Sultan Zaurbek vs Azinga Fuzile Predictions: Homecoming fight for top super featherweight

World-ranked super featherweight Sultan Zaurbek squares off with Azinga Fuzile on Saturday, April 5. The fight takes place as chief support to the unified middleweight title fight between Janibek Alimkhanuly and Anauel Ngamissengue. The card takes place at the Barys Arena in Astana, Kazakhstan. ESPN+ will broadcast the event in the USA. 

Here are my Zaurbek vs Fuzile predictions ahead of this co-feature fight.

Sultan Zaurbek vs Azinga Fuzile Odds

Zaurbek is a big favourite at 1/9 while Fuzile lags behind on 13/2

Sultan Zaurbek vs Azinga Fuzile Fight Preview

Like Alimkhanuly in the main event, Zaurbek gets the opportunity to fight in front of a home crowd for the first time in a while. Since Gennady Golovkin blew the doors off, boxers from Kazakhstan have been getting more opportunities further afield. Now Zaurbek gets to show everything he’s learned to a crowd who won’t have watched him live in four years.

The site of that education has largely been the UK and Ireland. Six fights in England and one in Waterford has helped Zaurbek sharpen his skills, rack up the knockouts and ascend the world rankings. Zaurbek stopped five of his seven opponents during the excursion.

Zaurbek finds himself second in the WBA super featherweight rankings and fifth in the IBF reckoning. If the Shyment southpaw can keep up this pace, it will not be long before world title opportunities come into view.

Trying to prevent this path is Fuzile, an 18-2 South African who knows just what it takes to challenge for a belt. ‘Golden Boy’ has only lost to the very best across his 20-fight career. Shavkat Rakhimov stopped him in eight rounds before going on to become a world champion further down the line.

Fuzile’s other defeat came in a challenge for the vacant IBF championship against Kenichi Ogawa. The South African hung in there, going the 12-round distance but being dropped twice on the way to losing a unanimous decision. 

Fuzile has proved he can hang at the top level if not truly belong there. That makes him the right sort of fight for Zaurbek at this stage. The hometown hero has designs on a world title shot so facing a man who has boxed in that class is essential. 

With both men aged 28, this is no case of Zaurbek beating up a faded veteran either. Fuzile has won four on the bounce since the Ogawa loss, all by knockout. Those fights have arrived on a once-a-year basis, so he has not been the most active. But the form is good.

Zaurbek’s is better it has to be said. He was out three times in 2024 with the same schedule in 2023. The opponents have been solid fare, gatekeepers like Damian Wrzesinski who will find the holes in your game if they are there.

Fuzile is another fighter who will chin-check you if you slack. Zaurbek must save the celebrations until after the fight. I am sure he will. He goes about his work in a professional manner and he will know this task requires full focus. 

Sultan Zaurbek vs Azinga Fuzile Full Card

Janibek Alimkhanuly vs Anauel Ngamissengue

Sultan Zaurbek vs Azinga Fuzile

Batyrzhan Jukembayev vs Kane Gardner

Bakhodir Jalolov vs Ihor Shevadzutskyi

Otabek Kholmatov vs Jason Canoy Manigos

Balaussa Muzdiman vs Maria Theresa Pinili

Makhmud Sabyrkhan vs Nicolas Tordecilla

Torekhan Sabyrkhan vs Jiri Hauke

Alisher Abdulalim vs Ashish Chaudhary

Akniet Alimbay vs Josef Dubsky

Sultan Zaurbek vs Azinga Fuzile Preview

Good fight this one. It is always nice to see that moment where an unbeaten prospect steps up in class. Zaurbek seems well-set for this test. I think it is coming at the right time and the backdrop of Kazakhstan serves to make the occasion even more momentous.

I reckon the hometown boy gets this done at 1/9.

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