LOS ANGELES – Bakhram Murtazaliev is perceived to be the boogeyman of the junior middleweight division.
Murtazaliev (23-0, 17 KOs), the IBF champion, hasn’t been able to get a fight since crushing Tim Tszyu in October, as he dropped the Australian four times en route to a third-round stoppage win.
The eye-opening result of his first title defense has seemingly led top contenders and titleholders to avoid him.
“It looks like everyone is making a business decision whenever it comes time to fight me,” Murtazaliev told The Ring after a recent training session with head coach Roma Kalantaryan at the KD MMA gym in Montrose.
Even getting a fight made for Murtazaliev against mandatory challenger Erickson Lubin has been an arduous process. Lubin appears to have opted for an October fight against Vergil Ortiz.
Murtazaliev’s recent callouts of WBC champion Sebastian Fundora have been left unanswered. Fundora ended up knocking out Chordale Booker in March and Tim Tszyu in a July rematch and is now headed toward a fight against Keith Thurman in October.
Xander Zayas, meanwhile, picked up the WBO title Fundora relinquished instead of facing him by outpointing Jorge Garcia Perez on July 26.
“Fundora is a very difficult fight for everyone in the division,” said Murtazaliev. “We saw what he did to Tszyu, but Tszyu isn’t the same fighter anymore after fighting me. If they are considering Fundora the hardest fight for me, then bring it on. I want the hardest fights out there. I have been calling him out for a year but they don’t want the fight. What can I do?
“And now that Zayas is a champion, it’s a much more interesting fight for the fans. I would love to fight him. I think he’s a great fighter and he has a title that I want. He’s young and now entering the higher level of fights.”
Getting fights for Murtazaliev has been a difficult task, promoter Kathy Duva told The Ring. Turki Alalshikh seemingly verified the statements when he shared that opponents have been “scared and disappeared” after he offered good money for matchups.
Murtazaliev listed Fundora, Ortiz, and recent arrival Jaron Ennis as the top fighters at 154 pounds outside of himself.
Earlier this year, Ortiz promoter Oscar De La Hoya said he didn’t like the Murtazaliev matchup. Ennis, meanwhile, is making his 154-pound debut against the little-known Uisma Lima in October.
“I haven’t fought in almost a year,” said Murtazaliev. “Maybe I forgot how to fight. It’s not good that I am not fighting. I am a world champion and I need to stay active, fighting at least twice a year. You feel the rust when you are not active.
“Assessing distance and punches in a real fight becomes more difficult. It’s a big disadvantage to give away rounds like that. But I am using this time to be with my beautiful family and sharpen my technical skills. What else can I do?”
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.