By Jake Donovan - Denis Grachev is in a familiar place this weekend, and in more ways than one.
The Russian export heads to Monte Carlo for the second time in as many fights. Awaiting him is Edwin Rodriguez, yet another in a growing list of unbeaten fighters who have agreed to take on Grachev.
Rodriguez didn’t have much of a choice in the matter; he and Grachev both signed up for the same four-man “Million Dollar Super Four” tournament. There was a great likelihood that Saturday’s main event would be the eventual outcome from their preliminary fights in March.
Grachev was the only fighter among the four-man bracket to not boast an unbeaten record, which quite frankly is his preference. It gives him the chance to make sure nobody is undefeated by the time he’s done with them.
“I take everyone seriously, but I take an undefeated contender more serious,” Grachev admits. The rising contender has plenty of experience in that field – Rodriguez marks his fifth unbeaten opponent within his last seven fights, a span covering just 2 ˝ years.
Grachev (13-1-1, 8KO) was unbeaten himself for three of those fights, the first of which came in January 2011. A majority decision win over Azea Augustama – 9-0 at the time – flew way under the radar, given the relative obscurity of both fighters. The bout took place in Miami, though off-TV.
The ESPN2 cameras were rolling in another part of Florida on that same evening – fittingly enough, with Rodriguez featured on the broadcast as he scored a decision win over Aaron Pryor Jr. Rodriguez was red-hot at the time, enjoying a breakout campaign in 2010 and capturing the attention of network brass on several platforms. [Click Here To Read More]
The Russian export heads to Monte Carlo for the second time in as many fights. Awaiting him is Edwin Rodriguez, yet another in a growing list of unbeaten fighters who have agreed to take on Grachev.
Rodriguez didn’t have much of a choice in the matter; he and Grachev both signed up for the same four-man “Million Dollar Super Four” tournament. There was a great likelihood that Saturday’s main event would be the eventual outcome from their preliminary fights in March.
Grachev was the only fighter among the four-man bracket to not boast an unbeaten record, which quite frankly is his preference. It gives him the chance to make sure nobody is undefeated by the time he’s done with them.
“I take everyone seriously, but I take an undefeated contender more serious,” Grachev admits. The rising contender has plenty of experience in that field – Rodriguez marks his fifth unbeaten opponent within his last seven fights, a span covering just 2 ˝ years.
Grachev (13-1-1, 8KO) was unbeaten himself for three of those fights, the first of which came in January 2011. A majority decision win over Azea Augustama – 9-0 at the time – flew way under the radar, given the relative obscurity of both fighters. The bout took place in Miami, though off-TV.
The ESPN2 cameras were rolling in another part of Florida on that same evening – fittingly enough, with Rodriguez featured on the broadcast as he scored a decision win over Aaron Pryor Jr. Rodriguez was red-hot at the time, enjoying a breakout campaign in 2010 and capturing the attention of network brass on several platforms. [Click Here To Read More]
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