Ahmed Hagag has received a dream main event in his home country of Austria, as IBA Champions’ Night comes to Vienna on 19 October 2024.

Hagag, an Under-23 European champion and Elite European bronze medallist, is to meet Vladan Babic from Serbia over eight rounds for the +92kg IBA Balkans title.

Babic will be looking to spoil the party of the home favorite, having won all six of his professional bouts to date, including five knockouts.

Semi-final matches are also on the card for a IBA Pro World Champion title match in the 54kg division. Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov is to meet Samuel Carmona from Spain over eight rounds, while Venezuela’s Yoel Finol faces Samar Zhetibaev from Kazakhstan in the other bout.

Zoirov, a World and Olympic champion, has been on a great run of form, winning five of his six professional fights. The only time he has not had his arm raised was when his match against Dmitry Dvali ended in a draw at IBA Champions’ Night Serpukhov. Carmona (13-2) is to compete in his third Champions’ Night, having lost a barnstormer against Uzbekistan’s Hasanboy Dusmatov in Tashkent, before beating Romania’s Cosmin Girleanu in La Guaira in August.

Olympic silver medallist Finol (4-0) also competed in Venezuela in August in front of a home crowd, defeating Alexis Alvarado from the USA by a unanimous decision. Samat Zhetibayev (7-1) is his opponent, who looks to continue his form after beating Jay-R Raquinel from the Philippines in Serpukhov.

North Macedonia’s Lulzim Ismaili aims to continue his professional winning streak, as he meets Sumbu Nsasi (14-3-1) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 75kg division. Ismaili, who has won all 12 of his professional matches, will be hoping his 13^th bout will be lucky too. Nsasi, who last won in Leverkusen in May, looks to be victorious in Austria for the first time.

Albania’s Fabio Kaciu is to meet Uzbekistan’s Jakhongir Zokirov in the +92kg division. Zokirov, an IBA Youth World champion, has a professional record of 3-0 and last defeated Croatia’s Agron Smakici at IBA Champions’ Night Tashkent.

It means one of the boxers will lose their winning streak, with the Albanian searching for a seventh knockout in his seventh contest. Also on the line is a place in the semi-finals of the tournament for the IBA Pro World Champion title.

In the opening match of the night, European bronze medallist Sara Beram from Croatia is set to make her professional debut in the women’s 63kg division against Lithuania’s Ana Starovoitova, twice European bronze medallist, over six rounds. The Lithuanian currently has a 3-0 professional record.

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Media contacts:

Elena Sobol, Head of Communications and PR, International Boxing Association: elena.sobol@iba.sport

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