Andrey Mangushev, who scored three stoppages in four at cruiserweight and is one knockout victory into his heavyweight run, is poised to return next month.
The 23-year-old Russian, who stands six feet eight inches and is already tagged “The New Drago” by some fans, will aim to go 6-0 on November 20.
Manghusev, based in Miami, is penciled in to feature at Manual Artime Community Center Theater against an unknown opponent.
The ten-rounder is pending approval from the Florida State Boxing Commission.
Previously, “The Beast from the East” knocked out the Ukrainian Ismail Sillakh to impressively win the NABA USA Heavyweight title.
The bout ended in the third round as Mangushev stunted Sillakh with a right straight. Pinning Sillakh against the ropes, the referee stopped the fight for a technical knockout.
His 36-year-old opponent looked shellshocked as Mangushev took the victory.
The belt added to Mangushev’s Atlantic cruiserweight champion title. He gained that honor by beating experienced Colombian boxer and WBA world title challenger Milton Nunez unanimously.
Now acclimatized at heavyweight, Mangushev is aiming to wreak havoc among the stars at 200 pounds plus. His ability to immediately scale 222 pounds for his debut in the top division is an ominous sign.
“The Man” also gained valuable time in the ring with heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
HEAVYWEIGHT RANKS
Ranked joint seventh alongside fellow 5-0 puncher Vitaly Kudukhov, both men are only behind a handful of experienced operators in the Russian ratings.
Furthermore, only Murat Gassiev, Sergey Kuzmin, Arslanbek Makhmudov, Arslan Iallyev, Aleksandr Ustinov, and Apti Davtaev stand above him.
The tallest of the bunch, Mangushev, has all the tools to compete against the big boys. Therefore, the only thing missing is to gain the experience needed over the coming years.
By 2023 or 2024, Mangushev will expect to be in the mix for titles, potentially once the top three of Fury, Deontay Wilder, and Anthony Joshua are all retired.
Oleksandr Usyk, who will certainly still be around at that point, would be the big goal for Mangushev in the future.
