Hall of Fame boxing trainer Joe Goossen believes Gurgen “Big Gug” Hovhannisyan, who headlines “Pit Stop on the Road to Greatness” on Jan. 4, should be ranked among the top five heavyweight prospects in the world.
The “Pit Stop on Road to Greatness” card, presented by Toro Promotions and Whitfield Haydon Boxing, will air on www.bxngtv.com pay-per-view for $19.99 live from the famed Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington.
Armenia native Hovhannisyan (4-0, 4 KOs), 25, faces Colby Madison (11-6-2, 7 KOs) in the 10-round main event. The 6-foot-7, 275-pound “Big Gug,” who now lives in Los Angeles, hasn’t fought in more than a year, following a revealing sixth-round knockout of Michael Polite Coffie (13-2).
“If you rank the top 10 or 15 heavyweight prospects,” Goossen said of his fighter, “Gurgen has to be in the top five. No one walks into our gym and sees him training without being surprised. He weighs 275 pounds and is light on his feet. He has only had four professional fights, but he is very talented. He is knowledgeable and it is in his nature to push, but he has two or three styles that he can use in any fight. And he takes a good hit too. He has all the ingredients: size, power, mentality and a great work ethic. Gurgen can box a few rounds until he stops the other guy and he loves to put pressure.”
In terms of style, Goossen physically compares Hovhannisyan to world champion Tyson Fury, noting that Fury boxed to win his first fight against Deontay Wilder, jumping over Wilder in the second to fight to stop him.
“Gurgen can go all the way,” Goossen predicted, “and I don’t say that lightly. He mistreated Coffee, who was a rising star until she fought Gurgen. He made a qualitative leap that he wouldn’t have made against an easier opponent. Coffee weighs 290 pounds with muscles and is a former Marine. We risked fighting him in the fourth Gurgen fight, but we believed in him and he proved us right. That’s why I love going to work every day, where he is the dominant figure in the gym. Gurgen appreciates what he has been taught and has complete respect for the people he associates with and in general. He is personal, well-mannered and does everything asked of him in the gym. He is wise, very observant and does not miss any trick in or out of the ring, which translates well in the ring.”
Another Eastern European-born heavyweight Goossen trains is another potential star, 30-year-old Ukrainian Olympian Tsotne Rogava (3-0, 3 KOs), who takes on undefeated Dante Williams (4-0, 4 KOs) in the six-round duel. -featured event. The 6-foot-5, 270-pound Rogava, a former kickboxing champion, was born in Georgia and raised in Ukraine. He has benefited greatly from training and sparring with Hovhannisyan.
The broadcast begins with a highly competitive fight between heavyweights Dante Stone (14-1, 10 KOs) and Alexander “The Great” Flores (18-3-1, 16 KOs) in a special eight-way heavyweight attraction. assaults. Stone lost his professional debut in 2018 by a four-round unanimous decision and has since emerged victorious with 14 consecutive victories. Flores’ three losses in his career have been to world champions: Luis Ortiz, Joseph Parker and Charles Martin.
Nicaraguan brothers Nilo (6-0, 5 KOs) and Nelson Guerrero (1-0, 1 KOs) will each fight for the first time in the United States. Nilo is an undefeated super featherweight who will face Chancellor Battenberg (4-3, 4 KOs) in a six-round bout; Nelson faces bantamweight Gilberto Durán (4-7, 4 KOs) in a four-round bout.
Tik Tok sensation, undefeated South Carolina super welterweight Elijah Seawright (9-0, 7 KOs), takes on Henry Rivera (2-2, 1 KO) in a six-round bout.
Also scheduled to fight on the undercard are Seattle super welterweight Agustín Tovar (0-1) against pro debutant Nathan “Superman” Stolen, and Auburn (WA) super lightweight pro debutant Agustín Tovar vs. Ezra Rabin of Oakland (1-4). , 1 knockout).
