Vacant WBO Inter-Continental Jr. Welterweight Championship title Zhankosh Turarov vs. Mauro Godoy
MTK Boxing card from Kazakhstan on July 6 live on ESPN+
Kazakhstan boxing is readying itself for a night that will go down in its illustrious history and broadcast around the world – Saturday’s world title #MTKFightNight in Nur-Sultan.
Now, thanks to the support and encouragement of Nurali Aliyev, a name synonymous with boxing in Kazakhstan, they’re all coming home to show their progress to fanatical compatriots on a bill topped by Turarov’s (23-0, 16 KOs) WBO Inter-Continental Jr. Welterweight collision with high-class Argentinian Mauro Godoy (31-4-1, 16 KOs).
Turarov turned pro more than a decade ago in Kazakhstan and will be fighting for the second time in as many months since signing with MTK Global. He knocked out Richmond Djarbeng in two rounds last month in Cardiff, Wales, in a fight that streamed on ESPN+. Godoy, from Argentina, is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision victory March 15 in his home nation. He is a former South American super lightweight champion who has gone 10 or more rounds seven times.
The landmark event will take place at the colossal Barys Arena in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan on the Day of the Capital City with 13,000 set to attend and witness boxing history.
ESPN, the biggest sports broadcaster in the world will broadcast the event to their 100 million subscribers across the US, Canada and Puerto Rico with iFL TV also on-hand to ensure viewership across the rest of the world.
“There are few nations developing as much great young talent as Kazakhstan,” said Top Rank chairman Bob Arum. “July 6 in Nur-Sultan – live on ESPN+ – is the start of something special for Kazakhstan boxing, and Top Rank is proud to be working with MTK Global on this exciting venture.”
Head of MTK Kazakhstan Askar Salikbayev said: “This is phenomenal news for everyone – for the country of Kazakhstan, for MTK Global, for the fighters and for the fans.