LOS ANGELES — With burgeoning Irish bruiser Callum Walsh, there’s a transparent blueprint for fulfillment if you leverage the promotional prowess, teaching, and affect of males like Tom Loeffler, Freddie Roach, and Dana White.
It is smart, due to this fact, that Loeffler, who based and runs the 360 Promotions struggle agency in Hollywood, would use an identical technique on the subject of one other prospect able to burst by way of in boxing.
Meet Sadriddin Akhmedov, an unbeaten finisher who caught the eye of Gennadiy Golovkin, and is yet one more Loeffler boxer cross-marketed to MMA followers by way of 360 and its broadcast cope with UFC Battle Cross.
With Walsh, there was pure Irish curiosity by way of famend Irish MMA fighters Conor McGregor and Ian Garry. With Akhmedov, it’s now fellow Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov, who competes towards Garry in a giant, welterweight bout at UFC 310 on Saturday in Las Vegas.
Loeffler advised World Boxing Information all in regards to the UFC blueprint, and Akhmedov’s position inside that, throughout a fighter exercise for WBN and different struggle media on the iconic Wildcard Boxing Membership earlier this week in sunny Los Angeles.
“With Sadriddin Akhmedov, there are quite a lot of similarities” to Gennadiy Golovkin, Loeffler added.
Golovkin even had a component to play in Akhmedov discovering his option to Loeffler, as Sadriddin educated on the Churchill Boxing Membership in Santa Monica. “It’s a health club that Triple G all the time educated at whereas he was right here, regionally, when not in Huge Bear, or some other place. He’d all the time go to Churchill,” Loeffler advised us. “We’d have our media days there and every thing like that. So it simply sort of coincidental that they have been each there on the identical time.”
It was not lengthy earlier than Golovkin was within the ring, exhibiting Sadriddin a factor or two in boxing, and pictures of the session went viral on-line. Akhmedov, allegedly sad with a promotional association in Canada, met with Loeffler a couple of occasions in LA, and went on to signal phrases with 360. “We’re excited,” Loeffler advised us.
“We already had him on a brand new present one time, and now he’s coming again, headlining the December 13 present at Chumash on UFC Battle Cross which is ideal timing as a result of Shavkhat Rakhmonov is preventing on Saturday, December 7 in Las Vegas. Sadriddin then fights in boxing per week later.”
It seems the mannequin of tapping Walsh into the Irish fandom that blew up with McGregor and Garry, can — naturally by way of White — be utilized with Akhmedov, and the Kazakh followers in MMA by way of Rakhmonov.
Not all expertise that finds its option to Loeffler, although, will get signed to professional boxing offers. Loeffler will get proven quite a lot of expertise, however is selective about who he works with. He prefers a targeted strategy on choose, elite-level athletes. It’s a mannequin that he mentioned labored with Golovkin and the Klitschko brothers. “They actually had one hundred pc of my concentrate on their careers, and that’s why they have been as profitable as they have been.
“However now with the UFC Battle Cross and the dates that we’ve got, alongside working with Dana White, Sadriddin was somebody who caught our consideration with that kind of beginner background … simply the desire, and sacrifice — he has quite a lot of similarities [to Golovkin],” he mentioned.
“[Sadriddin] had an excellent beginner profession, was a world champion within the amateurs from Kazakhstan, and is a giant puncher. He trains with Abel Sanchez.
“So,” he mentioned, “there are quite a lot of similarities with Triple G. There’s just one Triple G, however Sadriddin could be very shut. He’s simply, naturally, received so much to show within the ring the place he’s at proper now. However he’s 14 fights in and we’ve got some nice issues deliberate for him.”
Akhmedov and his December 13 opponent Raphael Igbokwe headline a Hollywood Battle Nights occasion on the Chumash On line casino Resort in California.
Loeffler advised us that their plan for Akhmedov is to see him by way of the Igbokwe take a look at this month and, if he emerges unscathed, then pally him up with Walsh on the St. Patrick’s Day card they’ve received deliberate for New York in March.
“After that,” mentioned Loeffler, “the gloves are off. We will struggle anybody.”
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Alan Dawson is World Boxing Information Lead Author, a 2 x Sports activities Journalist of the Yr finalist, and 5 x BWAA awards winner. Observe Alan @AlanDawsonSport.
