Latvian Light Heavyweight Bolotniks Confident Ahead of Showdown with Fast-Rising Olympian Khataev
Riga, Latvia – Latvian light heavyweight Ricards Bolotniks is gearing up to take on the highly-touted Russian prospect Imam Khataev in a matchup that pits experience against youthful ambition. The two will square off on the undercard of the Vasiliy Lomachenko-George Kambosos Jr. main event in Perth, Australia on March 12 (March 11 in the U.S.).
Bolotniks (20-7-1, 8 KOs) believes his vast professional experience will be the key factor in this bout against the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Khataev (6-0, 6 KOs), who is being fast-tracked for contendership. “This is my game, not his,” Bolotniks told BoxingScene. “This is professional boxing, it’s very different to amateur boxing. I’ve been watching him in the amateurs and, seriously, I like his boxing. He’s tough, he’s strong, with a big punch. I saw him knock out a few guys in amateur boxing.“
The 32-year-old Bolotniks is coming off a routine six-round win in his native Riga following a disappointing stoppage loss against Oleksandr Gvozdyk last May. “After Gvozdyk, something in my head changed,” he revealed. “I gave everything in the Gvozdyk training camp – everything. It was such a strong camp, I felt great going into that fight. But then I got caught. I said before the fight that if I lose and look bad, I’ll stop. But he just caught me.“
Bolotniks Eager to Showcase Experience Against Khataev
Bolotniks is eager to showcase his experience and conditioning against the up-and-coming Khataev, who has yet to go beyond six rounds as a professional. “I think he’s only been four or five rounds so far. Yeah, he’s a good amateur boxer, and if we fought an amateur bout, yeah, he’s good at that. But this is my game – I’ve been boxing a lot at 10 and 12 rounds. I know he doesn’t know how that feels, I know what it feels like after six rounds; he doesn’t know yet. The referee will call round eight, he will think, ‘F**, how have I still got three more rounds left?’ So, for that reason, I want the full 10 rounds. We will see how he handles it.*”
The Latvian veteran is confident that his experience and conditioning will prevail over Khataev’s youthful exuberance. “I’m probably going to beat him by points, I have much more experience. I want to box this guy for the whole 10 rounds because I have the experience in those later rounds that he doesn’t. I’m curious to see how he handles it.“
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