At the age of 28, Askhat is a two-year pro. A prospect at 140 pounds, he had an extensive amateur career in Europe before his debut.
As a professional, Askhat is a stablemate of three-division world champion and rising superstar Vasiliy Lomachenko, who was voted “2017 Fighter of the Year” by the Boxing Writers Association of America, WBC light heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk, welterweight contender Egidijus Kavaliauskas, super welterweight prospect Alexander Besputin, super middleweight prospect Janibek Alimkhanuly, and super lightweight prospect Maxim Dadashev. All are managed by Egis Klimas, the Boxing Writers Association of America’s “Manager of the Year” in 2016 and 2017, and promoted by Top Rank.
He has won four fights in a row since his only loss – by disqualification in his pro debut. In that fight, Askhat landed a devastating punch as the referee called for a break in the third round – his opponent could not continue, and he was disqualified.
In his last fight on September 28 in Oakland, California, he won a six-round unanimous decision against Angel Hernandez.
ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael reported [excerpts]: Welterweight Askhat Ualikhanov, of Kazakhstan, won a unanimous decision over Angel Hernandez (13-11-2, 8 KOs), 27, of McAllen, Texas, by scores of 59-55, 58-56 and 58-56 in his first fight since signing with Top Rank. [End Rafael item]
In his post-fight interview, Askhat said, “Everything went well. It was a good experience. Hernandez was a tough guy who made me work hard every single round.”
Askhat said through an interpreter, “I signed with my manager, Egis Klimas, and moved to Oxnard, California, before my first pro fight in August, 2016.
“Living in training in California is completely different than Kazakhstan. Everyone on the team here is very serious, and everything is more professional.
“My style is universal. I can fight any style – it all depends on the opponent. If an opponent is very aggressive, I can box. If an opponent is defensive, you need to be more aggressive.”
AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Askhat said through an interpreter, “I was born in Shu, Kazakhstan, and I have one brother and one sister. My father is a farmer. I’m the only boxer in my family.
“I started boxing when I was 10 years old. My friends invited me to go training and I liked it. When I was 14, I was chosen to go to a boxing academy and I lived there for five years, from seventh to 11th grade, which was the final year.
“I probably had between 250 and 300 amateur fights. I lost around 50.
“I’m naturally left-handed. I’m single, but I’m planning to be married. No children.”…
AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS:
Askhat had 10 fights in AIBA’s World Series of Boxing in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016…
2007 WORLD CADET CHAMPIONSHIPS – Baku, Azerbaijan, 115 pounds: in his first fight on 9-2-07 he won an 18-7 decision against Anand Dashdorj of Mongolia; in the quarterfinals on 9-5-07 he lost a 22-14 decision against Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba…
STRENGTHS: A left-hander with good skills and movement…has good punching power…had an extensive amateur career in Europe…
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 6 fights…17 total rounds…
AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 2.8 %…
KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: of total fights – 40 %…of wins – 50 %…
DISTANCE FIGHTS: 6 rounds – 1 (1-0)…4 rounds – 1 (1-0)…
