Artem Brusov moved from Russia to South Florida in mid-2021 to secure the kind of potentially career-changing chance he’ll receive Friday night.

The 31-year-old Brusov’s record is impressive (12-0, 11 KOs), but it has been built against opponents either with losing records or little experience. The undefeated light heavyweight happily accepted what on paper appears to be by far the most difficult fight of his six-year pro career, an eight-rounder against Atif Oberlton, because he wants to prove himself against a well-regarded prospect in a fight Showtime will air as part of its “ShoBox: The New Generation” series from Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

“It’s a really good opportunity for me,” Brusov told krikya360.com. “It’s my first time on Showtime. There was a time when I can only dream about that, but right now I have this chance and I wanna show all my skills in the ring. I’m excited. This guy is a very good opponent and I’m sure that we will show a very good fight.”

Philadelphia’s Oberlton (7-0, 6 KOs) is a 6-foot-3 southpaw who won two national Golden Gloves titles and qualified to represent the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics. The 24-year-old Oberlton knocked out an undefeated opponent in the second round of his last bout, but Christian Thomas (11-1, 9 KOs) is 38, seven years older than Brusov.

“[Oberlton] is much better,” Brusov said of his prior opponents, “but I’m ready for this fight. I’m not bad, too, you know? He has very good skills. He’s tall. He has long arms and a good jab. I know he’s strong and skilled, but I have a good punch, so I can move, I can press and I think that I have everything to win this fight.”

The right-handed Brusov stopped American veteran Cleotis Pendarvis (21-13-2, 9 KOs) after the fourth round of his most recent bout, which took place November 5 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Brusov’s previous five opponents entered their fights with a combined record of 9-34.

“This is a good step up for me,” said Brusov, who resides and trains in West Palm Beach, Florida. “I will move up in the ratings and maybe will have better offers from promoters. So, we will see. My task now is to win this fight. After that, we’ll see.”

Brusov-Oberlton is the co-feature of a tripleheader that’ll start at 9 p.m. ET.

The main event will feature New Orleans’ Sean Hemphill (14-0, 8 KOs) and David Stevens (11-0, 8 KOs), of Reading, Pennsylvania, in an eight-round super middleweight match. Junior lightweights Julian Gonzalez (8-0-1, 8 KOs), also from Reading, and Rosalindo Morales (9-0, 2 KOs), of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, are set to square off in the eight-round opener of Showtime’s telecast.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for krikya360.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.