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On Saturday February 6 in Baku,
Azerbaijan, local favorite Fariz
Mammadov, 18-2-1 (12), will take
on Badru Lusambya, 24-2-2 (22),
of Uganda for the vacant World
Boxing Federation (WBF) World
Super Welterweight title on a
big show staged by promoters
Nezir Agayev and Yashar Milnits.
A remarkable story, 35-year-old
Southpaw Mammadov turned
professional in 2001 as a
Lightweight, and went 11-1-1 in
the next three years, winning a
couple of minor titles in 2004
before disappearing from the
scene for seven and a half
years.
In May of 2012 he amazingly
returned to the ring at
Welterweight, and put together
three low-key victories before
losing a WBO & IBF regional
title fight to undefeated German
contender Matthias Pelk, 20-0 at
the time, in December of 2013.
After scoring a routine victory
in March 2014, Mammadov secured
a rematch with Pelk in Germany
the following June, and relieved
the home-fighter of his WBO
European title, boxing
wonderfully and winning by
impressive fifth round stoppage.
He has since stayed busy with
solid victories over Valentyn
Kuts and Andrei Abramenka,
lining up his first world
championship opportunity. But in
the hard-punching Badru “Mr.
Crush” Lusambya, also a
southpaw, he will be in for a
very tough task.
Lusambya (33) entered the paid
ranks in 2002, and captured the
African Boxing Union Super
Welterweight title in only his
seventh outing in 2004. He made
two successful defenses before
relocating to the United Kingdom
for a few years, but in 2009 he
returned to the African
continent and reclaimed the ABU
crown.
Undefeated since 2010, Lasumbya
will also be in his first shot
at world glory, and is looking
to join an impressive list of
big names from Uganda who has
won world titles, including Ayub
Kalule, John Mugabi, Kassim
Ouma, Cornelius Boza-Edwards and
Godfrey Nyakana.
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