Bakhram Murtazaliev has ruled out fighting Jermell Charlo, opting for other, more relevant opponents. Murtazaliev, the IBF mandatory challenger, allowed Charlo to take on several major fights, including one with Jeison Rosario, two with Brian Castano, and a lucrative showdown with Canelo Alvarez. However, he is now focused on title unification.
After his dominant third-round knockout victory against Tim Tszyu, Bakhram Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs) made it clear that his priorities have changed. He stated that he wants to secure more titles and face figures like Errol Spence Jr., Sebastian Fundora, or Terence Crawford. If a unification fight doesn’t materialize, he will consider other options.
“My priority is to fight for more titles against Spence, Fundora or Crawford,” said Murtazaliev.
Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KOs), the WBC and WBO champion, is expected to defend his belt against Spence in 2025. Crawford, on the other hand, may await the winner of that fight, though he is also pursuing a lucrative bout with Canelo Alvarez.
Meanwhile, Murtazaliev, who lives and trains in California, showed dominance against Tszyu, knocking him down three times before the referee stopped the fight. Now, his team is exploring new opportunities with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and Al Haymon, though they do not have long-term contracts with these promoters.
Bakhram Murtazaliev’s future could include a fight in Saudi Arabia, organized by Turki Alalshikh, who has financed major bouts. With an interest in title unification, Murtazaliev concluded: “I’ll fight any champion there is [available]. I wanna fight a few champions and then move up [to the middleweight] division.”
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