Ahmed Elbiali is pitted against Fabiano Pena on the new Premier Boxing Champions venture ‘Toe-to-Toes Tuesday’ and hopes to add to his already impressive 11-0 record in what will be the US-based Egyptian’s fourth fight of 2015.
Elbiali, 24, can boast a 91% knockout ratio through his first two and a half years as a professional, having dispatched six of those opponents in the very first round.
Based in Florida for his entire career in the paid ranks, Elbiali has gone about his business impressively and will now aim to build on his first round win on the Deontay Wilder undercard in June with another TV contest.
“I’m very thrilled to be fighting so frequently on PBC. It’s a blessing to be with Al Haymon who is doing a fantastic job with my career and as a fighter you always want to be staying busy, sharpening up on your skills,” Elbiali told World Boxing News.
Asked whether he would like a few more rounds in the bank having only heard the bell for 24 sessions in his 11 contests, Elbiali oozed the confidence needed to get himself noticed at the highest level.
“It’s always good to get some extra rounds to work on stuff, but if I land a powerful punch on my opponent, and he’s hurt, I’m going for the knockout. To be honest, I’m always looking to end my fights early,” he admitted.
“My opponent has a good record and he has a lot of knockouts, so I’m expecting to be in a tough fight. But I want to make sure everyone in my division takes notice of my fighting style and I want to be remembered as one of the biggest punchers in boxing.”
Being mentioned in the same breath as Kovalev and Stevenson is some way off for Elbiali, although the 175 pound contender doesn’t hold any fear of the likes of Eleider Alvarez and Artur Beterbiev, who are both on the verge of fighting in world title eliminators.
“I don’t know much about Alvarez but after looking him up just now, I see he’s undefeated and I’m sure he’s very good.
“Beterbiev is coming up and he’s got a great amateur background. Both guys I’m sure will give anyone problems. Kovalev, in my opinion is the top dog, followed by Stevenson.
“Both are great champions, but I’m gunning for all of them,” said Elbiali confidently.
And if Kovalev and Stevenson do finally meet in the ring, Elbiali gave his prediction of who he sees coming out on top.
“It’s a close fight, but I’m thinking Kovalev will win the fight. Stevenson does have the power to keep anyone honest though. That would be a great fight.
“I’m hoping by this time next year, I’ll be close to those two., but right now I just want to take it one fight at a time.”
