Unbeaten Argentine super middleweight Pablo Corzo will step into the big leagues when he faces Pavel Silyagin on Saturday.

Corzo, who will be fighting outside his homeland for the first time as a professional, will battle Silyagin at DIVS, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

"This is a great opportunity for me and my team—something we've been working toward for a while," Corzo (23-0, 20 knockouts) told The Ring through promoter Georgina Rivero of OR Promotions. "We're not going to let this chance slip away.

"I've seen Silyagin fight several times; he's good, he has his strengths like all top fighters, and he's among the best in the world. But I have the talent and the strength to beat him. As I always say, I go in there to do my job. I'm not someone who enters the ring with a fixed plan—we'll see how the fight develops, round-by-round. Fortunately, I can adapt well to long, mid, and short-range fighting, and that's a big advantage."

The 24-year-old has been boxing since he was 11 and made his amateur debut at 13. He went on to win several local titles and four national championships and was close to going to the 2020 Olympics only to be prevented by the Covid-19 pandemic.

That saw him turn professional in March 2021 after going 81-4-2 in the unpaid ranks. Since then, he has remained busy and collected various regional sanctioning body titles as well as the Argentine and South American super middleweight titles.

While this fight takes place over 9,000 miles away from his native Argentina, he feels his time on the amateur circuit will benefit him and welcomes visiting a new place.

"I was part of the Argentine national team for quite some time and had the chance to represent my country abroad," he said. "Even though I hadn't yet turned professional, international competition is not new to me.

"I've seen photos of Ekaterinburg—it looks beautiful, and I'm looking forward to enjoying the process and my time there."

Corzo, who has been training in the mountains of his home province of San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, will be a decided underdog, appreciates that but remains focused only on what he can control.

"I like taking on challenges—the only thing I hope is that if the fight goes the full 12 rounds, the judges are fair," he said.

"I've been building a strong career thanks to my promoter, OR Promotions, and I'm eager to keep climbing. I'm 100 percent confident that I'll succeed—with faith in God, always."

Rivera, who followed her father, Osvaldo, who is a renowned promoter in Argentina, into the sport and has previously worked with the likes of Omar Narvaez and Juan Carlos Raveco, believes her fighter is ready to make a splash in the division.

"This opportunity comes at the right time in Pablo's career," she said. "His boxing and mental evolution in the last year was crucial to be able to face this challenge today against an elite boxer.

"I am sure that an opponent of this magnitude will bring out the best version of Pablo Corzo and we will finally know his great potential."

Silyagin (15-0-1, 7 KOs) was a good amateur and although he didn't fight at any of the big tournaments, he did score wins over the likes of Vladimir Shishkin, Oleksandr Khyzhniak and Joshua Buatsi before making his professional debut in 2020.

The 31-year-old holds victories over Azizbek Abdugofurov (UD 12), perennial contender Isaac Chilemba (UD 12) and Ulugbek Sobirov (UD 10).

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk and you can follow him on X @AnsonWainwr1ght.