Over the past two years, DiBella Entertainment and Fight Promotions have been extremely active in bringing over and signing a number of the top amateur stars from Ukraine. Not looking to slow up their pace, the two promotional outfits announced this week the signing of 2012 Olympian Pavlo Ischenko.
Ischenko joins fellow 2012 Olympic stable-mate Ievgen Khytrov, as well as the already world-rated, red-hot Sergey Derevyanchenko, Ivan Golub and Ivan Baranchyk. The 22-year-old Ischenko, now living and training in Brooklyn, is set to make his official pro debut in the coming months.
“I am thrilled to be joining my fellow countrymen and embarking on my pro career here in the U.S. I have seen the job they (DBE and Fight Promotions) have done with them, and for me, it was a no-brainer on who I would be signing with when I was ready to turn pro. I am excited to show the boxing world my talent and ability and know that this is the team that will bring me to a world championship,” said Ischenko.
“Not only is Ischenko a tremendous talent with unlimited potential, but he has a colorful persona that can make him a real attraction. He is the latest great amateur fighter from the Ukraine to migrate here, and we are looking forward to growing his popularity in the U.S.,” stated Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment.
“This kid is only 22 years old and he has absolutely devastating power in both hands that cannot be matched by anyone in the junior lightweight division. After several months of fine-tuning with his American trainers, he will be on the short path to becoming a world champion,” said Max Alperovich, President of Fight Promotions.
The colorful and charismatic Ischenko was an outstanding amateur. Ischenko, a Ukrainian national, born in Russia, and who is half Jewish, compiled a 294-23 record that included a 2013 European AIBA championship and a trip to the 2012 Olympics in Great Britain. Like Derevyanchenko and Khytrov, the timeline for Ischenko to compete against the elite in his division is going to be fast-tracked and his rise is expected to be meteoric.
