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Bakhram Murtazaliev Targets Crawford, Fundora, or 160lb Move To Face Lara
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Manouk Akopyan
Manouk Akopyan
RingMagazine.com
Bakhram Murtazaliev Targets Crawford, Fundora, or 160lb Move To Face Lara
MONTROSE, California – Bakhram Murtazaliev is ready to make up for lost time in a massive way.

Murtazaliev made major waves in 2024 by knocking out Jack Culcay for the vacant IBF junior middleweight championship in April and defended the title in grand fashion by destroying Tim Tszyu in just three rounds in October despite coming into the clash as a massive betting underdog and with a broken right hand.

The statement stoppage win officially made Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) a high-risk, low-reward fighter moving forward and the leading boogeyman in a stacked division that includes the likes of champions like Terence Crawford (WBA) and Sebastian Fundora (WBC/WBO) and top contenders like Vergil Ortiz Jr., Israil Madrimov, Serhii Bohachuk, Charles Conwell, Jesus Ramos Jr. and the inactive likes of Jermell Charlo, Errol Spence Jr., and Keith Thurman.

The development is a deserved one for the 32-year-old veteran from Grozny, Russia, who endured a long, arduous road to now be able to relish the opportunity.

Murtazaliev was waiting in the shadows as the IBF’s long-overdue mandatory challenger since 2019, relegated to fighting lesser competition on non-televised PBC undercards while collecting step-aside money. His moment finally arrived when the former champion Charlo vacated the title in November 2023, clearing the way for Murtazaliev to seize his opportunity.

“I was waiting for four years to fight Charlo and I will never get those years back,” Murtazaliev told The Ring through a Russian translator after a training session with head coach Roma Kalantaryan at the KD MMA Montrose gym.

“God had a plan for me, and here we are. Time is running and I want to make history with title unification bouts or winning a title in another weight class. I’m done wasting time. But none of the other belt holders are calling my name. They’re quiet.

“I would like to fight Crawford or Fundora. If that doesn't happen, then I'll move up to 160 pounds and fight WBA titleholder Erislandy Lara. He's a legend of the sport and that would be a good fight too. We'll see what the team decides. I have no problem fighting at either weight class.”

Fighting as a middleweight is nothing new for Murtazaliev, The Ring’s No. 3 ranked 154 pounder. He kicked off his career in the weight class in 2014 and last fought as a 160 pounder in 2017. He’s settled in as a junior middleweight ever since.

As for 154 pounds, Murtazaliev ranked Crawford, Fundora, Ortiz, Madrimov, and Zander Zayas as the division’s top five.

“It will be a great fight against Fundora – if I catch him, it's over,” said Murtazaliev. “Crawford is also a good fighter, but I don't think it will happen. If Crawford fights me, it's a big chance on his part, and he could lose. If he loses to me, people are going to turn against him after all the years of great work that he did. They'll say, 'he wasn't the best.' But if he fights Canelo Alvarez and fails, they'll say 'Canelo was too heavy. Crawford tried.'”

Promoter Kathy Duva and manager Egis Klimas will be tasked with obtaining the most for Murtazaliev moving forward on the bargaining table. Working toward another title defense by the summertime shortly after Ramadan is already in the works. As for who’s getting the best and most for him in preparation, Murtazaliev credits Kalantaryan.

“Roma is the coach who I needed to get to where I am today. From preparation to the mental state, he's the whole package,” said Murtazaliev. “I’m ready for big fights for my legacy.”

Manouk Akopyan is a lead writer for The Ring. He can be reached on X and Instagram @ManoukAkopyan.

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