Avtandil Khurtsidze to replace Sam Soliman against Antoine Douglas

Middleweight prospect Antoine Douglas has a new opponent for his March 5 fight, as Avtandil Khurtsidze has stepped in to replace the injured Sam Soliman. The fight will be part of Showtime's card from the Sands Bethlehem in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Khurtsidze (31-2-2, 20 KO) is a 36-year-old veteran originally from Kutaisi, Georgia, now fighting out of Brooklyn. At a listed 5'4", he's extremely short for the weight class, making up for that with pressure fighting. He's won eight straight fights following a 2010 loss to Hassan N'dam, where he was plenty competitive against a guy who remains relevant in the division today. His only other loss came way back in 2005, in his 10th pro fight.

Douglas (19-0-1, 13 KO) will have huge height and reach advantages, and youth will be on the 23-year-old's side, too. But for a replacement opponent on a week and a half notice, Khurtsidze is a good one. If nothing else, he's a battler and should make for a fun TV fight.