Alex Miskirtchian found himself enjoying his momentum up the featherweight ladder before he hit a pothole in the road last summer. The Georgia-born fighter with a 26-4-1 mark got caught by vet Cornelius Lock and had to assess himself.

He did so, and licked his wounds and got back to work. The Belgium resident, who has mostly fought in his home-land, rebounded with a win in December and is being rewarded for his perseverance with an IBF intercontinental championship opportunity.

Miskirtchian, promoted by Brooklyn’s Dmitriy Salita, will fight Vireol Simion on March 18, for a crack at that crown.

“Alex is fighting for a title but more importantly for a chance to come back to the top of the division,” Salita said.

“He learned from his US experience, against Lock, took a break and came back with extra motivation to again make a world title run. I believe Alex will put on one of his best performances in this upcoming fight. He has a great team with manager Alain Vanackère and I believe the result will be a positive one on March 18th.”

The fight against the 19-1 Romanian Viorel will unfold in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, so Miskirtchian will need to fight his best brand of boxing that evening. His promoter, Salita, has faith in him.

“Salita Promotions boxers are making more and more noise, around the world,” the promoter said. “I am proud of our growth and of the efforts of the fine athletes like Miskirtchian who fight for Salita Promotions!”