The first leg of the much anticipated World Series of Boxing (WSB) quarter-final between the Ukraine Otamans and Azerbaijan Baku Fires is set to take place at the 7,000 capacity Palace of Sports in Kyiv.
Azerbaijan Baku Fires topped Group A will Ukraine Otamans finished fourth in Group B following late rally spearheaded by formidable Olympic champions Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.
With the duo set to compete in the quarter-final bout, the Ukraine Otamans will be narrow favorites to progress to the last four.
Lomachenko will be the star attraction at the event as he is widely considered the best pound-for-pound Olympic boxer on the planet having won gold medals at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012, while he is also a double AIBA World Championship champion.
The 24-year-old lightweight from Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi admits he now cannot wait for the bout at the Palace of Sports, due to take place on March 22.
“WSB gave me a great motivation boost to train harder again and I enjoyed fighting without head guard a lot,” said Lomachenko.
“Boxing is my life and if I can help it become the most popular sport in Ukraine, I would be extremely glad.
