Evgeny Tishchenko has a long road back
Boxing can be a cruel sport. Fighters start their careers enjoying a high wave of victories one minute only to wipeout, looking up to the sky wondering what are they doing laying on their back. It is the hard-knock lesson cruiserweight prospect Evgeny Tishchenko (8-1, 6ko) is now learning. His once promising career was on the fast track towards a championship, then taken away after one defeat.
Tishchenko entered the professional ranks with an outstanding amateur pedigree. The 30-year-old Russian won gold medals as a heavyweight in the 2015 World Championships, European Championships, and 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro.
So it was no wonder his team immediately placed him on the express train towards a championship fight. In 2019, he made some serious noise winning the vacant WBO Inter-continental title in only his fourth professional match. Next was another impressive win over fellow undefeated prospect Issa Akberbayev.
MOMENTUM HALTED!!
In 2020, he kept the momentum going with back-to-back knockout wins. In order, they were against quality opponents in Marcos Antonio Aumada and John McCallum. Going into 2021, Tishchenko ranked #4, #5, and #15 by the WBO, IBF, and WBC, respectively. Believing the time to strike was now, team Tishchenko would decide to fight veteran and former title challenger Thabiso “The Rock” Mchunu in a WBC title eliminator on March 27.
The Rock found motivation in the thought of getting revenge from a knockout defeat at the hands of the WBC champion Ilunga Makabu back in 2015. Mchunu busted through the door of opportunity with a major victory in the backyard of the Russian fighter.
Unfortunately, this defeat was costly for the former Olympian. He was removed from the WBC and WBO rankings and was dropped down to the #14 spot with the IBF. The climb back up the mountain is going to be tough for the young fighter. However, he is showing signs that he is up for the challenge. Typically, fighters hardly ever bounce back right away after their first loss.
Looking to get right back into the saddle, the young Russian is on schedule to take on fellow countryman and former WBA title contender Dmitry “The Russian Hammer” Kudryashov (24-2, 23ko). Yet again, the young Russian is taking on what should be a well calculated risk. To be fair, Kudryashov is coming off a loss to another prospect and is far removed from the fighter he once was. Nonetheless, this is a good comeback fight for the Tishchenko.
Evgeny Tishchenko is returning to the scene of his first career defeat fighting in Ekaterinburg against Dmitry Kudryashov on September 11.
By: Garrisson Bland
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