Five reasons to watch IBA.PRO 20 in Naberezhnye Chelny
Landmark nights in boxing are usually defined by one big headline fight. IBA.PRO 20 is taking a different approach: packing an entire card with undefeated records and high-stakes match-ups.
When the series lands in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia, on 14 August for its 20th night, four IBF titles will be on the line across a stacked nine-bout card. But the real selling point is the risk involved: eight of the nine fights feature at least one unbeaten fighter putting their perfect record on the line against world champions and proven international contenders.
Here are five reasons not to miss IBA.PRO 20:
1. Two unbeaten fighters collide in the main event
There will be no gentle introduction to championship-level professional boxing for Djambulat Bizhamov (RUS).
The 2025 world champion is just 3-0 as a professional, yet he already steps into a ten-round main event for the vacant IBF European super-middleweight title. Across the ring stands Vladimir Mironchikov (SRB), who holds an 8-0 record with six stoppage victories.
Both bring elite amateur credentials. Bizhamov has won World Championship gold alongside silver medals at both the World and European Championships, while Mironchikov is a World Championships bronze medallist and 2022 Mediterranean Games champion.
It creates an intriguing contrast: Bizhamov has competed at the absolute pinnacle of amateur boxing, while Mironchikov has nearly three times as many professional fights and has stopped six of his eight opponents.
Neither has lost as a professional. On 14 August, both face arguably the toughest test of their careers so far.
2. Lubkovich is 22 fights unbeaten – Asadulaev makes a habit of spoiling records
Sergey Lubkovich (RUS) against Khavasbek Asadulaev (UZB) may be one of the most compelling matchups on the entire card.
Lubkovich holds a vast advantage in professional experience. His record stands at 20-0-2 with 12 knockouts, meaning he has gone 22 professional fights without defeat. He returns after a draw with Michael King in an IBF Asia title contest earlier this year.
Asadulaev has had only eight professional fights, winning all of them with five stoppages, but his track record under the IBA.PRO banner makes those numbers far more formidable than they appear on paper.
The Uzbek contender has already defeated Alan Khugaev and current IBO champion Vadim Musaev — two established opponents with far more experience.
It makes for a classic experience-versus-momentum contest. Lubkovich has more than double the professional fights and has never been beaten, while Asadulaev represents Uzbekistan’s renowned boxing school and has proven that big names do not intimidate him.
Ten rounds should provide the ultimate answer as to which of these unbeaten welterweights is ready for the next level.
3. A world champion meets an undefeated challenger
Chingiz Natyrov (RUS) against Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov (UZB) offers another clash between two undefeated professionals — though their routes to IBA.PRO 20 could hardly be more different.
Natyrov has quietly built a solid 10-0 professional record, with five wins inside the distance. His opponent has fewer professional fights but one of the strongest amateur résumés on the card: Mirzakhalilov (5-0, 4 KOs) became World Champion in 2019.
Their ten-round contest will be fought for the vacant IBF European super-bantamweight title.
For Mirzakhalilov, it is another crucial step in translating elite amateur dominance into professional hardware. For Natyrov, defeating a world champion would mark the biggest statement of his career. Something has to give as both men bring perfect records to Naberezhnye Chelny.
4. Three unbeaten prospects chase two IBF Youth titles
The rising generation will have everything on the line at IBA.PRO 20, with two IBF Youth belts up for grabs.
Mikhail Grigoryan (RUS) is one victory away from reaching 10-0. The 22-year-old two-time European youth champion and three-time Russian youth champion faces Henry Otemba (UGA) over ten rounds for the vacant IBF Youth Lightweight title. Grigoryan last appeared at IBA.PRO 16, defeating experienced Filipino Jeo Santisima by unanimous decision.
The second IBF Youth contest is even more finely balanced.
Ruslan Selimyan (RUS) and Bob Turyatemba (UGA) clash for the IBF Youth Welterweight title with identical unbeaten records: both enter at 14-0. Selimyan has recorded eight stoppages, while Turyatemba has seven.
Combined, the two fighters have won 28 professional contests without a single defeat. On Friday night, that perfect symmetry will finally break.
5. High-stakes danger well beyond the title fights
The matchups further down the card guarantee non-stop action, leaving little room for routine victories.
Experienced cruiserweight Yury Kashinsky (RUS), 22-5 with 19 knockouts, meets undefeated Khalimjon Mamasoliev (UZB), who has stopped seven opponents on his way to an 8-0 record. Together, Kashinsky and Mamasoliev boast 30 professional wins — 26 of which came inside the distance.
There is also a major hometown storyline. Sergey Sergeev (RUS) was born in Naberezhnye Chelny and will compete professionally in his home city for the very first time. The Russian champion, 2024 BRICS Games gold medallist, and 2026 Russian Cup winner has stopped both of his professional opponents to date.
His opponent, Tajikistan’s Nekruz Salimov, brings serious international pedigree. Salimov won silver at the 2022 Asian U22 Championships, competed at the 2023 and 2025 IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships, and reached the quarter-finals at the World Championships in Dubai. He also holds two victories under the IBA.PRO banner.
Elsewhere, Rasul Magomedov (RUS) makes his professional debut against Victor Perez (CUB), while unbeaten Amin Abdullin (RUS) faces undefeated Adilet Kurmetov (KAZ).
From the main event to the opening bell, IBA.PRO 20 demands that every fighter take a genuine leap forward: record against record, elite amateurs against seasoned pros, and rising prospects facing potential spoilers.
