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Heavyweight Andrii Novitskyi makes pro debut on Saturday

By Abraham Gonzalez

BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 27: A detailed view of the glove of Ladarius Miller as he stands in the corner during a break in action during the tenth round of his lightweight fight against Jezzrel Corrales at Royal Farms Arena on July 27, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - JULY 27: A detailed view of the glove of Ladarius Miller as he stands in the corner during a break in action during the tenth round of his lightweight fight against Jezzrel Corrales at Royal Farms Arena on July 27, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Ukrainian heavyweight Andrii Novitskyi makes his pro-debut on a card hosted by boxing promoter MarvNation.

When it comes to the heavyweight division, everyone loves to watch them fight as fans know that heavy leather will be thrown, and more than likely, the result will be a knockout. While the division hosts heavyweights from all parts of the world, the unified champion Oleksandr Usyk is from Ukraine, and the WBC champ Tyson Fury is from Manchester, England, which adds to the title of “world champion”. Speaking of Ukraine, a 27-year-old decorated amateur heavyweight is making his Pro debut on Saturday, whose name is Andrii ‘The Rampage’ Novitskyi.

Novitskyi was born on July 4, 1995, in the city of Voznesens’k, which is in the Mykolaiv Oblast region of Ukraine. As a young boy growing up in a small town of about 10,000, Novitskyi was into all types of sports, but it wasn’t until he was about 15 years old that he started to dabble in the sweet science. He made his way up the amateur ranks and, in 2017, competed well in the Cup of Ukraine for his weight class.

After spending a year and a half in the Ukraine Army, Novitskyi left after the war broke out and moved to Los Angeles. While working out of L.A with his trainer Anatoliy Dudchenko, the 6’ 6” heavyweight found more of his countrymen and started to feel more comfortable in the U.S. After his trainer, Dudchenko set up a meeting with Egis Klimas, who manages Vasiliy Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk, Novitskyi made quite the impression as Klimas decided to represent him right away.

Andrii Novitskyi looks to follow the steps of his stablemate and unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk

https://twitter.com/ESPNRingside/status/1622672928436264960

Now Novitskyi has the tough challenge of making it as a heavyweight and potentially fighting for a world title in the future. First, he has been booked to fight on Saturday night in an event promoted by MarvNation that features two fighters from the Fernando Vargas family which should bring out many hardcore fans. So Novitskyi will be given the best platform possible to make a good first impression.

Although Novitskyi was supposed to fight Jerell Nettles on Saturday, he has been replaced with Dennis Vance Jr (4-7). “Usually, everyone starts with opponents who have losing records. Look at Mayweather and everyone else. I’m taking on a guy who has won and scored two finishes. I won’t be reckless, but I am confident there will be ‘Rampage’ on February 11 because I’m going to knock him out.” Novitskyi sounds like someone who is not only confident but wants people to pay attention to him right from the start of his career. Although he expresses confidence, Novitskyi wants people to know something. “Anything is possible in life. I just want to be the best.”

On Saturday night in Southern California, the fans in attendance at the Derby Room in Pomona, CA, will get the first look at a heavyweight prospect who could be the next big thing coming out of Ukraine. Only time will tell if he is, but one thing he does have is the size and amateur pedigree to become something special in the future.

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