Alex Emelianenko: Russian Boxing Federation 'ready to organize' pro match for controversial fighter

Russia’s Boxing Federation has announced it is ready to organize a professional boxing match for MMA fighter Alex Emelianenko, should he return to the ring, according to federation chief Umar Kremlev.

Controversy-stricken Emelianenko, the younger brother of MMA legend Fedor, has experience of a 16-year fight career across numerous organizations and an extensive background across a number of disciplines. But his biggest fight has been staying out of trouble.

Although recently having received an offer to fight in bare knuckle boxing, Emelianenko made his professional boxing debut in October 2009 against army champion Khizir Pliev when the two fought to a draw in Moscow.

“The Russian Boxing Federation is ready to organize a professional boxing match for Alexander Emelianenko, given that he is a professional athlete. The federation is ready to cover the cost of a boxing show,” federation general secretary Umar Kremlev said in a statement on Monday.

“We are certain that Alexander, being a pupil of Oleg Menshikov, an honored coach of Russia, will show us a decent fight. That being said, he has already fought in a professional fight in 2009, which ended in a draw.”

Emelianenko junior, 38, was earlier refused entry to one of the federation’s tournaments in Krasnodar, Russia, as rules dictate only athletes with a rank of at least ‘master of sport candidate’ could compete, an important requirement in the country.

In late July, Emelianenko received an official offer from American organization Bare Knuckle FC, which he was expected to sign once he had dealt with visa issues. 

Emelianenko has had problems gaining a visa due to his lengthy criminal record, the most serious conviction on his rap sheet being the 2015 rape of his house maid, for which he received a four-and-a-half year prison sentence.

After serving his time, Emelianenko vowed to keep his life on the straight and narrow, something which he managed until March this year, when he was arrested for DUI after ramming two vehicles in his all-gold Mercedes in the Russian resort city of Kislovodsk.

The Russian Boxing Federation also announced they would be happy to stage the professional boxing debut of Khabib Nurmagomedov in Moscow when it was rumoured the UFC lightweight champion would fight boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Plans for that fight, however, never materialized, and Khabib is now scheduled to fight Dustin Poirier in defense of his 155lbs UFC title on September 7 headlining UFC 242.