1 November 2026 · 1 min read
Uzbekistan's Bektemir "Bully" Melikuziev, a 2016 Olympic silver medallist with a 17-1 professional record, has been announced for MUKA Boxing's debut at Nikki Beach Dubai on Friday 6 November.
MUKA Boxing has landed its biggest name yet. Uzbekistan's Bektemir Melikuziev, an Olympic silver medallist who has won his last ten fights as a professional, has been announced for the promotion's debut at Nikki Beach Dubai on Friday 6 November.
"A new force enters the MUKA arena," the promotion posted. "World-class pedigree. Dubai, get ready." His opponent has not yet been announced.
An elite amateur
Melikuziev comes from the Uzbek amateur programme that has produced some of the best boxers of the past decade. He won silver at the 2015 AIBA World Championships in Doha and silver again at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, where he beat Vikas Krishan and Misael Rodriguez before losing the middleweight final to Cuba's Arlen Lopez. He was also Asian champion in 2015 and 2017.
17-1 as a professional
Nicknamed "Bully", the super middleweight turned professional with Golden Boy Promotions and has built a record of 17 wins and 1 loss, with 11 knockouts. His only defeat came against Gabriel Rosado in 2021, a loss he avenged with a unanimous decision in their 2024 rematch.
He has since held WBA regional titles at super middleweight, and in his most recent fight, in February 2026, he stopped Ghana's Sena Agbeko in the seventh round on the Barrios vs Garcia card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
MUKA's beach debut
Melikuziev joins a card that already includes Abdullah Chandio vs Gypsy General in the main event, Rahim Pardesi vs Manish Sharma and Faisal Abu Sham vs Leonardo Moraes. More announcements are expected before fight night.