New IBF super welterweight champion Bakhram Murtazaliev has spoken to WBN following his stunning stoppage win in Germany.
The 22-0 US-based Russian took on Jack Culcay in his backyard on April 6 and returned with the title vacated from Jermell Charlo. Murtazaliev rallied late to secure an eleventh-round knockout of Culcay, with both men tiring down the stretch.
Murtazaliev could take no risks with the scorecards, which read 99-91, 96-94, and 95-96 heading into the final two sessions.
After winning his first world title and putting himself in the picture for more significant fights, WBN asked Murtazaliev his feelings about his greatest triumph.
“I sure feel happy that I finally could win a world title and achieve a long-time goal of mine,” Murtazaliev exclusively told World Boxing News. “It was a tough fight for me as well as for Culcay.”
Whether he noticed Culcay was slowing down in the later rounds, Bakhram responded: “I wasn’t paying attention to whether he was tired or not. I wanted to stop him so there were no questions about the winner since I was fighting in his backyard.
“But I started to feel tired myself after the fifth or sixth round. I had been fasting for the whole month [due to Ramadan], and my body was exhausted. Usually stamina is one of my strongest sides.
“They made me take the fight when I was at my weakest on the 27th day of Ramadan,” he pointed out.
Asked when he will aim for a first defense of his new red belt, Murtazaliev said: “I hope I will fight more often. I hope I won’t wait for sixteen months to fight or fight in Ramadan.”
Promoter Kathy Duva then clarified to WBN: “He definitely will not have to worry about either of those things now.
Sebastian Fundora would be an obvious target for Murtazaliev, who has just claimed the WBO and WBC belts against Tim Tszyu. The WBO will likely be lost to Terence Crawford over a mandatory stipulation, giving Murtazaliev another option with ‘Bud’ for unification.
On who he wants next, Murtazaliev answered: “Honestly, I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I do this for myself and my family. People’s opinions change daily, so it doesn’t matter to me.
“Of course, he [Fundora] has two belts. If we can make this fight by the end of this year, it would be amazing!”
With Crawford wanting to clean out 154 as he did at 135 and 147, Murtazaliev has a serious chance of receiving a big offer from the Omaha man’s team. Fundora looks set to be tied up with a Tszyu rematch, giving Crawford vs Murtazaliev a clear path for the IBF and WBO championships.
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