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Rising star Oleksandr Khyzhniak to fight for first boxing title

Khyzhniak made his debut earlier this year and made his second appearance on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's win over Kristrian Prenga last month

[Oleksandr Khyzhniak is a rising star]

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Oleksandr Khyzhniak is a rising star

Oleksandr Khyzhniak, who many believe can follow in mentor Oleksandr Usyk's footsteps, will fight for his first title later this month.

Khyzhniak made his debut earlier this year and made his second appearance on the undercard of Anthony Joshua's win over Kristrian Prenga last month. He will now headline the second boxing event put on by Usyk's promotional company Usyk 17 Promotions on August 22.

The event, to be held at !FESTrepublic in Lviv, will be dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Ukraine's independence and Usyk said: Thirty-five years of independent development is actually not a very long time. Twelve of those years have been lived under conditions of war. But look at how much we have already managed to achieve despite everything.

"Look at the incredible athletes we have not only boxers, but Olympic champions and Paralympians. Artists, musicians, scientists. We want to remember our greatest victories, honour those who fought and continue to fight for our freedom, and show the entire world that Ukraine has been, is and will remain a country of strong, talented and unbreakable people.

Sergey Lapin, who is guiding Khyzhniak in his professional career, added:A first title fight is both a natural and an important step in Oleksandrs professional career. He is ready for a new level of competition and to prove his quality in championship fights. For Usyk 17 Promotions, it is especially important that this stage of his journey begins in Ukraine at our second boxing event in Lviv. Our goal is to build a platform in Ukraine where the strongest boxers can develop, win titles and confidently progress to the international level.

The fight night's co-main event will feature Pavlo Illiusha while the undercard will include nine Usyk 17 Promotions boxers in Maksym Rudyk, Maksym Zymenko, Dmytro Lovchynskyi, Elvin Aliiev, Bohdan Tolmachov, Mykola Laktionov, Jamal Kuliev, Aider Abduraimov and Matvii Razhba.

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