Already this weekend there will be a fight that may well be in the Fight of the Year nomination. Former two-division champion Luis Neri (33-1, 25 KOs) from Mexico will fight with former challenger Azat Hovhannisyan (21-3, 17 KOs) from Armenia in a bantamweight bout (up to 55.3 kg), where the challenger will be determined for the WBC world title. The last one is owned by American Stephen Fulton.
The fight will take place on Saturday in the ring fox theater in Pomona, California, USA.
“The question is who will concede first,” Hovhannisyan, 34, said.
boxing scene. – At the same second, when someone is covered up, the mahach will begin. But I like to take my time and gradually break opponents. However, if he wants to force a fight, I’m not going to shirk. And Neri is exactly the same. We both have balls of steel. I think within the first minute we will see who has the longest body and beard. I look forward to cutting within the first 30 seconds.”
As Azat put it, his opponent “clearly loves to fight.”
“Because we will have a cool batch. There have been criticisms in the past regarding his professionalism, but I can’t help but respect the fighting spirit of the guy and what he does in the ring. But Louis better not look behind me. A real fight awaits him, ”the Armenian promised.
Hovhannisyan is currently coached by Julian Chua. Azat says the coach helped him become a more intelligent fighter and “slow down a bit so he doesn’t have to fight like a bulldozer all the time.”
“I feel a lot better when I fight smarter using chess moves,” said the underdog.
The 28-year-old “Panther” Nery is looking to revive his career after a string of fuck-ups like failed drug tests, overweight the day before the fight, and a single loss to Brandon Figueroa in 2021 by a seventh-round knockout. Last year, Luis scored a couple of victories (including a dubious split decision over Carlos Castro).
Hovhannisyan, on the other hand, has a seven-fight winning streak since his last loss in 2018 to then-WBC super bantamweight champion Ray Vargas.