Unbeaten WBO European super middleweight champion Frank Buglioni (12-0, 9 KOs) faces the sternest test of his career this Saturday when he faces Ukraine tough guy Sergey Khomitsky (28-10-2, 11 KOs) at the Copper Box Arena in London, England.
Buglioni, 25, captured the European belt last November when he stopped game Stephan Horvath in eight rounds. He followed up that performance by knocking out Gaetano Nespro. His hard-hitting, all-action style has made Buglioni one of most popular and talked about young stars in the UK.
The 39-year-old Khomitsky, who was stopped by knockout artist Gennady Golovkin seven years ago, feels that Buglioni is steeping up too quickly.
“I’m thinking that maybe Buglioni has underestimated me,” Khomitsky told worldboxingnews.net.
“I don’t talk and boast before a fight. I don’t like to talk about what I am going to do. But he will see on that night that I’m coming for a fight and he’d better be ready.”
Khomitsky sent former two-time British junior middleweight champion Jamie Moore into retirement and extended Martin Murray and Ryan Rhodes.
Murray came within a whisker defeating middleweight champion Sergio Martinez a year ago.
Buglioni, who will be seeking his third straight knockout at the Copper Box Arena, is fully aware of the threat that Khomitsky presents.
“He’s the best I’ve faced so far," said Buglioni to boxrec.com news last month. "He's mixed with the bigger names and has bags of experience so it will be a good gage to see where I am in my career."
“He took big punchers in (Martin) Murray and (Ryan) Rhodes the distance and stopped (Jamie) Moore so he’s no mug. I’ll be looking to make a real statement with a controlled, calculated and destructive performance.” added Buglioni.
Khomitsky has spent the last few weeks studying Bugilioni’s style.
“I’ve been watching him and have seen his weaknesses,” Khomitsky said. “I know that he is very open to be hit, against someone like me that is a big mistake. I have a good plan against him which I will use.”
The veteran feels that Buglioni lacks the power of some of his previous opponents.
“This is nonsense that he is going to knock me out,” said Khomitsky.”He may have stopped his last three opponents, and I can assure you that I won’t be the fourth. He does not hit like Golovkin, so he cannot hurt me.”
We shall see.
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