Murodjon Akhmadaliev was not happy to learn that Naoya Inoue would be facing Sam Goodman in December.
As the mandatory challenger for the WBA super-bantamweight division, Akhmadaliev has been patiently waiting more than a year for his chance to face the Japanese sensation.
Since Akhmadaliev became the WBA mandatory, Inoue has defeated TJ Doheny and Luis Nery to hold all of the world titles at 122 pounds.
“I haven’t really seen anything specific on it or a resolution from the WBA,” he remarked.
The multi-weight champion Inoue revealed he will be stepping up to super-bantamweight during a press conference, and Kornilov acknowledged that Inoue is one of his favorite fighters, “or was.”
“He mentioned Akhmadaliev and actually announced that I’m going to be taking over this division,” Kornilov remarked.
If Akhmadaliev had defeated Marlon Tapales in their unification match from the previous year, it is more likely that he would have faced Inoue for the uncontested title. He is still required to challenge, though, just like Nery was before losing against Inoue in May.
Vadim Kornilov, his manager, has discussed a number of topics with Boxing News, including the circumstances surrounding Inoue and Akhmadaliev.
“And suddenly the conversation shifts and it’s like, ‘Oh we don’t know anything about Akhmadaliev, we’re not hearing the mandatory from the WBA,'” Kornilov remarked. Why don’t we just come to an agreement and resolve the issue?
In December, Akhmadaliev ended Kevin Gonzalez’s bout in the eighth round. Rather than waiting to see what Inoue intends to do, the Uzbeki boxer expects to make a comeback in December of this year.
“I hope they come to [their] senses because MJ shouldn’t just sit and wait for him to decide when he wants to do it,” Kornilov continued.