Light heavyweight prospect Umar Dzambekov showed his trainer something important on Saturday night:
That he could take a world-class punch.
Dzambekov won an eight-round unanimous decision over Roamer Alexis Angulo at the Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California. The scores were 80-72, 79-73 and 77-75.
Dzambekov, now 12-0 (8 KOs), saw his three-fight knockout streak snap with his victory, but what he gained was valuable in-ring experience. Trained by Marvin Somodio, the fight was Dzambekov’s first true step up as a professional.
The biggest takeaway was how Dzambekov handled some adversity.
“The fight showed me that in one or two fights, he is ready for the top of the division,” Somodio told BoxingScene. “I learned he could take a punch, and in a 12-round fight, no matter how good your defense, you will get hit. That matters.”
Somodio, when asked about his fighter’s performance, was candid.
“It was OK,” Somodio said. “Angulo had only lost to champions and top-rated fighters, so we knew he’d be tough.”
Dzambekov is a 27-year-old who was born in Chechnya, became an Austrian citizen and trains in Los Angeles. The Angulo bout was his second fight of 2025. In April, he scored a first-round knockout of former sparring partner Sonny McEwen.
This was Dzambekov’s first time facing a veteran with the accomplishments and ring experience of Angulo, a Colombian puncher who trains out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Angulo, now 28-4 (23 KOs), is 41 years old and in the twilight of his career, but he represented a tier of competition that Dzambekov hadn’t faced. Angulo’s prior losses came against Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez in 2018, David Benavidez in 2020 and Edgar Berlanga in 2022. Angulo had upset a prospect before, giving Anthony Sims Jnr his first defeat via split decision in January 2020.
“I think [Dzambekov] is ready for 10-round fights,” Somodio said. “He has something to improve upon, but we know he could’ve done a lot better, and he was able to push hard in the last two rounds.”