Israil Madrimov earns the right to challenge unified champion Jermell Charlo
When junior middleweight Israil “The Dream” Madrimov (8-0, 5ko) stepped on the professional scene after a successful amateur career, he was viewed as a potentially dangerous opponent in pursuit of a title shot. It is now a reality after his controversial stoppage over Michel Soro (35-3-1, 24ko) on December 17.
THE CONTROVERSY
In their WBA title eliminator, both men had their moments. Madrimov started taking control in the second half of the fight. Soro ,controlling most of the early parts of the rounds, allowed Madrimov to steal the rounds with late rallies in the last minute.
In round nine, Madrimov turned it up a notch. As both men were fighting in a phonebooth, he landed a hard right-hand on the chin of Soro. It was the beginning of the end as the Dream continued landing right hands with his opponent hurt up against the ropes.
The bell sounded, signaling the end of the round. But, the referee was unaware of the bell and allowed the Uzbekistan native to land more punishing punches before stepping in to stop the fight. This went viral all over social media, with the entire boxing community calling foul. Nonetheless, he was awarded the victory and is in line to challenge unified champion Jermell “Iron Man” Charlo.
THE WAITING GAME
Madrimov will have to wait to cash in on the opportunity the victory has awarded him. Charlo will be fighting WBO champion Brian Castano in a rematch to crown an undisputed champion on February 26, 2022. Furthermore, the line to fight the winner of the undisputed rematch is extremely long.
There are several top number one contenders in front of him. The WBO’s Tim Tszyu, the WBC’s Erickson Lubin, and finally the IBF’s Bakhram Murtazaliev all will undoubtedly immediately call to fight the winner. Moreover, he could fight for the vacant title as the winner between Charlo and Castano more than likely will move up.
It will be interesting to see how things play out as the junior middleweight division will be a must-watch in 2022.
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By: Garrisson Bland
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