Imre Szellő Could Be Set for World Title Shot

Hungarian cruiserweight champion Imre Szellő has put himself in the frame for a shot at the WBO world cruiserweight title, currently held by Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk, after he kept up his unbeaten professional record with his 17th straight win coming over Tamás Tóth at the Lakeside Hotel, Székesfehervár.

Szellő is arguably the brightest boxer in Hungary today and in beating Tóth, he defended the WBO intercontinental title, which boosts his ranking with the organisation and adds his name to the list of possible contenders for Usyk in the near future.

It was Szellő who took control of the contest from very early into the bout, as he dominated with the jab and forced Toth to be on the back-foot. Eventually, Szellő pushed for the stoppage in the fifth round and he got it when referee Micky Vann stopped the fight as Toth was struggling to see due to a cut above his right eye.

The 34-year-old competed at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing but only made his professional debut in 2014. He won the Hungarian cruiserweight crown after just his second fight, where he beat Gyula Bozai by unanimous decision after ten rounds.

Szellő took a big step towards a world title shot when he won his intercontinental title, where he defeated Brazilian Hamilton Ventura for the belt last September. Since then, he has had wins over Drazan Janjanin and Garrett Wilson; the former of which he beat by technical knockout in the seventh round of their contest.

If Szellő does sign a deal to fight Usyk for the WBO cruiserweight title, he will be facing the number one ranked boxer by The Ring Magazine in the division. The man, who is nicknamed The Cat, won the gold medal in the heavyweight category at the London Olympics. He has not tasted defeat yet in his professional career, which spans 12 fights, while ten of those victories have come via stoppages.