Rising Middleweight Prospect Nikita Ababiy has All But Vanished
There was a time when middleweight Nikita “White Chocolate” Ababiy (12-0, 6 KOs) was considered one of boxing’s brightest prospects. But now he’s vanished from the boxing landscape. What has happened to the career of White Chocolate?
A former Junior and New York Golden Gloves champion, he signed with Matchroom in June 2018. His pro debut occurred in October 2018. Fighting seven times in his first year as a professional, Ababiy was a fighter on the rise.
With an exciting style in the ring and the gift of gab during interviews, he gained a following and created a buzz for himself on social media. There were also high hopes from Matchroom, who felt that the middleweight had the potential to make the transition to potential become a mainstream attraction.
FROM ACTIVE TO NON-EXISENT
But suddenly, things went stagnant. There was a slowdown in boxing in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Ababiy has admitted that it took a toll on him, mentally. It seems he’s never fully recovered from that tumultuous period in the sport. White Chocolate fought only twice in 2020, and once in 2021. His last outing was an eighth-round unanimous decision victory over Noe Larios Jr in June 2022.
In September 2022, he went to social media and suggested that something was in the works. But as of this writing, there’s been no update from him on any upcoming fight.
At age 25, Ababiy has time to get things back on track. But no one likes a fighter who is inactive for no apparent reason. Matchroom nor any other promotional entity will stand for it. If there’s no return on their investment, they have no problems dumping you and moving on. Ababiy is in danger of becoming irrelevant and another case of boxing’s never-was.
