Israil Madrimov has revealed that WBA world lightweight champion Dmitry Bivol helped prepare for his rematch with Michel Soro. Madrimov was in camp with Bivol ahead of his win over Canelo Alvarez.
Madrimov stated:
“Dmitry Bivol is another example of someone who believes in himself, he won that fight. [against Canelo Alvarez] and I was part of the camp and working with him really meant a lot. He proved that nothing is impossible if you believe in yourself and that’s a great motivator for all of us to train together. I gained a lot from spoiling him, I helped him and he helped me.”
Watch the full video here:
After the training camp the two shared together, Bivol beat all odds to beat one of boxing’s biggest stars, Canelo Alvarez. Bivol is a poor entered that fight, but took control of the contest and won by unanimous decision.
Now, that win has given Israil Madrimov a greater sense of confidence ahead of his next fight, a rematch with Michel Soro.
Israil Madrimov and Michel Soro asked for a rematch by the WBA
The first match between Madrimov (8-0) and Soro (35-3-1) ended quite controversially. Madrimov won the match via TKO in the ninth inning.
‘The Dream’ Madrimov unleashed a series of punches after the bell in the ninth round. It seems that neither Madrimov nor the referee heard the bell. The referee decided to stop Soro after a combination of punches.
Watch Israil Madrimov vs. Michel Soro I here:
This match was a knockout for the WBA super welterweight championship. The WBA requested a rematch between the pair due to the unsatisfactory ending. However, the sanctioning authority did not convert the contest to a no contest. ‘The Dream’ still has a win to make up for its record.
For now, the pair will have a rematch on July 9 at the O2 Arena. The match will take place on the basis of another rematch, the heavyweight match Between Derek Chisora and Kubrat Pulev.
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While a WBA belt stroke is in the line for a winner, it’s not clear how long they will have to wait for the shot.
Jermell Charlo holds all four belts in the weight class and has other duties to tackle first. Among them are WBO Mandatory Challenger Tim Tsyzu and IBF Compulsory Challenger Bakhram Murtazaliev. Promoter Murtazaliev filed a legal challenge against the WBO for ordering Charlo to fight Tsyzu, and what happens next remains unclear.
