Pirog To Fight Ishida

DMITRY PIROG VS. NOBUHIRO ISHIDA

HEADLINES WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT CARD

ON MAY 1 IN MOSCOW;

PIROG MAKES 3^RD DEFENSE OF WBO MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE

Kirill Pchelnikov’s KP Boxing Promotion and Art Pelullo’s Banner Promotions will present a sensational world championship fight card on Tuesday, May 1, at Sport Complex Krylatskoe in Moscow, Russia. The fights will be televised in Russia on Channel 2. Check local listings for times.

May 1 is “Spring and Labor Day” in Russia, an official holiday.

In the main event scheduled for 12 rounds, World Boxing Organization middleweight world champion Dmitry Pirog, 19-0 with 15 knockouts, of Gelendzhik, Russia, will make his third defense of the title against WBO No. 11-ranked middleweight contender Nobuhiro Ishida, 24-7-2 with 9 knockouts, of Osaka, Japan.

Pirog, 31 years old, is coming off a 10^th-round TKO win against Gennady Martirosyan in his last fight on September 25. He won the vacant WBO world title with a fifth-round knockout against previously undefeated Danny Jacobs in July, 2010, and defended it for the first time with a 12-round unanimous decision win against Javier Francisco Maciel in March, 2011.

The 36 year-old Ishida, promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, is a former WBA interim super welterweight world champion – he won the title in August, 2009, and made one successful title defense. Ishida shocked the boxing world in April, 2011 – he scored three knockdowns and stopped previously undefeated James Kirkland in the first round.

Dmitry told RIA Novosti, “He’s a really tricky boxer – tall, really unorthodox, throws a lot of punches, but not using his maximum strength. It’s good that I’ll have an opponent like that. It’ll give me important and necessary experience that I didn't have before.”

Golden Boy Promotion’s Eric Gomez said, “We are very thankful for this great opportunity. Ishida has had a great training camp. He is looking to upset Dmitry Pirog in his home country, as he did when he defeated James Kirkland. It has been a pleasure dealing with Artie Pelullo of Banner Promotions and Kirill Pchelnikov. Everything went great, and we are looking forward to great event in Moscow on May 1.”