Bakhodir Jalolov will face old rival Richard Torrez Jr. on Sunday in the Olympic super-heavyweight final. However, they caused controversy last time they traded blows.
Jalolov, the pre-tournament favorite, knocked out Torrez at the 2019 World Championships in Ekaterinburg. It took the “Big Uzbek” just one round to get the job done.
World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman was quick to condemn the brutal stoppage as Jalolov eventually took gold.
Sulaiman didn’t like that Jalolov had already turned pro and fought six times, knocking every opponent out.
“Brutal and criminal to allow a professional boxer Jalolov from Russia with 6-0 as a pro to fight outclassed, outweighed and far smaller USA 20-year-old amateur Torrez at the AIBA world championship in Russia. Jalolov is scheduled for his 7th pro fight in 11 days in the USA,” said Sulaiman.
Brutal and criminal to allow a professional boxer Jalolov from Russia with 6-0 as a pro to fight outclassed, outweighed and far smaller USA 20 year old amateur Torrez AIBA world championship in Russia. Jalolov is scheduled for his 7th pro fight in 11 days in USA pic.twitter.com/kP8Pwa3PZ9
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) September 19, 2019
Now, as Sulaiman made the statement on social media, fans were able to respond.
One said: “That is disgusting and a terrible thing. A sad day when the people on top were corrupted. Shame on them.”
A second added: “Despicable. Jalolov needs to be put in the ring with (now former WBC champion) Deontay Wilder. To have his block knocked off by a real champ.”
But UK journalist Ron Lewis was also able to reply to Sulaiman. He pointed out that Torrez had participated in over 50 amateur bouts.
Lewis told Sulaiman: “He was a super-heavyweight.
“The AIBA weights for heavy/super heavy (91kg) are the same as WBC weights cruiser/heavy (200lb). I didn’t realize (the) WBC was pushing for a new classification by height.
“Torrez is also a full-time athlete who has been boxing internationally for five years. Torrez has had around 120 bouts and won the vast majority.
“So he is hardly some raw kid. You are doing him a huge disservice to suggest he is. Facts are amazing if you bother to do any research.”
When somebody said Torrez had 49 bouts under his belt, Lewis corrected them too.
“That’s his record on BoxRec, which is incomplete. If that was his complete record, he’s have boxed in the World Youth Champs in his seventh amateur bout.”
SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT FINAL
Now, the pair meet again, with Torrez hunting the most lucrative revenge of all – an Olympic super heavyweight [91+kg] gold medal. Jalolov is still favored heavily to win, though.
If the big-puncher does win again, and similar to their 2019 collision, predictions of a world title fight by 2023 will intensify.
Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, and Deontay Wilder will be in the crosshairs if he does.
