Photography credit Terrell Groggins

From my Perspective

Alexey Zubov is tough. He’s a 17-1, 9 KOs cruiserweight hailing from Russia. The problem? He’s one of several coming out of the region. So how does one stand out from this crowd? Leaving your friends and family behind and migrating to the world famous Kronk Gym in Detroit, that’s how.

He’s been alone in the States for the past two years, training hard everyday with the great Sugar Hill Steward. He’s been a sponge, soaking up everything that Sugar Hill has to offer. Zubov is another fighter I have had the opportunity to document during his last two training camps. He works hard and he’s eager, which makes him a great student. The lessons have been paying off as evident with his two most recent fights, both victorious.

He was up against Robert Simms on November 17, 2017 at Flint’s Dort Federal Event Center. He fought steady for six rounds and continued his winning streak by split decision.

Dimitriy Salita of Salita Promotions speaks: “Alexey has come a long way since arriving in Detroit, his development on the Detroit Brawl series of shows has been remarkable. Javan has taken a rough outline of a world-class fighter and turned him into a solid contender with championship potential. His future in America is very bright.”

His continued development was clearly evident at his most recent bout with Lamont Capers on January 12th at New York’s Turning Stone Casino.

This was a tough fight that lasted six rounds. Capers started out aggressively, almost taking Zubov down in the first with a big right to the temple. But, like I said, Zubov is tough. He recovered from this blow and went to work. Zubov steadily worked Capers through each round. He suffered a cut over his right eye, but that didn’t slow him down. Zubov went on to victory with a unanimous decision, 58-56.

Zubov speaks: “I train in Detroit in Kronk Gym. I work with a great coach, Sugar Hill Steward. I feel that my sport career is going up and I feel progress as I train and work in Kronk Gym. I feel that I work hard and soon you will be watching me as a champion in my weight division.”

If Zubov stays on this trajectory, I think he’ll be a champion in his weight division too.