Radivoje Kalajdzic Could Do Worse Than Facing Richards Next
The goals were two-fold for former world light heavyweight challenger Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic (29-2, 21 KOs) in his ten-round contest against Sullivan Barrera. He wanted to win and do so in impressive fashion. It was mission accomplished on both fronts. Could next up for Hot Rod be a fight with England’s Craig “Spider” Richards (18-3, 11 KOs)?
Squaring off at the Whitesands Event Center in Plant City, Florida, Kalajdzic was in control from the opening bell. He punished Barrera throughout as he scored two knockdowns en route to a brutal tenth-round stoppage.
Barrera is 42 years old and hasn’t fought since a knock loss to Gilberto Ramirez in July 2021. As a result, some in the boxing community will yell that Kalajdzic doesn’t deserve credit for beating what they view as an old and washed-up fighter. But a win is a win. If Barrera had won, there would have been some serious questions to ask of Kalajdzic.
WHAT COULD BE IN STORE?
Currently ranked twelfth by the WBA and fourteenth by the WBC, Kalajdzic would love to face the winner of the upcoming showdown between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol to determine the undisputed champion at 175. But that’s highly unlikely to occur.
Understanding that reality, Kalajdzic wants to face a top-ten guy at 175 by the end of the year. That opponent could be a battle against Richards. After a nearly two-year layoff, Spider returned to action in February 2024 with a seventh-round stoppage over Boris Crighton. Many fight fans remember that Richards gave a decent account of himself in a decision defeat to Bivol in November 2021.
Stylistically, Kalajdzic versus Richards is an even fight. Both men like to box but are willing to mix it up and fight. Each man is hungry to get another world title shot.
Hot Rod desires a fight against anyone inside the top ten of the WBA. Richards is ranked sixth. Team Kalajdzic may have to travel to Richards’ home country of England to make it a reality. But given the current state of Hot Rod’s career, it’s a fight that makes all the sense in the world.
