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The cruiserweight division, which received some major shake-ups last week in Kazan last week, will get another layer of intrigue in the near-future, as Dan Rafael reports that Beibut Shumenov will welcome former WBC champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk back to the ring after over a year away on December 18th.
The card, broadcast on Spike and taking place at the Palms in Las Vegas, is headlined by Rances Barthelemy vs. Denis Shafikov, which has finally found a home after some wandering.
Shumenov (16-2, 10 KO) moved up to 200 lbs. from light heavyweight after losing his IBA title to Bernard Hopkins last year. He's 2-0 so far at the weight, posting wins over non-entity Bobby Thomas, Jr. and actual competent foe B.J. Flores.
Wlodarczyk (49-3-1, 35 KO) earned the WBC cruiserweight belt back in 2010 and racked up six successful defense, including an upset knockout over then-unbeaten Rakhim Chakhkiev in 2013. He last competed in September of 2014, when he lost his belt via wide decision to Grigory Drozd.
Both the main and co-main are excellent, well-matched fights. While this PBC card may lack the star power of others, it's one worth looking forward to.