid ascent up the lively Australasian middleweight scene.

"I'm really excited and can't wait," Mikhailovich said of his looming showdown against the trash-talking Hardman, with whom he has traded numerous barbs over the years.

"Personally I don't know him at all. I know him as a fighter, I know him as a personality. And I don't like that aspect of him.

"He's an interesting dude and has this weird demeanour, like, bogan, and I just don't know where he's trying to go with it.

"If he wants to talk s..t, I will f…..g talk as well, I know how to talk s..t. If you have a bit of wit behind you that's probably OK, but he doesn't really do that … he's just a clown."

While the highly-anticipated encounter with the once-beaten Queenslander has been signed off by both parties, there is one potential stumbling block – an injury to Australian heavyweight prospect Justis Huni, who suffered a suspected broken hand in his thrilling points win over brave Kiwi Kiki Toa Leutele on Friday night.

Huni (7-0, 4 KOs) was set to headline the card in his home city against Zhan Kossobutskiy (18-0, 17 KOs) but he is unlikely to be ready for December after a bruising battle with Leutele in which he was repeatedly rocked and appeared to be knocked down in the fourth round.

Mikhailovich's trainer Isaac Peach felt the show should go on with or without Huni, saying that the fight with Hardman was worthy of main event status.

"I believe it's the biggest fight in New Zealand and Australia, these guys are going to rev it up," Peach said.

"Both guys aren't overly happy with their promoter [Lonergan], either. It's a main event fight, and he's trying to put us on the undercard.

"I think it will really capture the attention. Both guys are good with the tongue but they can both fight. They are very similar guys! It's a wonderful fight."

Peach said his growing stable of fighters – which also includes unbeaten trio Jerome Pampellone, David Light and Mea Motu – "thrive on challenges" and weren't afraid to put it all on the line.

"We want the big fights, we want to test ourselves and we want to put out records on the line. And we're prepared to lose. We want to be great, and I think to be great and respected, you need to do that."

Mikhailovich has fought three times in a busy 2022, knocking out experienced duo King Davidson and Ernesto Espana and edging compatriot Francis Waitai on points in July.

Andrei Mikhailovich delivered a show-stealing knockout of veteran Ernesto Espana in Brisbane in June.
The hard-fought decision win over Waitai snapped his five-fight knockout streak and Mikhailovich admitted the performance fell short of his own high expectations.

Hardman's aggressive, front-foot style will suit him better than the cautious approach of southpaw Waitai while also making for a more exciting spectacle.

"It's been OK, my 2022. My last fight, I wasn't that keen towards, but there were few reasons for that," Mikhailovich reflected. "But my two fights before that were good. I definitely want to finish the year on a high."

While he's no fan of Hardman on a personal level, Mikhailovich respects his fighting abilities and certainly won't be taking him lightly. Nevertheless, the self-assured Aucklander predicted an explosive end when they face-off next month.

"For his limited ability, he's gone pretty good. He's a strong, heavy puncher, likes to come forward. He's not overly fast but he does have a strong right hand.

"You've got to give him credit, he must have some ability to get where he has got," Mikhailovich said of Hardman (13-1, 11 KOs), who was dropped in two rounds by Michael Zerafa in April but bounced back to halt Beau Hartas in a round in July.

"One thing you will see [on December 16] is my boxing ability. You'll see why I'm so good, because I can adapt to essentially everything and I'm fast, strong and good-looking.

"I'll knock him out in four or five rounds."

Not for the first time Mikhailovich will be heading into enemy territory, challenging Hardman in his adopted hometown of Brisbane in front of what is anticipated to be a hostile crowd.

Hard-punching Issac Hardman has knocked out 11 of his 14 opponents, including Kiwi Robert Berridge.
It's a prospect that some might find daunting, but not Mikhailovich, who thrives in such an environment.

"It's going to be great. All his friends will be there, his family. It's great going into enemy territory, it just makes me perform better," he said.

"When I fought for the [New Zealand] middleweight title, I fought this guy called Gunnar Jackson. I went to Hamilton, essentially his territory.

"I like going into the lion's den, it's great, I love it."

We have 3 fighters in the top 15, JP, Light, and Andrei.  Pampellone is close.  Saw him fight on the Huni undercard.  Very good, smart boxer, but he needs some more power.  He's undefeated.

Isaac Peach and his gym, Peach boxing are doing some good things with NZ boxers. Here are some of their fighters and their story:

https://peachboxing.co.nz/

David Light one win away from cruiserweight world title shot
Sam Wilson
05:00, Nov 24 2022

David Light will look to make a statement when he takes on Brandon Glanton in Florida next weekend.
Last time David Light was in Florida six months ago, he needed less than three minutes to dispatch of his opponent.

But the Kiwi cruiserweight (19-0, 12 KOs) is anticipating a much tougher night's work on his return to the Sunshine State next month to face American Brandon 'Bulletproof' Glanton (17-0, 14 KOs) in what is shaping up as a potential world title eliminator.

Auckland's Light – a 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist – is ranked No 6 by the WBO, with Glanton seventh in the same organisation's rankings.

So when the two unbeaten contenders meet at the White Sands Event Center near Tampa on December 3 (NZT), not only will the vacant WBO Global and International titles be on the line, they'll also be fighting for a mandatory shot at Lawrence Okolie's world crown.

That's why Light jumped at the chance to tackle the dangerous Glanton at short notice, knowing he would be only one step away from fulfilling his dream of becoming a world champion.

"It came about pretty suddenly," Light told Stuff of his unexpected opportunity to fight in a world title eliminator, which is live on pay-per-view via ProBox TV.

"The WBO basically wanted the fight to happen. I think they've been looking at us and thinking, 'that's a good fight' from moving us up."

The 31-year-old Light is certainly not underestimating his powerful opponent, a former NFL player who holds an 82% knockout ratio and has threatened to "lay him out cold".

A Commonwealth Games silver medallist in Glasgow, David Light is yet to taste defeat in the pro ranks.
Alongside trainer Isaac Peach, he has been studying Glanton and devising a gameplan to take him down in his own backyard.

"I think it will probably be a bit tougher [than his last fight in Florida against Anthony Martinez]. He looks like he's probably more resilient and he looks pretty stacked,” Light said of his outspoken rival.

"He's obviously really strong and is a bit of a pressure-type fighter, so he's pretty active and always pushing forward.

"He seems to stick to his opponents like mud and keep them working hard, till they can't any more. He usually gets that knockout, but I think he's had basically one real test.

"All of the other ones have just been kind of guys who were never going to be able to handle that. This is his first test in a while, with me."

That test was against the then-undefeated 'Nigerian Pit Bull' Efetobor Apochi in June last year, a fight Glanton won via split decision.

The rest of his opposition leaves a lot to be desired, and gives Light confidence he will be too skilled and "versatile" for the comparatively one-dimensional California native.

"He's basically only got one mode. I don't think he's got a lot of flexibility in his style," Light said. "So what I've seen in the past is basically what I'm expecting [on the night]. I think we're going to be able to deal with it.

American Brandon Glanton is unbeaten in 17 contests and has vowed to knock David Light "out cold".
"I think he's fought a lot of people who haven't been able to deal with it, but I've been doing this for 16 years now. I've fought all around the world, fought pressure fighters and that kind of stuff before. So tricks aren't going to work on me."

To prepare for the challenge, Light has been sparring against heavyweights, including his Peach Boxing team-mate Kiki Toa Leutele (8-2-2, 7 KOs), who lost a thriller to rising Australian star Justis Huni in Brisbane earlier this month.

Light said Leutele's aggressive, front-foot style had been "perfect for this fight" as it closely mirrored Glanton's expected approach.

"I think this is the most prepared I've been, sparring wise, for a fight. By a long shot, actually," Light said.

"Kiki just stays in front of you and keeps putting the pressure on. What Isaac wanted him to do against Justis is basically what we think Brandon Glanton is going to do to me. So it's been pretty much perfect."

Light will fly out to the United States on Saturday to acclimatise for what is his most significant fight since his gold medal match against Canada's Samir El-Mais in Glasgow eight years ago.

But the in-demand Peach will join him later as he will be in Mea Motu's corner when the Kiwi challenges Iranian Nastaran Fathi (7-0, 2 KOs) for the WBC Asia super bantamweight title in Dubai on Sunday.

Motu (14-0, 6 KOs) will then head to the US herself to take part in reality TV show Celebrity Making of A Champion, for which she'll be mentored by former heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon.

Light appeared unfazed by the scheduling snafu and he will have Peach's brother Boaz with him as he puts the finishing touches to his plan to gatecrash the world scene.

He predicted an entertaining "high volume punch fight" with Glanton from which he will ultimately prevail.

Only then will 'The Great White' start thinking about a world title showdown with Britain's Okolie next year – a matchup he can't wait to get his teeth into.

Glandon: https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/792659

Andrei Mikhailovich 'frustrated' after grudge match postponed
Sam Wilson
05:00, Nov 25 2022

Andrei Mikhailovich won't fight again this year after Issac Hardman pulled out of their December clash.
Kiwi middleweight contender Andrei Mikhailovich has been left "frustrated" after having his grudge match with Australian rival Issac Hardman pushed back until next year.

The 24-year-old Mikhailovich (19-0, 11 KOs) was set to challenge Hardman (13-1, 11 KOs) at Brisbane's Nissan Arena on December 16 in a battle of hard-hitting 160-pound prospects.

The highly anticipated encounter had originally been slated to appear on the undercard of a bill headlined by rising Australian heavyweight Justis Huni (7-0, 4 KOs) and Kazakh puncher Zhan Kossobutskiy (19-0, 18 KOs).

But Huni sustained a hand injury in his brutal 10-round battle with New Zealander Kiki Toa Leutele (8-2-2, 7 KOs) earlier this month and won't be ready to fight again this year.

Mikahilovich's promoter, Dean Lonergan, then explored the possibility of bumping the bout up to the main event, only for Hardman's team to pull the plug entirely until 2023 when the Queenslander's partner gave birth to his first child.

"Issac had a baby about three or four days ago. I got a phone call from his trainer saying 'look, Issac's not great at saying no. I don't think he can handle having a baby and fighting sort of three weeks apart'. I've got to be honest, I fully understand that," Lonergan told Stuff.

"I've had guys pull out of a fight before because they have kids on the way. [Former welterweight world champion] Jeff Horn was a classic. We had a massive world title fight for him in Japan and it was too close to the birth of his baby, so we didn't take the fight.

"So at the moment, the fight is on hold. We're just looking for a date early next year while Issac fulfils his responsibilities of being a dad."

Lonergan admitted the postponement had come as a major disappointment to Mikhailovich as the Russian-born Kiwi was desperate to get back in the ring having been idle since July, when he claimed a unanimous decision over tricky southpaw Francis Waitai on the Fight For Life card in Auckland.

But the delay could potentially work in his favour with Lonergan now looking at bringing the fight over to New Zealand.

"I know it's frustrated Andre, and Andre's got a couple of kids himself and he might have handled things differently. But when it comes to kids – and this is Issac's first kid – everyone handles it differently, " Lonergan said.

"I've got to be honest, I would love to do that fight in New Zealand. Andre and Issac are such fantastic performers in the media, and we're just working out what our dates in New Zealand are going to be next year.

"So I'll speak to Issac and see what he thinks."

Ranked in the top 15 by both the IBF and WBO, Mikhailovich is seen as one of the country's top prospects.

He has fought three times this year, stopping experienced duo King Davidson and Ernesto Espana before that points win over Waitai that snapped a five-fight knockout streak.

There is no love lost between Mikhailovich and Hardman, the pair trading insults over the years as they seek supremacy in the lively Australasian middleweight scene.

Hardman suffered his first setback in April when he was halted in the second round by Michael Zerafa (31-4, 19 KOs), rebounding to blast out Beau Hartas inside three minutes in early July.

The 26-year-old packs a punch, boasting a 78% knockout rate, and would arguably represent the biggest scalp of Mikhailovich's career as he aims to force himself into the world title picture.

Mikhailovich recently described Hardman as a "clown" and a "bogan" but respects the Brisbane native's fighting abilities. However, he predicted a knockout "in four or five rounds" when they eventually meet.

As well as Mikhailovich and Huni, Lonergan also has undefeated Kiwi light heavyweight Jerome Pampellone (15-0, 8 KOs) on his books.

Jerome Pampellone stays unbeaten after a dominant decision victory over Faris Chevalier in Brisbane.
'The Panther' produced a clinical display to outclass the world-ranked Faris Chevalier on November 4, and Lonergan hopes to keep him and his Peach Boxing team-mate Mikhailovich busy as they continue their rapid rise through their respective divisions.

"I would like to [get Pampellone on the Mikhailovich undercard], for sure," Lonergan said.

"It's just a case of finding a date and making it work. We're going to be doing Fight For Life again next year. I'd like to have both boys on that, and I'd like to see them fight here [in New Zealand] more often.

"We only fought once here last year I think, or maybe a couple of times at small venues. I'd like to see them fight here three times a year. So I'm looking to do more here."

David Light v Brandon Glanton will be screened on Proboxtv.com from 3pm tomorrow (Saturday) NZT.

Undercard starts at 1PM NZ time on "some" live streaming sites.