By Tom Degun

Palace of Sport KyivMarch 18 - The first leg of the much anticipated World Series of Boxing (WSB) quarter-final between the Ukraine Otamans and Azerbaijan Baku Fires is set to take place at the 7,000 capacity Palace of Sports in Kyiv.


Azerbaijan Baku Fires topped Group A will Ukraine Otamans finished fourth in Group B following late rally spearheaded by formidable Olympic champions Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk.

With the duo set to compete in the quarter-final bout, the Ukraine Otamans will be narrow favourites to progress to the last four.

Lomachenko will be the star attraction at the event as he is widely considered the best pound-for-pound Olympic boxer on the planet having won gold medals at both Beijing 2008 and London 2012, while he is also a double AIBA World Championship champion.

The 24-year-old lightweight from Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi admits he now cannot wait for the bout at the Palace of Sports, due to take place on March 22.

"WSB gave me a great motivation boost to train harder again and I enjoyed fighting without head guard a lot," said Lomachenko.

"Boxing is my life and if I can help it become the most popular sport in Ukraine, I would be extremely glad.

"Hopefully, all Otamans can produce top performances in two matches against Azerbaijan and we can organise another match in the Palace of Sports in the semi-finals."

Vasyl Lomachenko 2Double Olympic champion Vasyl Lomachenko (left) is the star attraction for the Ukraine Otamans and unbeaten in the WSB

Ukrainian Boxing Federation President Volodymyr Prodyvus admitted he is hopeful that all 7,000 seats will be filled for the match in what would be a record turnout for the WSB.

"Following the Olympic Games in London I have set a new goal for boxing in Ukraine: become not only the most successful sport in the nation, but also the most popular," he said.

"We have done a lot not to let go of the hype generated by the five Olympic medals in boxing.

"Despite many offers coming from top professional promoters, we kept all our champions and they are a part of Otamans.

"We found the right arguments for them and they are now happy with their choice

"With the Otamans, we managed to get government backing, we created exiting shows and managed our PR in a way that raised the popularity of boxing so much, that the undisputed spot of football as the number one sport in Ukraine doesn't look that secure anymore.

"Now the team is in the quarterfinals, we are moving to the largest indoor arena of Ukraine, the Kyiv Palace of Sports.

"Can we fill 7000 seats?

"I don't see why not."

The second bout between the two is due take place on March 29.

The other three WSB quarter-finals will see Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder against the Hussars Poland, the Mexico Guerreros take on the British Lionhearts and the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan against Argentina.

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