Tag Archives: Denis Lebedev

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Former Interim Cruiserweight World Champion Youri Kalenga added to “Battle of Casablanca” card

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World amateur champion Mohammad Rabii
To make pro debut at home in main event 
Feb. 18 in Casablanca, Morocco
CASABLANCA, Morocco (February 2, 2017) – Former Interim cruiserweight world champion Youri “El Toro” Kalenga will provide chief support February 18 for pro-debuting Moroccan amateur boxing sensation Mohammad Rabii on the “Battle of Casablanca” card, presented by Nowhere2Hyde, at Complexe de Sportif Mohammed V Arena in Casablanca, Morocco.
Kalenga (22-3, 15 KOs), fighting out of France by way of The Congo, is currently rated No. 12 by the World Boxing Association (WBA) and No. 16 by the World Boxing Council (WBC).  The knockout artist takes on Garrett “The Ultimate Warrior” Wilson (17-11-1, 9 KOs), of Philadelphia, who is a former United States Boxing Association (USBA) and North American Boxing Federation (NABF) champion.
In 2014, Kalenga captured the WBA Interim title with a 12-round split decision over 32-1 Mateusz Masternak in Monaco, followed with a successful title defense in Canada against 12-0 Denton Daley by way of a 12th round technical knockout.
Kalenga has never been in a dull fight.  Two of his three career losses have been to current WBA Super cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (26-2), who Kalenga dropped in the fourth round, by way of a 12-round unanimous decision in Russia, and last June he was stopped for the first time in his seven-year pro career by 20-0 Yunier Dorticos in Paris for the Interim WBA strap.
The 23-year-old Rabii defeated 2016 Olympic gold medalist Daniyar Yeleussinov in the welterweight division championship finale of the 2015 AIBA World Amateur Championships to capture a gold for his native Morocco.  Rabii won a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, dropping a highly-disputed decision (0-3) in the semifinals to Uzebek boxer Shakhram Giyasov, the eventual silver medalist.
 
The ultra-charismatic Rabii has reached “rock star” status in Morocco, testament by an average of 6-million Moroccans viewing each of Rabbi’s Olympic matches on Arryadia Television.  “We are very excited to work with our television partners, Arryadia, on our February 18th show as the first of five shows in 2017 featuring Mohammed Rabii,” promoter Gary Hyde said.  “Rabii has the entire nation of Morocco behind him and he will be challenging for top welterweight honors in no time at all.”
Rabii will take on veteran Hungarian boxer Adam “Bad Boy” Mate (24-10, 17 KOs) in the six-round main event.
Also in action on “Battle of Casablanca” will be former World Boxing Association (WBA) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) world featherweight champion, Simpiwe Vetyeka (29-3, 17 KOs), who is world ranked No. 4 by the WBA, No. 6 by The Ring magazine, and No. 7 by the WBC.  The gifted South African faces undefeated Hungarian prospect David Nerna (8-0, 8 KOs) in a 10-round bout.
Netherlands light middleweight Gevorg Khatchikian (24-2, 12 KOs) will also be in action against Ugandan Med “Kabona” Sebyala (16-8-1. 13 KOs) in another 10-rounder.  Khatchikian, who will be fighting as a 154-pounder for the first time as a professional, has only lost twice as a pro, both to present super middleweight world champions, James Degale (IBF) and Gilberto Ramirez (WBO).
Hyde manages Rabii, Kalanga and Vetyeka.
Tickets are now on sale for the Feb. 18 show in Casablanca.
INFORMATION:
Twitter:  @nowhere2hyde,
boxing

Warriors Boxing Congratulates Murat Gassiev for Title Winning Victory and Issues Challenge to the Entire Boxing World

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‘Explain to me why Denis Lebedev is still world champion.’
Warriors Boxing and Ural Boxing wish to congratulate the fighter they co-promote, brand-new IBF Cruiserweight World Champion Murat “Iron” Gassiev, for his title-winning victory on December 3 against Denis Lebedev at the Khodynka Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia.
In an entertaining fight, Gassiev (24-0, 17 KOs) of Vladikavkaz, Russia, dropped his countryman Lebedev in the fifth round and won a split decision by scores of 116-112 and 116-111 against a score of 114-113 for the now-former champ.
In losing, Lebedev remained the WBA World Champion, as that belt was not on the line in the fight… which is where Warriors’ challenge to the boxing world lies.
“I challenge anyone in the boxing world to give me a logical explanation why Denis Lebedev was allowed to keep his WBA title after losing,” said Leon Margules, President of Warriors Boxing. “Neither fighter was over the cruiserweight limit. This was a unified champion defending his titles. It’s absurd and it sets a dangerous precedent in boxing. Why would any unified champion ever put all their belts on the line again if they could keep one or two, even if they lose?”
The pair were supposed to meet for both the WBA and IBF belts, but somehow less than a week before the fight, the WBA was convinced to allow this highly irregular move, which allowed Lebedev to remain WBA Super World Cruiserweight Champion, win or lose, above WBA “Regular” World Champion Beibut Shumenov and WBA “Interim” World Champion Yunier Dorticos.
“We went along with this travesty and fought anyway, but only because Lebedev’s team threatened to pull the fight if we didn’t. It’s a ridiculous situation and I want the boxing world to know what went down here.”
Margules says Lebedev’s camp are now using the Russian media to claim Gassiev is refusing a rematch.
“Let me set that straight right now. We would LOVE to fight Lebedev again. We’ll beat him even more easily this time. But only if he actually puts the WBA belt on the line, the one my guy has already won from him in the eyes of everyone but the sanctioning body.”
Boxing politics aside, Margules and his team say they are happy with the way the 23-year-old Gassiev looked in going 12 rounds for the first time in his life.
“Murat fulfilled the promise he has shown throughout his ascension to the top of the division,” said Margules. “He was in his first 12-rounder and he kept his composure. He didn’t blow his energy when he had the guy down in the fifth. And he didn’t panic when the champion, who is a very tough guy, had a few good rounds in the middle of the fight. I am very happy to be promoting a terrific fighter like him.”

“He reminds me of a young Rocky Marciano,” said Warriors Boxing’s COO Luis DeCubas. “He’s like a tank coming forward that you can’t stop. He will get to you eventually. He’s a star in this sport. I am sure the Shumenov/Dorticos winner would much rather fight the real unified champion Gassiev, instead of the loser Lebedev. These types of situations really hurt our sport.”
About Warriors Boxing
Launched in 2003, Warriors Boxing operates under a simple philosophy-bring the best boxers in the world to fight fans, match them in competitive bouts, and in doing so help re-establish the sport of boxing for a new generation.
With a series of successful Pay-Per-View shows and packed houses to its credit, the Warriors business model is working wonders in a sport that was sorely in need of the innovation and energy that the company brings to the table.
When it comes down to it though, a promotional company is only as good as the fighters and fights it promotes. Warriors Boxing has delivered on all fronts, with outstanding bouts such as Lara-Molina, Cayo-Peterson, Abraham-Miranda I and II, Miranda-Pavlik, Miranda-Green, Ibragimov-Briggs, Ibragimov-Klitschko, Urango-Hatton, Urango-Bailey, Cayo-Maidana and Ibragimov-Holyfield.
For more information on Warriors Boxing, visit their website at www.WarriorsBoxing.com.
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Team Shumenov responds to Lebedev vs. Gassiev world title fight announcement

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LAS VEGAS (August 17,, 2016) – Team Shumenov believes it is worth reviewing recent history enlight of the recent announcement that WBA Super/IBF cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev will defend against Murat Gassiev in late November or early December in Russia:  A condition for allowing  Lebedev to fight IBF cruiserweight champion Victor Emilio Ramirez on May 21, 2016 was that Lebedev had to fight WBA cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov within 120 days.  (Lebedev hasn’t made a mandatory defense since April 10, 2015.) Shumenov has done everything to make that fight, while Lebedev has done nothing but run from his mandatory title fight.  When it first became obvious in June that Lebedev was trying to avoid his mandated WBA title fight, Shumenov repeatedly requested that the WBA order a purse bid.
Lebedev ignored the WBA and then recently sought, after the WBA deadline had passed, a special permit allowing him to fight Gassiev, which Shumenov officially objected to within 48 hours. WBA Interim cruiserweight world champion Yunier Dorticos has also objected.   At this present time, though, Team Shumenov is still waiting to hear the WBA’s ruling in terms of stripping Lebedev if he decides to fight Gassiev instead of Shumenov.
It really is very simple.  Shumenov wants to fight Lebedev, who is doing everything he can to avoid it.  If Lebedev doesn’t care to meet his obligations and conditions of his prior special permit, he should relinquish his title.  Lebedev and his people need to rejoin the rest of us in the real world and stop claiming that Shumenov has not been pushing for this fight.
According to a recent report, Lebedev’s camp members erroneously reported that, “Shumenov is not exactly pushing the issue” (to fight Lebedev next).
Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.
boxing

Team Shumenov petitions WBA to declare purse bid for mandatory title fight vs. Lebedev or strip Lebedev of his world cruiserweight title belt

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LAS VEGAS (July 22, 2016) – It has been more than a month since World Boxing Association (WBA) world cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs), based on the much publicized WBA Cruiserweight Tournament rules and regulations, petitioned the WBA to either declare a purse bid for a title fight between WBA Super cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev, or strip Lebedev of his title belt for being non-compliant.
Last July, Shumenov defeated B.J. Flores by way of a 12-round unanimous decision to become the WBA mandatory challenger for   Lebedev, who hasn’t fought a mandatory defense since April 10, 2015.
The WBA issued a resolution this past April that Lebedev, who defeated Victor Emelio Ramirez in May to also become International Boxing Federation cruiserweight champion, must fight Shumenov within 120 days of the latter’s May 21, 2016 knockout victory over Junior Wright.
On record for making changes to insure only one world champion in each division, incredibly, the WBA presently has 38 different world title belt holders in only 17 different weight classes.  Only three WBA divisions have one world champion – super lightweight, lightweight and light flyweight – and eight have three world titlists, including its cruiserweight division, which presently has world champions in Lebedev, Shumenov and Interim champion Yunier Dorticos, who is the WBA second mandatory challenger.
In an apparent public relations move, the WBA has suddenly declared this month a rash of mandatory defenses, however, declaring and actually making these title fights are two different things, as Shumenov has unfortunately learned.  The WBA should have ordered a Lebedev vs. Shumenov purse bid on June 21, 2016, when the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, but the WBA failed to do so. When Shumenov repeated his request for a purse bid in June, the WBA failed once again to act.
WBA Rule D: Purse Bids
1. Call For Purse Bid. Bout participants shall reach an agreement on holding the bout no later than ninety (90) days before the expiration of the mandatory period. To confirm an agreement has been reached, the WBA must receive acceptable bout contracts signed by the boxers certifying they have reached terms for the bout. If no agreement has been reached, the Championships Committee, with the approval of the President, can call for Purse bid. A boxer may also request a purse bid at any time. 
 
Lebedev’s promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, has been quoted in stories about having a deal in place for his fighter to defend his IBF title first.  In effect, the WBA is allowing Lebedev to hold the WBA Super cruiserweight title belt hostage, leveraging it against his IBF crown.  Shumenov, who is a former WBA Super light heavyweight champion, has now proudly worn the WBA belt around his waist for a total of nearly five years.
“I was looking forward to fighting Lebedev and I don’t understand his unwillingness and refusal to step in the ring with me,” Shumenov said.
Team Shumenov is extremely disappointed in the WBA’s failure to act on making the fight with Lebedev that it mandated, in addition to being discouraged by the WBA’s failure, after several requests had been made, to either set a purse bid date or strip Lebedev of his world title belt.  Not knowing if or when the WBA is finally going to rule has left Shumenov unable to book any fights. The WBA’s failure to enforce its own purse bid rule, or strip Lebedev, has unfairly prevented  Shumenov from earning a living while at the peak of his pro boxing career.
Shumenov is the only native Kazakh to be a two-division world champion.  Now a resident of Las Vegas, he also represented his native Kazakhstan at the 2004 Olympics in Greece.
Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.
boxing

One on One with Beibut Shumenov

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WBA cruiserweight world champion wants
Denis Lebedev fight to happen this summer

LAS VEGAS (June 5, 2016) – World Boxing Association (WBA) cruiserweight world champion Beibut Shumenov(17-2, 10 KOs) stopped No. 11-rated Junior “Hurricane” Wright (15-2-1, 12 KOs) in the 10th round of their May 21sttitle fight to remain mandatory challenger for unified WBA Super/International Boxing Federation (IBF) cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev (29-2, 22 KOs).  The WBA mandated a Lebedev-Shumenov fight within 120 days of May 21.

Shumenov, 32, is a 2004 Kazakhstan Olympian who lives and trains in Las Vegas.  During his 9-year professional boxing career, Shumenov has defeated four world champions – Gabriel Campillo, Byron Mitchell, William Joppy and Montell Griffin – as well as seven world title challengers.  He is 8-2 (4 KOs) in world title fights
Below find a one-on-one interview with Shumenov:
      (Photo by Yumio Yamada)
Evaluate your performance against Junior Wright in your last fight?
BS: “I am 100-percent a completely different fighter than in my previous fight against B.J. Flores.   But, at the beginning of this fight, I had a little bit of ring rust.  The inactivity is really hard for me.   I would like to be busier and fight more often.   I already started training and doing light exercises, right after my fight on May 21st.   In my next fight, I will be even more different fighter against Lebedev.”
How does it feel to be the only fighter from your country to be 2-division world champion?
BS: “I don’t really think about those things. My main goal is to unify all of the titles and fight all the best fighters.”
You’ve always wanted to unify as a way of determining who the best or real champ is. In 20-11, you almost fought a unification as WBA light heavyweight but then-WBO champion Juergen Braehmer who suddenly went home a few days before the scheduled unification fight. How does it feel to know that you will be fighting Lebedev for WBA super and IBF cruiserweight titles within 120 days from May 21?
BS: “This has always been my goal – to unify – and I’m motivated even more knowing that I am going to fight for those two titles very soon.”
Do you think a deal will be made between your manager, Al Haymon and Lebedev’s promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, or will it go to purse bid? 
BS: “It doesn’t concern me, whether it goes to a purse bid, or where the location is.  However, I hope the parties can get the best deal worked out for everyone involved.”
If Lebedev doesn’t want to fight you and he relinquishes his WBA super title belt, where do you go from there, fight second-mandatory challenger Yunier Dorticos?
BS: “I have heard rumors that Lebedev doesn’t want to fight me and, if this is true and he relinquishes his WBA Super belt, then I want to fight Dorticos because every organization should only have one champion in each division.   I hope this isn’t the case, as I have been waiting to fight Lebedev since I won the WBA interim title (mandatory) back in July of 2015.  The WBA has ordered us to fight within 120 days of May 21st.  I am ready, willing and able to fight him and I hope he is ready, too.”
Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.
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World champion Beibut Shumenov to defend title vs. Junior Wright this Saturday night in Las Vegas

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LAS VEGAS (May 18, 2016) – World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Cruiserweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) makes his first title defense this Saturday night (May 21) against WBA No. 11-rated Junior “Hurricane” Wright (15-1-1, 12 KOs) at The Chelsea inside of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
“I’m happy to get the opportunity to fight this Saturday night,” Shumenov said, “but I wish that I could fight more often.  I’ve been ready since January.  Every training session I gain new knowledge.  I am a completely different fighter than in my last fight.”
Shumenov’s last fight was back in July, in which he defeated B.J. Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs) by 12-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas to capture the vacant WBA Interim title, making the former WBA light heavyweight champion Shumenov the first professional boxer from Kazakhstan to be a two-division world champion.
By becoming the WBA Interim cruiserweight champion, Shumenov also became the No. 1 ranked mandatory challenger for WBA Super cruiserweight titlist Denis Lebedev (28-2, 21 KOs), who also fights this Saturday in Russia against International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Victor Emilio “El Tyson de Abasto” Ramirez (22-2-1, 17 KOs) in a unification match.
The WBA has already mandated that the Lebedev-Ramirez must fight Shumenovwithin 120 days. The WBA, however, has failed to explain why it also declared a WBA “regular” cruiserweight world title fight this Friday night in France between No. 2 Yunier Dorticos and No. 5 Youri Kalenga (since upgraded to No. 3), especially after announcing that it would work this year to have only one world champion in each weight class.
Shumenov, of course, is risking his mandatory position by fighting Wright, the former 5-time Chicago Golden Gloves champion.  “I need to stay active,” Shumenov explained why he’s taking such a risk.  “Every fight, I gain experience and it also helps me develop my fighting skills.”
The 12-round Shumenov vs. Wright title fight is on the non-televised portion of The Cosmopolitan show.
Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page atwww.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.
boxing, Las Vegas

Beibut Shumenov targeting Lebedev-Ramirez cruiserweight Unification title fight winner

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LAS VEGAS (March 22, 2016) – World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim Cruiserweight World champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) is targeting the May 21st unification title winner between WBA titlist Denis Lebedev(28-2, 21 KOs) and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Victor Emilio “El Tyson de Abasto” Ramirez (22-2-1, 17 KOs).
When Shumenov defeated B.J. Flores(31-1-1, 20 KOs) last July in Las Vegas, the former WBA light heavyweight champion became WBA Interim champion as well as its No. 1 mandatory contender.
Lebedev, however, hasn’t fought a mandatory fight since last April 10 in which he won a 12-round decision over then Interim WBA champion Youri Kalenga.  Lebedev made a voluntary tittle offense last November, stopping Lateef Kayode in the eighth round.
Shumenov will be back in the ring next month (April), full details forthcoming, and then he will challenge the Lebedev-Ramirez winner within 90/120 days of their outcome.
“I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to fight the Lebedev-Ramirez winner because it’s always been my goal to unify the titles,” Shumenov explained.  “Lebedev has always been my target.  Ramirez is the other fighter I’ve really wanted to fight and my manager tried to make a fight between us, too.
“I’ve been in the gym since my last fight, training hard to perfect my skills. Now, I am a completely different fighter since I fought last July.  My team is extremely happy and confident that I can beat all of the other world cruiserweight champions.”
Last December, Shumenov was scheduled to defend his Interim WBA crown against two-time world cruiserweight champion Krzyesztof “Diablo” Wlodarczyk (50-3-1, 36 KOs), but a serious medical issue concerning a family member forced Shumenov to withdraw from the aforementioned fight.
“The opportunity to fight the winner of Lebedev/Ramirez in a big unification fight just came about this year and I didn’t have that option back when I agreed to initially fight Wlodarczyk back in December and I was unable to foresee what would happen to my family personally,” 32-year-old Shumenov said.  “I have no problem fighting Wlodarczyk in the future, but only after I fight the Lebedev-Ramirez unification winner.  In addition, at any time, I have no problem fighting WBA No. 2-ranked Yunier Dorticos.
“Right now, I’m at my fighting prime yet still improving, training with my coach, Ismael Salas.  I want to show the world my skills before I get too old.  Literally, I’m ready to fighttomorrow and I’ve been ready for months.  I’ll be back in the ring next month and then I’ll get my shot at the Lebedev-Ramirez winner.”
Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page at www.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.
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Beibut Shumenov makes history once again in ring

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TEAM SHUMENOV: (L-R) Assistant trainer Rodney Crisler, world cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov, Chingis Shumenov, head trainer Ismael Salas, cut-man Jacob “Stitch” Duran and assistant trainer Jeff Grmoja.

 

LAS VEGAS (Aug. 3, 2015) – Newly crowned World Boxing Association (WBA) Interim cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (16-2, 10 KOs) recently made history once again, defeating B.J. Flores (31-2-1, 20 KOs) by way of a 12-round unanimous decision as Premier Boxing Champions series headliner, which aired July 25th on NBCSN live from The Palms in Las Vegas.

Shumenov, 31, became the mandatory challenger for WBA “regular” cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (27-1, 20 KOs, 1 NC), of Russia, as well as the first Kazakhstan native to capture a world title in two different weight classes having been the WBA light heavyweight champion from 2010-2014.

Boxing hotbed Kazakhstan has produced five other world champions during the past quarter-century: 1990 WBC super featherweight Aratoly Alexandrov, 2000 WBC heavyweight Oleg “Big O” Maskaev, 2001-2003 – IBF cruiserweight Vassily “The Tiger” Jirov, 2010-2012 WBA super middleweight Dimitri Sartison and reigning WBA Super/WBC Interim middleweight Gennady Golovkin.

In his fist historic fight back in 2010, Shumenov defeated defending WBA light heavyweight champion Gabriel Campillo viaa 12-round decision to establish the record for fewest-fights, 10, to become world champion of a major organization in the 175-pound division.

“I am very proud to set another record in boxing,” 2004 Olympian Shumenov said. “I’m honored to be the first fighter from my country to become world champion in two divisions. I’d like to thank my manager, Al Haymon, for giving me this opportunity. Lebedev is the main target and, if I pass that test, I want to fight the best fighters in the cruiserweight division.”

Shumenov went through a style transformation, under the direction of famed Cuban head coach Ismael Salas, who worked with the athletic Kazakh to change him from an aggressive, grinding fighter into a more complete, all-around boxer. Shumenov baffled Flores, who expected Shumenov to come to him and exchange punches, which would have given the naturally bigger, stronger Flores an advantage. Instead, Shumenov masterfully boxed his way to victory, using lateral movement, angles and positioning to frustrate Flores into ineffective aggression, resulting in an array of off-balance punches and misses.

After the fight, Shumenov explained the surprising change he went through after training with Salas since January. “I’m still in the learning process. Like my trainer says, there are no limits, and I still haven’t perfected what he’s teaching me. It really comes down to a lot of hard work, repetitions of muscle memory. My footwork for this fight came from my trainer. I was happy to be victorious but I still see myself getting a lot better, overall, as a complete boxer.”
(L-R) Shumenov & Salas

Salas also trains World Boxing Council (WBC) World Lightweight Champion Jorge Linares (39-3, 26 KOs), in addition to handling past and present world champions such as Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriokis Gamboa, Danny Green, and Jesse Vargas.

“There is a process for everybody in terms of bio-mechanics,” Salas commented. “There are specialties of training I teach that aren’t used often in boxing, specific exercises for the dynamics of motion. I originally learned to coach in the Cuban system, which is similar to the Soviet system in which Beibut first learned, but I’ve also been all over the world learning different methods of training. It still takes time for a world-class fighter like Beibut, who has been world champion as a professional, and had many amateur matches. Jorge Linares was a two-time world champion before we started working together. Beibut is getting there. He’s still not at his full potential, right now, using only 40-50 percent of his tools.”

Shumenov is a lawyer and successful businessman who speaks five languages. Although he’s a two-time world champion, he’s still a student of boxing, and Salas is his highly respected professor.

“He’s (Salas) humble but a genius,” Shumenov insists. “He asks and listens to my opinions. We concentrate on fundamentals and he explains everything to me. Our team had a daily routine in camp in which we shared our knowledge after each training session. The four of us (Shumenov, Salas, Grmjoja and Crisler) became one.”

 

And the result was a second world title.

 

Fans may friend Beibut Shumenov on his Facebook Fan Page atwww.facebook.com/BeibutShumenov.