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I don’t care who I’m facing, just as long as I am fighting. It’s exciting and I will win a world title. Nothing will keep me from achieving that goal. Nothing.”-“Kid Diamond”
You won’t find a whole lot of diamonds unexpectedly in Choctaw, Mississippi, but you will find a brilliant gem of a fighter there tomorrow night in that town’s Silver Star Casino. That’s where Almazbek Raiymkulov, otherwise known as “Kid Diamond,” will appear on Showtime’s “Shobox” broadcast, as he squares off against fellow unbeaten prospect Koba Gogoladze. The former amateur star from the mountainous Central Asian country of Kyrgyzstan hasn’t lost in nineteen fights and isn’t planning on letting the awkward Gogoladze ruin his hopes for a world title later on this year. Gogoladze is a skilled operator himself and undefeated in seventeen contests, but Kid Diamond and his trainer Don House are betting everything that the opponent won’t have any idea what to do once the twenty-eight-year-old Almazbek sets his devastating attacks into motion.
Do not miss this latest exclusive interview with “Kid Diamond” and his trainer Don House. Brought to you by SaddoBoxing.com.
Trainer Don House has worked with some of the biggest names in the U.S. fight business. After years in the game, House knows what he’s looking at and knew right away that he had something special in Raiymkulov. “I’ve had Almazbek for four fights now, but when he came to me, he had already had fifteen fights under his belt,” said House. “He was 15-0 with seven knockouts, but I couldn’t understand why he didn’t have fifteen KOs because he hit so hard and had good speed. After about a week, I understood why. He’d been fighting just on his own natural abilities. I slowed him a little bit because guys who can hit don’t need to throw a lot of punches. Now he doesn’t waste any punches or any energy at all. When he lets a punch go, it’s with bad intentions, and since he’s been with me, he’s knocked all four of his opponents out.”
Will Kid Diamond be able to continue that stoppage streak against Gogoladze? The native of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia, 17-0 (seven KOs), has never lost a bout, but has hit the canvas on a few occasions, Almazbek has no doubts that Gogoladze will get even better acquainted with the floor during their bout. “It’s going to be an interesting fight,” said Raiymkulov “The only thing is, Gogoladze likes to run away. That could slow things down, but I know how I’m going to catch him, put him in the corner and finish him off. That’s my job and that’s all there is to it. I’m stronger than him, younger than him and have just as much experience in the amateurs as he does, so there is nowhere for him to hide.”
Brave words indeed, but an examination of the two fighter’s common opponent, the steel tough Lamar Murphy, may back up Raiymkulov’s words. Although Murphy has picked up a number of losses over the years, he’d never been stopped by an impressive list of opponents that includes Miguel Angel Gonzales, Angel Manfredy and Jean-Baptiste Mendy. True to form, Murphy went the distance with Gogoladze but did not make it past the fifth frame with Kid Diamond.
House has a good familiarity with the opponent and ensured that Raiymkulov will go in knowing exactly the type of opponent he’ll be climbing through the ropes with. “Gogoladze is a mover so I’ve been working on Almazbek just chasing guys,” he said. “He’s been sparring with Kevin Kelley, who is a real busy mover at super feather, and Willie Stewart, a middleweight, because we needed somebody who Almazbek could really hit. Gogoladze likes to hit and run so we’re just going to cut off the ring and slow him down by going to the body. He got dropped by both Johanneson and Cassiani and to me, he’s got good boxing skill but he does lack power. That’s going to be his downfall against Almazbek because Kid Diamond can take punishment. He can dish it out but he can take it too and not a whole lot of fighters can say that. I think he’ll knock Gogoladze in about five or six rounds.”
With trainer Don House and manager Cameron Dunkin in his corner, Almazbek Raiymkulov has a lot going for him. Most importantly, he’s got the desire and will a fighter needs to carry him through the heavy competition that surely lays ahead. “I feel great and very happy because I get to do a job I love and that’s fight,” he said laughingly. “I like to show people that I can fight and I’ll get to do my thing in the ring. It’s my business to know the sport and that’s what I’m doing here because I know I can fight. I don’t care who I’m facing, just as long as I am fighting. It’s exciting and I will win a world title. Nothing will keep me from achieving that goal. Nothing.”
Richard Eberline can be reached at richardeberline@fastmail.fm
