Dzmitry Asanau puts his ample resume to the test against former challenger Matias Rueda
Former champion Dzmitry Asanau will have his second fight under the Eye of the Tiger banner on Thursday.
The 28-year-old who was born in Belarus will face former world title contender Matias Rueda at the Montreal Casino, Montreal.
“This is my ninth fight as a champion, every fight I’m learning and this fight will be a good experience for me,” Asanou (8-0, 3 knockouts) told The Ring. “Amateur style and professional style are different. I have to do my job in the ring.”
During his impressive novice career, Asanau, who had 280 fights, won bronze at the 2015 World Championships and fought at the 2016 Rio Olympics, losing in the Round of 16. Most recently, he won gold at the European and Martial Arts Games. .
He holds titles over the likes of Andy Cruz, Sofiane Oumiha, Hector Luis Garcia, Albert Batrygaziev, Lazaro Alvarez and Murodjon Akhmadaliev in the unpaid ranks.
Since his debut in February 2022, Asanau has played extensively in Germany before joining EETT. You feel now that you are fully familiar with the professional code.
“It’s different, for professionals you have a long distance and for beginners it’s like running,” he explained. “This is a marathon, I love this, I love the race. The thing is that I have to be smart and focus in every round.”
Facing someone as seasoned and battle-hardened as Rueda should present “The Wasp” with a new set of problems and should give him a challenge.
“He is a good person, experienced, strong and strong,” said Asanau. “Let’s see, I’m focused. I need to do my thing in the ring, that’s my job. We did a good job with the team to win this fight.”
The purpose is simple but deep.
“To get the win,” he said before explaining. “For me, I get a good result when my dad calls me after the fight and says, ‘Hey, good job.’ and the coaches alike.”
Eye of the Tiger President Camille Estephan recognizes that Asanou has the unmatched ability to disrupt the talent-rich lightweight division.
“He is fighting for the title [WBC Continental Americas,] he got a chance to rise in the rankings,” said Estephan. “He has talent and things he has gained from ateurs. He has been beaten by top players but this is only his ninth fight.
“We expect a lot from this boy. This fight will tell us more but we feel that he is ready. He finished his camp here, we saw a good performance in the gym, he is a straight forward, hard worker. I like the way he handles boxing, he is very smart, very smart. Some of the best boxers are smart. He has all that.”
Rueda (38-2, 32 KOs) peaked in 2011. He won the WBO regional and South American featherweight titles and was undefeated in his first 26 fights before losing to Oscar Valdez (TKO 2) when they contested the vacant WBO title in 2016.
The Argentinian fighter returned to the win column with 11 wins before losing to world title contender Liam Wilson (UD 10) in Australia, but has bounced back.
Iglesias-Ivanov, along with the undercard bout, will be on ESPN+ and punchinggrace.com at 6.30 pm ET/ 3.30 pm PT and on TVA Sports in Canada starting at 7:00 pm
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk.
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