By Alexey Sukachev and Dmitry Mikhalchuk

Ukrainian prizefighting is pretty active nowadays. Here is some fresh news from one of the biggest Eastern European fight scenes.

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April 20, a K2 Ukraine promotion at the Sport Palace of Kharkov is slowly building up. Headlining the show is a former world title challenger Sergey Fedchenko (32-2, 14 KOs), who managed to go the distance with Juan Manuel Marquez one fight before the “Dinamita” exploded in the fourth battle with Manny Pacquiao. WBO #5 Fedchenko will risk his WBO European title against the Spaniard Karim “El Diablo” El Ouazghari (15-2-2). The latter is best known to go the distance with then-EBU champion John Murray in 2011.

Six eight-rounders will constitute the body of the card. Crowning them all is a comeback of a hulking IBF #7 heavyweight Alexander Ustinov (27-1, 21 KOs), who was stopped by Kubrat Pulev last September in a bid for the EBU title. Testing his skills and mental assets will be Croation veteran Ivica Perkovic (19-19, 14 KOs), who has just scared Alexander Dimitrenko, sending him down before getting narrowly outboxed in the closing rounds.

The upset-minded welterweight Igor Fanian (13-4-2, 7 KOs) will try to avenge his first career loss, when he takes on yet-to-be-defeated Dmytro Semernin (9-0-1, 3 KOs). It’ll be a tough test for Semernin, as Fanian has outpointed 28-1 fringe contender Victor Plotnikov in his latest fight. He was also held to a very dubious draw against 28-0-1 Valery Brazhnik just three fights ago.

Light middleweight Dmytro Nikulin (26-1, 8 KOs) will face always exciting Bogdan Protsyshyn (7-6, 2 KOs). Super bantamweight Mamed Yadgarov (17-6-1, 10 KOs) will be pit against very faded former contender Yuri Voronin (27-19-2, 18 KOs), who has lost his last ten. Cruiserweight Vitaliy Nevesioliy (13-1, 7 KOs) and lightweight Valentin Golovko (17-0, 12 KOs) will fight Georgians George Tevdorashvili (13-7-3, 8 KOs) and Mikheil Avakian (18-8-2, 7 KOs) respectively. Also on the card are unbeaten prospects Umar Salamov (4-0, 3 KOs), Dmitry Fedos (2-0) and Mishiko Beselia (1-0).

Online e-theater Megogo.net will provide a free coverage of an entire event.

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Last Friday night, April 5, Union Boxing Promotions, an unusually quiet (nowadays) promotional company from Donetsk, staged another of its boxing shows, this time featuring mostly fighters from the lower weight classes. Two local flyweights acquired WBA minor titles as the result of the tournament.

Olexander Gryschuk (12-0, 5 KOs) overwhelmed previously unstoppable Hungarian Gabor Molnar (11-2, 8 KOs) in two easy rounds to get a vacant WBA I/C belt, while former Ukrainian Olympian Artiom Dalakian annihilated Molnar’s compatriot David Kanalas (10-5, 4 KOs) in the very first round to capture a vacant WBA International title. It’s to be noted that Kanalas has been stopped in all of his losses, four times – in the very first round.

In a domestic clash, super bantamweight Olexander Yegorov (12-0-1, 6 KOs) got a tougher-than-expected unanimous decision over Dmytro Aushev (1-3, 1 KOs) to acquire a vacant Ukrainian 122lb belt. Scores were 98-93, 99-92 and 99-93 – for more experienced Yegorov.

Also, light middleweight Artiom Karpets (18-0, 6 KOs) outpointed durable Hungarian import Norbert Szekeres (13-23-3, 8 KOs) with identical scores 80-72 – on all three judges’ boards. And heavyweight Yuri Voynilenko (2-0, 2 KOs) scored the second-round stoppage of Vyacheslav Scherbakov (3-15-1, 2 KOs) in the opener.

Former WBA welterweight champion Vyacheslav Senchenko and current WBA interim super middleweight titleholder Stas Kashtanov were both in attendance to support their teammates.

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Undefeated Ukrainian middleweight Vitaliy Kopylenko (19-0, 10 KOs), a reigning World Boxing Federation 160lb champion, will fight for the first time in nine months this Saturday night at Palestra Comunale Saleggi in Locarno, Switzerland, under promotion of Michele Barra. The minor titlist will face Bulgarian journeyman Daniel Borisov (4-6) in a non-title six-rounder.

Kopylenko, 29, acquired his tiny belt in two steps, made in Ukraine, firstly obliterating previously undefeated compatriot Vasyl Tarabarov in four for the WBF I/C title and then knocking out Portuguese Vitor Sa with a brutal left hook to the liver in the third stanza of a clash for the full-fledged regalia.

However, Kopylenko has mostly been fighting in Switzerland throughout his five-year long career.