Update On Maksim Vlasov Vs. Umar Salamov

This past weekend, a fight to determine one challenger for the WBO Light-Heavyweight Title was decided. The other fight may end up taking a while to come to fruition.

On Saturday, August 22, Joe Smith Jr. beat Eleider Alvarez via KO. It was his first fight since January when he beat Jessie Hart. The former light-heavyweight contender in Smith (26-3) is ready for whoever is next for him to face.

The next fight is between Maksim Vlasov and Umar Salamov. There may be some complications, however, when it comes to traveling. It appears that Top Rank wants to produce the fight in America, but with the current COVID-19 situation restricting travel, that may be an issue.

“Top Rank wants to make the fight in the United States and we have to wait for when the US consulates will be open,” Oleg Bogdanov, Vlasov’s manager stated to Boxing Scene. “Both boxers’ visas have expired, and US consulates are closed all over the world.

“Umar is training in Kiev and now he wants to fight in an exhibition too, maybe with the same opponent (Ekimov). Umar and Max are eager to fight each other, and then go on to face Joe Smith—who both predicted would beat Alvarez. It will be an excellent fight when Smith gets to face either Umar or Max.”

The 33-year-old Vlasov (45-3) last fought professionally in November, beating Emmanuel Martey via unanimous decision. It was the third win in a row for the WBO Global Light-Heavyweight Champion. To stay busy, Vlasov competed in an exhibition bout in Russia this past weekend. He beat Sergei Ekimov in a fight that had no judges and will not count towards his record.

Salamov (25-1) is on a six-fight win streak dating back to 2017. His last fight was a knockout win over Emmanuel Danso, his second in a row. In total, the 26-year-old has 19 wins via some form of knockout.

The WBO Light-Heavyweight Title became vacant after Canelo Alvarez beat Sergey Kovalev for it. He then relinquished the title soon after.