Kiryl Relikh vs. Eduard Troyanovsky set for October 7th in Yokohama

The World Boxing Super Series has announced that its quarterfinals will take place as a series of doubleheaders, adding the super lightweight battle between WBA champ Kiryl Relikh and Eduard Troyanovsky to the previously announced October 7th Naoya Inoue-Juan Carlos Payano card in Yokohama, Japan.

Relikh is ranked #3 in the tournament, although the matchup was predetermined due to Troyanovsky being his mandatory challenger.

Relikh (22-2, 19 KO) wound up on the wrong end of controversial decisions against Ricky Burns and Rances Barthelemy, but finally got over the hump in March with a dominant win over “Kid Blast” in the rematch. The victory capped off a meteoric rise for the Belarusian; I remember scoffing at him when he was first announced as Burns’ opponent.

Troyanovsky (27-1, 24 KO), on the other hand, is out to recapture glory. He beat Cesar Rene Cuenca for the IBF belt in 2015, defended it by stopping Cuenca in the rematch and sending the very capable Keita Obara through the ropes, and then got wiped out in 40 seconds by Julius Indongo. He’s since scored a pair of knockouts over middling opponents.