Mongolian Choi out to rule the world

 

Some wins can make fighters, some wins can break them too. Take the case of Choi Tseveenpurev, the Mongolian featherweight who was based in Oldham. In April 2008, he brutally stopped Derry Mathews, breaking the Liverpudlian's unbeaten record, a win that propelled Tseveenpurev into the world rankings and seemingly onto bigger things.

But things did not work out that way. Indeed Tseveenpurev soon discovered that opportunities did not arrive for a Mongolian in his 30s, particularly one who most contenders were keen to keep away from. Tseveenpurev became the poster boy for the who wants him club. After a year without a bout, Tseveenpurev packed his bags, moved back to his home outside Ulan Bator and retired.

And retired he would have stayed, until the intervention of Spencer Fearon and his business partner Ciaran Baynes. They thought that Tseveenpurev could be just the man for the growing promotional company Hard Knocks. But first they had to find him. "He was retired and living in the middle of nowhere," Fearon said. "Ciaran went down to the Mongolian embassy and tried to track him down. We finally got a phone number and within two days he was on a plane back to London."

The comeback starts at Kensington Town Hall in West London, on Saturday night, which, not coincidentally, is Mongolian Independence Day. He faces Lubos Priehradnik of Slovakia.

Fearon believes, at 37,Tseveenpurev could still make an impact on the world stage. "He's a very educated fighter," he said. "He was in the world's top 10 and only got dropped because of inactivity.But I understand how hard it was to match him.

"When I started phoning around to get opponents for him, people spoke to me like I had insulted their mothers when I said it was Choi I was looking for a fight for. But I think Choi is a lot happier in London than he was in Oldham - in London there is a Mongolian community of about 5,000 or 6,000, so it is easier for him.

If things go well on Saturday, the plan is to step Tseveenpurev up in class. Mongolia is not without boxing heritage, the country won two medals at last summer's Beijing Olympics at boxing, including their first gold medal for Enkhbatyn Badar-Uugan at bantamweight Fearon even has ambitions to promote Tseveenpurev in his native country.

"This fight is only about getting him active again, but I have contacts and I think there will be opportunities for him, particularly at heavyweight where I don't think the world champions are that strong right now," Fearon said. "Genghis Khan ruled half the world, maybe his countryman can will a legitimate world title and rule the whole world."

The largest support on Saturday is likely to come for Albanian super-middleweight Kreshnik Qato, whose fans can pack out most arenas he boxes at. "The Albanian fans are incredibly passionate," Fearon said. "The atmosphere they bring is incredible."

For tickets to Saturday night's show, call 07590 336636.

Comments

[Rodion Raskolnikov]

It really should be a scandal that Choi Tseveenpurev has not fought for 15 months. He is clearly one of the best featherweights in the world, certainly one of the toughest.
Yet, boxing is not a sport where the best fighters are necessarily the ones with the belts.
Let's hope Choi Tseveenpurev can find fights over the next 18 months and find himself in line for a title shot. He is certainly as worthy as Nicky Cook, Alex Arthur and Steve Foster Jr.

[punch bags]

Although Gengis Khan did rule half the world... his people pretty much got wiped off the planet. And those whom the Mongols went after, are now very successful group of people. I really think at age 37, no matter how smart and skilled he is, even if he does get a title shot, I don't see him going anywhere or winning the title. The other featherweights will run him down. It'll be interesting to see what happens over the next 18 months..

[Matt J]

I saw Choi in the crowd at the Khan vs Barrera fight! He walked through Derry Mathews who has not been the same since that fight.

It is a scandal he has not been able to get a fight for so long and Spencer Fearon's trip to Mongolia is a great tribute to his desire to make it as a promoter. I hope they both succeed!

[Stephen Hands]

Good luck to him- it's an appalling sympton of boxing that decent fighters, who for some reason or other don't have a high profile, are routinely avoided. His win against Matthews should have propelled him onto bigger and better fights. I'll be looking out for Choi in the future.