American heavyweight boxer Mike Balogun called the experience of one of the main aspects of the Russian athlete Murat Gassiev, who on March 3 will become his rival in the ring as part of the REN TV Fight Club.
According to Balogun, Gassiev will become his most eminent opponent at the moment.
“Gassiev is a former champion, so, yes, I would say that he is probably my most experienced opponent,” said the boxer.
He called experience one of the most important aspects of a Russian athlete.
“But like every boxer, we all have strengths and weaknesses,” he added.
What weaknesses Gassiev has, the ring will show, the American is sure.
Balogun also said that he came to boxing after football.
“Coming from football, I basically just took the same foundation, the same blueprint for success, and just applied it to boxing, found myself a great team and was just a sponge. I absorbed as much information as I could and applied it. And here we are,” added the boxer.
Earlier on Sunday, Russian fighter Sergei Kharitonov told Izvestia that he would be rooting for Gassiev in his upcoming fight with Balogun. He added that he did not know the American, but he believes that the Russian will enter the ring with him in good shape.
Murat Gassiev is a former unified world heavyweight champion. He became the IBF champion by defeating compatriot Denis Lebedev. In 2018, Gassiev knocked out Cuban boxer Yuniel Dorticos, taking away his WBA title. He spent 30 fights, in 21 of which he won by knockout.
On account of the 39-year-old American Balogun 20 victories, 16 of which he won ahead of schedule. The athlete ranks eighth among all heavyweights from the United States.
REN TV will broadcast the fight between Gassiev and Balogun live on the evening of March 3
