Undefeated welterweight prospect Dmitry “The Mechanic” Mikhaylenko (20-0, 9 KOs) will look to make his mark in the wide-open welterweight division against southpaw Ray “The New Ray Robinson” Robinson (20-2, 9 KOs) in the opening 10-round bout of the Kovalev-Pascal II HBO World Championship Boxing event Saturday, Jan. 30 live from the Centre Bell in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Mikhaylenko, 29, from Gelendzhik, Russia, is co-promoted by Main Events and German Titov Promotions. “The Mechanic” is undefeated and stopped his last three opponents, including former interim super lightweight titleholder Johan Perez. This will be his second fight in Canada; he stopped Felipe De la Paz in the fifth round on the undercard of Kovalev-Pascal I.
Dmitry said, “I am excited to be on HBO and back in Canada. This is a big fight for me; I am looking to get my name in the hunt at the top of the welterweight division. I am also excited to be opening for my countryman, Sergey Kovalev. I hope to put on a great show.”
Robinson, also 29, is a tough southpaw from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania who has not lost a fight in over five years. He has won his last nine fights in a row, five of them by way of knockout. In his last fight he defended his NABO Welterweight Title with a ten-round unanimous decision victory over Sherzodbek Alimjanov back in April of this year.
“Success comes with a price,” said Robinson. “I paid my dues. Jan. 30 will be another step closer to my dreams.”
According to Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events, “These are the kinds of fights that fans want to see. In the stacked welterweight division these are two ranked fighters, both in the prime of their careers, looking to make their mark. Dmitry continues to impress us as he has quietly worked his way through the ranks of the division. He is willing to stand and trade punches with anyone and has proven on numerous occasions that with his high punch output he ready for anything.”
German Titov, Mikhaylenko’s co-promoter added, “We have put on a lot of great shows with Main Events. I am excited to collaborate on another top-tier event. Mikhaylenko is hungry to make a name for himself in one of the most competitive divisions in boxing and a win over a ranked fighter like Robinson will go a long way towards achieving that goal.”
