Two of Kazakhstan’s hottest boxing talents Sultan Zaurbek and Azhbenov Nurtas will star on the MTK Global show at Cardiff’s Vale Sports Arena on March 1.

 

Zaurbek (3-0) and Nurtas (2-0) both produced stunning first-round knockouts last time out and are now set to wow a Welsh crowd on a busy bill broadcast live and exclusively on iFL TV.

Both men, who are great friends outside the ring, also enjoyed stellar amateur careers before turning professional with MTK Global in June 2018.

Zaurbek, who hails from Shymkent, won gold at the 2014 Asian Games and bronze at the AIBA world youth tournament the same year before going on to claim silver at the 2017 Islamic Games.

With a win over Olympic champion Robson Conceicao to his name, Zaurbek has begun life as a professional in impressive fashion; blasting Johnson Tellez aside on a Sky Sports card in Monaco before dispatching Stefan Nicolae in double-quick time last time out.

Nurtas also boasts a victory over an Olympic champion. Seven or eight weeks before the 2016 Olympics, the Aktjubinsk fighter beat Fazliddin Gabinazarov. Two months later, Gabinazarov would win gold in Rio.

Described by MTK Global International Consultant Mike Altamura as simply a “hellacious puncher,” Nurtas’ brutal power was on display when he dispatched Anto Nakic within a minute and a half at York Hall back in December.

The classy Kazakhs join a packed Cardiff card already topped by Akeem Ennis Brown’s IBF European super-lightweight title defence against the unbeaten Bilal Rehman and Jacob Robinson’s step up against Jonny Phillips.

In addition, fans can see the likes of undefeated Commonwealth flyweight king Jay Harris, emerging stars Jacob Lovell and Kieran Gething plus Alex Hughes, Maredudd Thomas and more on the night.

World of Boxing, one of the premier international boxing promoters and based in Moscow, Russia is marching into the United States on Saturday, March 9, 2019 with two of its top charges, WBA Light Heavyweight World Champion Dmitry Bivol, (15-0, 11 KOs), and Undefeated Heavyweight Contender Sergey Kuzmin, (14-0, 11 KOs), featured in bouts from the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y. and broadcast on the streaming service DAZN.

Bivol’s world title defense against Joe Smith Jr., (24-2, 20 KOs), will headline the show in a scheduled 12-round clash while Kuzmin will face an opponent to be announced in a ten-round bout. The event is co-promoted with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing

Founded by Andrey Ryabinsky in 2012, World of Boxing has promoted many of the sport’s biggest events featuring numerous members of their roster including heavyweight world title challenger Alexander Povetkin, cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev, undefeated welterweight prospect Sergey Lubkovich, former lightweight world champion Edward Troyanovsky and former cruiserweight world champion Grigory Drozd in addition to Bivol and Kuzmin.

On September 22, 2018, World of Boxing co-promoted with Matchroom Boxing the World Heavyweight Championship between Anthony Joshua and Povetkin which drew 80,000 boxing fans to Wembley Stadium in London, England and was viewed by a massive international televised audience.

Said Ryabinsky, “I’m very happy with the great athletes and tremendous events we’ve been able to promote since 2012. We now enter a new chapter where many of our fighters will be further competing in the United States and we welcome this challenge to fight the best boxers situated in that country.”

The philanthropic Ryabinsky also played an extensive financial role in the recovery of Russian heavyweight contender Magomed Abdusalamov who suffered a brain injury following a fight in November 2013, underwriting many of the costs associated with his therapy and family assistance.

“I considered it my personal duty to help Magomed although I didn’t promote him. He was a true Russian warrior and I was honored to help him and his family and will continue to do so as needed.”

One of World of Boxing’s top prospects, 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist Murodjon Akhmadaliev impressed an HBO nationally televised audience improving to 5-0 with a ninth-round knockout of Isaac Zarate in their scheduled ten-round super bantamweight bout on November 24, 2018.

Junior welterweight prospect Pedro Moreno (11-0, 7 KOs), who was set to make his headlining debut this Friday, has pulled out of his scheduled eight-round fight against fellow unbeaten prospect Ramon Mascarena (10-0, 5 KOs).

Moreno, 21, fell ill Tuesday night and made the decision today to remove himself from the "New Blood" card.

Wednesday's change elevates bantamweights Mario Hernandez (8-0-1, 3 KOs) and Luis Fernando Saavedra (7-6, 3 KOs) to the eight-round main event.

"It's an unfortunate situation for Pedro and Ramon because both fighters were beyond excited to showcase their boxing ability in our main event," said Alex Camponovo, matchmaker and general manager at Thompson Boxing. "The good news is we still have an excellent card lined up for boxing fans. Mario Hernandez and Luis Fernando Saavedra are two, no-nonsense boxers that will put on a tremendous performance in our new main event."

Tickets for "New Blood" are priced at $40, $60, & $100, and are available for purchase by calling 714-935-0900, or online at ThompsonBoxing.com.

All fights will be live streamed on TB Presents: New Blood via our Facebook page, YouTube channel, and ThompsonBoxing.com. Beto Duran will handle blow-by-blow duties, while Doug Fischer provides expert, color commentating. 

The livestream starts at 8:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. ET.

The Doubletree Hotel is located at 222 N. Vineyard Ave., Ontario, CA 91764 and can be reached at 909-937-0900.