The WBA champion from Kazakhstan revealed an issue ahead of his title defense.

Last weekend in Bangkok (Thailand), a professional boxing event took place, where Kazakhstani fighter Ruslan Madiyev successfully defended his WBA Asia championship title in the welterweight division. In an interview with Sportnews.kz, the athlete commented on his 17th career victory, as reported by Sports.kz.

Madiyev emerged victorious in his match against Filipino Ali Kanega by unanimous decision, with all judges scoring the fight 96-93 after ten rounds.

“Everything went well; we took the victory unanimously. We came here to win. The most important thing is that we leave with the belt. The preparation went well; we trained for almost two months. Many people in Karaganda are cheering for us, but it’s very cold in Astana. Just six days before the fight, I caught a cold, received injections, and took antibiotics, which, in turn, affected my endurance. Yesterday, before the fight, I had a temperature of 37. The most important thing is that I stepped into the ring, but I didn’t perform at my full potential. My opponent is good; he has a solid professional background, really impressive,” said Madiyev.

It is worth noting that Ruslan began his career with Gennady Golovkin's team in California (USA) and later signed a contract with Golden Boy Promotions. Currently, the Kazakhstani's interests are represented by the promotional company Irfin Promotions, which held two boxing events last year in Almaty and Shymkent.