Heavyweight Mourad Aliev will use the “injustice” he suffered in the Olympics against Frazer Clarke as fuel to succeed as a professional after becoming the latest Probellum co-promotional signing.
The French fighter was booted out of the Tokyo Games for deliberate use of the head in his quarter-final bout with Great Britain’s captain.
Aliev was outraged at the decision to disqualify him in the second round, strongly arguing his innocence, and the 26-year-old hit the headlines after staging a sit-in protest to dispute the decision which lasted almost an hour.
However, since having teamed-up with Probellum and Arena Box the 6’7” puncher wants to prove himself on the biggest stage and is already eyeing a rematch with Clarke.
“I felt a great injustice in the Olympics and although the officials now accept they made a mistake, it was still an injustice,” said Mourad Aliev.
“But I will use the pain of that experience to make sure I achieve great things in the professional ranks, which I know will happen with the backing of both of my promoters Probellum and Arena Box.
“I would definitely love a rematch with Clarke and I watched his professional debut on Saturday, which was a joke of a fight.
“He won a bronze medal after I was disqualified in the Olympics but he knows I was winning our fight before it was called off.”
Aliev, who is a huge fan of former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko, showed his pedigree by claiming a silver medal at the European Games in 2019.
And he has made a perfect start to life in the pro ranks, with two wins out of two – the latest of which came by stoppage on Saturday night in Hamburg, Germany.
“The world saw those emotional images of Mourad Aliev after he suffered the disqualification at the Olympics,” said Richard Schaefer, President of Probellum.
“And our job is to now harness that pain and desire to help Mourad fulfil his vast potential in the sport’s blue-ribbon division.
“At 6’7”, he is a giant heavyweight and everyone at Probellum is thrilled to have him on board. The Frazer Clarke rematch would be a huge fight down the line.”
“I am delighted to be teaming up with Probellum as the co-promoters of Mourad Aliev,” said Ahmet Oner, President of Arena Box Promotions.
“Together, I know we can help Aliev move up the heavyweight rankings and give him the platform to show just how good he is, after what happened in the Olympics.”
