Photo: Mikey Williams / TR – Two-time Olympic champion Bakhodir Jalolov (14-0, 14 KOs), also known as “The Big Uzbek,” will restart his professional career on February 6 at the Montreal Casino.
For most people, Bakhodir Jalolov achieved the ultimate Olympic dream in 2021 when he won the super-heavyweight gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
But “The Big Uzbek” had even bigger ambitions.
His dream truly came to life in August 2024, in Paris. The 6’7”, 250+ lb giant became a two-time Olympic champion—an achievement accomplished by only about twenty athletes in over a century.
Dreaming of Los Angeles 2028?
“No, I’ll already be 30! There are four belts I need to focus on,” said Jalolov with a smile, answering through his agent and translator, Vadim Kornilov.
Photo: Mikey Williams / TR Boxing
Jalolov 2026
The Top Rank prospect says he doesn’t know why his promoter chose Montreal. He also admits he knows nothing about his upcoming opponent, French champion David Spilmont (16-8-1, 11 KOs). It doesn’t matter—Jalolov, the ever-confident giant, exudes assurance when discussing his career plans.
“In my opinion, I’d be ready right now to face the elite, but my team wants to take the time to do things right,” said the WBC’s 10th-ranked contender, though he doesn’t plan to wait too long.
“In about four fights, or roughly a year, I’d like to fight for a world title,” he added, with Oleksandr Usyk clearly on his mind.
“He’s the best. The dream is to beat the best!”
Photo: Mikey William / TR Boxing
“The Same Fire”
Speaking of dreams, the three-time Olympian wanted to make something clear.
His back-to-back Olympic gold medals and his pursuit of the four major world titles in the professional ranks are two distinct goals, but his motivation remains the same.
“It’s the same fire. And I can’t wait to reignite that fire on February 6.”
This will be his first professional bout since November 2023.
But he’s not worried about ring rust.
With over a dozen amateur fights and hundreds of sparring rounds with the Uzbek national team, he considers it “the most active inactivity you can have…”
Photo: Mikey William / TR Boxing
In the Valley
To reignite his fire, Jalolov left his native Central Asia for Southern California.
In Coachella Valley—where the famous music festival will feature Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone this April—he trains morning and night. Specifically, he’s based in the small city of Indio, home to just over 93,000 people and founded in 1876 along a railway route. Each year, nearly 1.5 million visitors come for the festival.
That’s the main reason why its slogan is “The place to be.” But it’s also the place to be for a boxer.
In Indio, Jalolov trains with coach Gennadiy Mashyanov, who will be in the opposite corner of Marc Ramsay when Beterbiev faces Bivol. Sure, Mashyanov is busy with Bivol, but…
“At the Antonio and Julio Diaz gym, there’s never a shortage of sparring, coaching, or guidance,” assured Jalolov’s manager, proudly wearing a Diaz Brothers Gym cap.
Jalolov, for his part, is confident he’ll be ready for his first fight on Canadian soil on February 6: “But hopefully not my last,” he said with a friendly smile.
Photo: Mikey William / TR Boxing
Thanks, Zoom
The “adopted Californian” wasn’t too thrown off when my Zoom camera turned on. I had forgotten to remove the Golden Gate Bridge background I had set as a joke a few days earlier… Everyone got a laugh out of it.
But during this 10-minute Zoom interview, I realized something.
It may not last long, but every second of the Jalolov-Spilmont fight on February 6 will be worth watching. After all, we could be looking at a future heavyweight champion…
In fact, the last time Canada hosted a heavyweight champion was when Siarhei Liakhovich fought Simon Kean at the Bell Centre in 2019.
But 2019 was already 13 years after the “White Wolf” from Belarus had said goodbye to his title…
Jalolov is a different story.
