The junior middleweight fight between Israil Madrimov and Magomed Kurbanov is now off for their battle for the vacant WBA 154-lb title on March 8th.
According to Dan Rafael, Madrimov (9-0-1, 6 KOs) had an issue with his pre-fight medical scan. The two were supposed to fight on the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou card on PPV at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The WBA junior middleweight belt that Madrimov and Kurbanov were supposed to fight for was stripped from Jermell Charlo due to his inactivity. There’s no word yet for when the Madrimov-Kurbanov fight will be rescheduled. The organizers of the event could have word on this problem.
Medical Concerns Halt Madrimov’s Participation
Boxing insider Dan Rafael said, “Per sources, the Israil Madrimov vs. Magomed Magomed Kurbanov bout for the vacant WBA 154 title slated for the Anthony Joshua vs. Francis Ngannou PPV on Friday in Riyadh is off. Madrimov has been ruled out due to an issue with a pre-fight medical scan conducted by the BBBofC, regulator of the event.”
It’s unclear what the medical issue is for the 29-year-old Uzbekh Madrimov, who has been out of action for 11 months since his win over Raphael Igbokwe in April 2023. Before that fight, Madrimov had been inactive for nine months.
Madrimov’s issues with inactivity have slowed his career progress because he should have fought for a world title long ago if he’d been busy, fighting three times a year like many fighters with just a handful of fights under their belts.
It’s a real negative for the Joshua vs. Ngannou event on March 8th to lose the Madrimov-Kurbanov fight, as that was one of the better ones on the card, which is top-heavy. The first two fights on the card are excellent, but then it drops off from there with less appealing matches.