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Yet another Tokyo hopeful has turned pro. MTK Global today announced the signing of Armenian standout Hovhannes Bachkov, whose debut will be announced “in due course.”
BIG NEW SIGNING ️@MTKGlobal is proud to announce the signing of Armenia's world-class amateur superstar Hovhannes Bachkov as he turns professional.
— MTK Global (@MTKGlobal) July 28, 2020
DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/t6RKXXEhcY#TeamMTKGlobal pic.twitter.com/iP9cPRQSEu
Bachkov said: “It was time for me to box in the professional ranks, and MTK Global is the best management company with many champions.
“I have a lot of memories of fights in the amateurs, but I have not yet reached my goal in boxing. As a professional athlete, I want to become world champion and be the best fighter in my weight class.
“I was pleased to be an amateur and compete in all the competitions and win all the fights that I did, but now I’m very excited to turn professional.”
The 27-year-old Bachkov claimed gold at the 2017 European Championships and the 2019 European Games alongside bronze medal finishes at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships. He notably fell to Keyshawn Davis, who is considered one of America’s best boxing gold medal hopes in Tokyo, in those recent Worlds. His 2016 Rio run saw him defeat Venezuela’s Luis Arcon before falling to Hu Qianxun in the Round of 16.
He was an early favorite at this year’s London qualifiers, which ended eight days early due to COVID. He joins a number of other elite amateurs, including Javier Martinez and Marc Castro, in the paid ranks.