Time to shine
Yeleussinov, who was an outstanding amateur has decided to turn professional under the Matchroom banner. A standout fighter in the 2016 Olympics, people will expect to see a star in the making under the big bright lights of Matchroom shows.
First step, impress.
Many professional boxers aspire to fight on cards as big as Jacobs vs. Sulecki and hardly ever do they get the chance to debut on those high stature of nights. Yeleussinov will be watched by millions of people expecting an impressive performance, impress he must as the pressure of the big professional stage is on him early. He has featured in the spotlight as an amateur and making his transition to professional is expected to be easy. The welterweight division will gain another great prospect for us to see rise and with Matchroom, the British boxing fans continue to prosper.
Noah Kidd, with a record of 3-0-1 (2KOs) stands across the ring from Yeleussinov. For his first opponent in the paid ranks, Kidd is not a bad option to get things going. To raise the profile of an elite amateur boxer, they have to look good in fights and surely this is what Eddie Hearn had in mind for his new welterweight prospect.
The First Kazakh
Yeleussinov is notably the first Kazakh to join the Matchroom stable, Kazakhstan produces tough fighters and skills through their unique training methods. Kazakhs are pictured as a thing of legend, using everything in their vicinity as an advantage to training.
Old school Kazakhs run in the adverse climate, use rocks as obscure weights to strengthen their entire body. The style is that of what we see from GGG before he combines the Mexcian style thanks to Abel Sanchez, moving and cornering around the target by cutting the ring off. Defensively good and Yeleussinov so far has displayed some of the best defence in boxing the amateurs has seen.
After his debut in New York, we expect he will travel across the pond in the summer time. Boxing fans in the UK have gotten lucky the past couple of years with rising prospects and stacked shows which gain more interest in boxing. There is a possibility of Yeleussinov and Kelly featuring on the same card on the 16th June. There the interest of a rematch could generate quickly.