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To be or not to be, why Bakhodir Jalolov is a fighter caught between two codes
“Don't count the days, make the days count” is a motivational quote attributed to Muhammad Ali.
The Greatest said a lot of things in his legendary lifetime, and if he did indeed utter these words then fair play because as quotes go, this is one of his more profound. Ali is talking about quality over quantity. Living fully and making progress, rather than passively watching life pass you by.
I thought of Ali when I heard the news that two-time Olympic Gold Medallist Bakhodir Jalolov will return to the ring on October 6. Jalolov’s pro career to this point has been the very definition of a slow burner. He turned pro initially in May 2018. That’s over seven years ago now.
In terms of mitigation, we have had COVID-19 during that time and the worldwide pandemic that followed that stalled boxing (and life in general) for a while from March 2020. And the Uzbek giant has also returned to the amateurs twice to gobble up those Olympic golds.
But for some context it took Ali (another Olympic gold medallist) just over four years from his pro debut in 1960 to become the heavyweight champion of the world, winning his first world title by defeating the formidable Sonny Liston in February 1964.
If Jalolov was fighting for a portion of the world heavyweight title on October 6 I may even give him a pass. Instead, he will return to the ring against 7-3 (3) Vitaly Kudukhov in Saint Petersburg as part of an IBA Pro card.
Jalolov believes he is ready to challenge the top names in the heavyweight division, but Kudukhov has lost three of his last four contests. Even the most optimistic heavyweight fight fan would struggle to describe this as anything other than another marking time fight. Yet at the age of 31, are these types of assignment really serving him?
It’s never easy to try and psychoanalyse a boxer's behaviour through a Freudian lens, but it would be genuinely interesting to know what is going on between the big Uzbek’s ears.
Does he really want to push on and become the world heavyweight champion? Or is he privately distracted by thoughts of winning a third gold and becoming an Olympic legend?
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I can see how this might be conflicting for him, and fair play to him if he is thinking about further Olympic glory – and a place in history – ahead of the inevitable financial rewards a world heavyweight title in the pro ranks would bring. After all, he is a national hero in Uzbekistan.
However, his pro journey has been bizarre to say the least. The concept of ‘wasted potential’ regarding Jalolov is a recurring theme in trade discussions about the fighter, due to his seemingly slow professional progress relative to his immense amateur success and obvious physical gifts. Contrast his slow burning pro career to that of Moses Itauma, who at the age of 20 has already headlined a DAZN PPV card and is ranked No 1 by the WBO.
Let’s call it as it is. Compared to the way Itauma has been moved, the matchmaking with Jalolov has been pretty lousy to this point. He signed a multi-year deal with Top Rank - the boxing promotional behemoth founded by Bob Arum - in July 2023 but has fought just three times as a pro since then.
With his dimensions, powerful southpaw style and genuine KO power he should be a nightmare for any professional heavyweight. Why would you not let someone with such elite amateur pedigree and fight-ending power off the leash?
A 31-year-old double Olympic and World amateur champion still being moved as a ‘prospect’ after six years is frankly wild, whichever way you try and dress it up. Looking at the Ring Magazine’s current top 10 heavyweight rankings, you would probably back a focused Jalolov to beat at least half of them. Ergo, it really begs the question, why is he still fighting cans?
It may all work out OK. He may make his move in 2026 and cash in as the careers of heavyweight superstars Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua begin to wind down. But it’s just as likely that if ‘Team Jalolov’ don’t get a shift on, he wastes his athletic peak with assignments against journeymen such as Kudukhov and never becomes a world champion. After all, even kings of men cannot bargain with mortality.
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