Murodjon Akhmadaliev openly admits that he was devastated when he witnessed good friend Bektemir Melikuziev suffer a shocking knockout loss. The 25-year-old super middleweight contender was brutally knocked out by Gabriel Rosado in the third round earlier this year.
Still, even with so much on his mind, Akhmadaliev compartmentalized the shocking outcome and focused on the task at hand.
In front of a fairly packed crowd at SNHU Arena, in Manchester, New Hampshire, the Uzbekistan native took care of business against fringe contender Jose Velasquez.
Originally, the 27-year-old unified junior featherweight champion was set to take on mandatory challenger Ronny Rios. However, in what has become the norm, Rios was forced to withdraw due to a positive COVID-19 test.
Still, even with just a few weeks to work with, Velasquez gave Akhmadaliev all he could handle. Despite having several successful moments, Akhmadaliev eventually found his rhythm before cruising to a unanimous decision victory.