Radivoje Kalajdzic looks to resurrect career against Sullivan Barrera tonight
Radivoje Kalajdzic may have been down, but is far from out as far as being a legit contender at 175 pounds.
Kalajdzic will face Sullivan Barrera tonight at the Whitesands (also known as the ProBox TV) Events Center in Plant City, Florida. The 10-round bout will stream live on the ProBox TV Youtube page and application (8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT).
At Tuesday’s weigh-in, both fighters weighed in at 174 pounds.
In his last bout on September 6, Kalajdzic (28-2, 22 knockouts), who is originally from Belgrade, Serbia and now resides in nearby Saint Petersburg, broke down game Mickey Ellison before the fight was stopped in the eighth round. The win over Ellison took place almost 16 months after stopping Ernest Amuzu in the opening round.
“I was happy that I got the win (against Ellison), but wasn’t really happy with my performance,” Kalajdzic told The Ring Sunday afternoon. “After the fight, I realized I had COVID and that’s why I couldn’t perform the way I wanted to.”
Kalajdzic will face a fighter in Barrera who has not fought since losing by knockout to Gilberto Ramirez in July 2021. Barrera (22-4, 14 KOs), who challenged Dmitri Bivol for the WBA world light heavyweight title in March 2018, has lost three of his last four bouts.
Despite Barrera’s struggles in his most recent fights, Kalajdzic is not overlooking Barrera and is ready for his best tonight.
“I believe Sullivan Barrera is still dangerous,” said Kalajdzic, who is managed by Ryan Rickey. “He still has power, and a lot of experience, and is coming to win.”
The 32-year-old has won his last four fights since losing by knockout to unified world titleholder Artur Beterbiev in May 2019. His other setback came in April 2016, losing by split-decision to Marcus Browne in a fight several media members at ringside thought Kaladjzic did enough to win.
After the loss to Beterbiev, the unbeaten No. 1-rated light heavyweight reached out and called Kalajdzic for sparring. Kalajdzic stated he is again working with Beterbiev after the Barrera fight, as Beterbiev is preparing for a showdown against Bivol for the Ring Magazine and undisputed light heavyweight championship.
Beterbiev and Bivol are currently rated No. 1 and 2, respectively, by The Ring.
“Sparring Artur Beterbiev was a really good experience and helped me to stay calm and deal with pressure better,” said Kalajdzic. “(It was) great work overall.
“I learned that I can compete with top guys and belong on (this) level.”
Kalajdzic could be a win or two away from again challenging for a world title belt.
Aside from Beterbiev and Bivol, the division is wide open. Kalajdzic is open to facing any of the other contenders in the division and proving his worth as a legit contender.
Kalajdzic is hoping to fight again soon, or a fight against a top contender can be made for later this year.
“I would rate myself somewhere in the top 10. They have guys ahead of me that I’m way better than (them). I haven’t been really active so I didn’t have a chance to prove it, but I will this year, starting with Sullivan Barrera.
“I just want to showcase my skills and look really good doing it, and hope people enjoy the fight and want to see more.”
Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at santio89@yahoo.com
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