Zdravko Popov made the stronger start. Vladimir Georgiev delivered the stronger finish. After ten hard rounds at MaxFight 54 in Plovdiv on 2 June 2023, The Bull won the Bulgarian title by unanimous decision.
Scores of 97–94, 98–96 and 97–93 made Georgiev the Bulgarian Professional Boxing Union super middleweight champion. For Vladimir, considered the underdog beforehand, it was a major victory. For Alexeev Boxing, the night was special: both boxers were then part of our team.
Two Alexeev Boxing fighters. One belt.
Our work with Zdravko Popov began with his professional debut. Vasko Alexeev invested years of his time and significant personal funds in his development — in fights, opportunities and a path to national recognition. The collaboration continued after Plovdiv, through his fourteenth win — against Janne Rantanen in Sveti Vlas.
Georgiev had also received his opportunity through our shared work. In Plovdiv, both men fought without hometown advantage, in front of a full arena and a television audience. It made sense to us for them to have this clash: a high-level contest in which the belt would go to the better man on the night.
Popov’s early advantage
Popov landed cleanly in the opening rounds and put Georgiev under pressure. Vladimir had to stay composed, keep working and resist the temptation to look for a single decisive punch.
Georgiev’s pressure gradually changed the fight. He maintained the pace as Popov began to tire. From our corner, Vladimir’s determination to keep pressing was the defining feature of those rounds.
The knockdown came in the tenth round
As the bout wore on, Georgiev’s stamina became increasingly important. He kept asking Popov to respond to fresh attacks, and a right hook in the tenth round finally put Zdravko down.
Zdravko beat the count and both men heard the final bell. The knockdown capped Georgiev’s strong finish, but the turnaround had started much earlier. His sustained pressure earned him the verdict on all three scorecards.
A fight worth making
The terms for organising the bout did not cover everything we wanted for both men. But there was a real possibility it might not happen at all. That is why the full arena and the boxers’ strong performances meant so much: the Bulgarian audience received a quality contest for a national title.
Rematch discussions continued after Plovdiv without leading to a second fight. The first meeting, however, had already given its clear answer. Georgiev was the new champion, and the way he won the belt showed the quality he would later build on in the UBO world title fight.
Zdravko Popov vs Vladimir Georgiev · MaxFight 54
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