By Napoleon Fly
01/09/2025
Daniyar “Kazakh Thunder” Yeleussinov (12-0, 7 KOs) will return to the ring on February 28th in Astana, Kazakhstan. A top amateur, Yeleussinov won gold at the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games and Asian Championships. Yeleussinov beat the likes of Josh Taylor, Alexander Besputin, Gabriel Maestre, Josh Kelly, Eimantas Stanionis, Souleymane Cissokho, Israil Madrimov, Jamel Herring and Shakhram Giyasov in the amateurs. While no opponent has been announced, promotional materials suggest the leading possibilities are Tulani Mbenge, Chris Kongo and Gabriel Maestre. However, Yeleussinov clarified on Monday that his opponent is still undecided, due to several unnamed fighters rejecting fight offers.
A touted prospect since the 2016 Olympics, a series of legal disputes have held back Yeleussinov’s career. Yeleussinov first signed with Eddie Hearn in 2018, under whom he won ten fights, including a domination of former unified junior welterweight champ Julius Indongo. Yeleussinov split from Hearn in 2021 due to perceived issues of pay, a failure to materialize big fights and claims that Hearn favored punchers over boxers.
After splitting with Hearn, Yeleussinov went on to win the vacant IBO welterweight title against contender Juan Hernan Leal by one sided UD. Despite being a promotional free agent, Yeleussinov remained with manager Ziya Aliyev and was unable to get big fights. Fights with Ivan Golub and Taras Shelestyuk were negotiated, but failed to materialize. Discouraged by a lack of progress, Yeleussinov vacated his IBO title in late 2022 and retired. However, Yeleussinov’s retirement ended in September 2024 when he dominated fringe contender Joe Noynay by 5th round TKO to win the WBC “peace belt.”
Yeleussinov has since stated that his split with Hearn was influenced by Aliyev, whom Yeleussinov claims misled him about his contract with Hearn. According to Yeleussinov: “I had Eddie Hearn. One of the best professionals. I had 10 fights with that guy. My managers ruined him. I can say that they made a mistake. At first, they found me a promoter. They gave me a good contract. Let's be fair. However, when they offered me a contract, they refused, without showing it to me. But they convinced me. I believed that I was their team.”
Yeleussinov is now in legal dispute with Aliyev, alleging Aliyev misguided Yeleussinov as his manager by sabotaging a contract extension with Hearn and fight offers made to Yeleussinov by other promoters. Furthermore, Yeleussinov alleges Aliyev demands $500,000 of Yeleussinov to authorize his release. Aliyev claims his company, Boxing Stars, met its commitments to Yeleussinov by promoting the Leal and Noynay fights. Among other points, Aliyev also posits he had engaged in two negotiations to fight Jaron “Boots” Ennis in 2018 and 2023. Specifically, Aliyev claims the terms of the first negotiation would have seen the fight on Showtime while the terms of the second negotiation would have seen Yeleussinov fight Ennis in Dubai for $90,000 as part of a two fight deal with a second fight against Mauricio Pintor.
It is currently unclear where Yeleussinov’s lawsuit with Aliyev stands. The dispute was allegedly resolved in January of 2024, but legal proceedings continue in Florida. Yeleussinov’s counsel, Margules Law Group in December, withdrew as his counsel, citing irreconcilable differences. More tellingly, Yeleussinov’s fight on February 28th is set to be promoted by Aliyev and Boxing Stars, suggesting the resumption of a working relationship.
Ranked 22nd by the WBC at welterweight, Yeleussinov intends to fight three times in 2025 and hopes to work with promoters Al Haymon, Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren. Specifically, he is interested in champs Stanionis, Brian Norman Jr and particularly Ennis and Mario Barrios. Previously, Yeleussinov has expressed a desire to fight Vergil Ortiz Jr, Errol Spence Jr, Connor Benn, and Terence Crawford. Importantly, Yeleussinov’s WBC “peace belt” allows him to challenge WBC Silver Champion Souleymane Cissokho. Interestingly, Stanionis remarked in a past Chicken Tawk interview his desire to fight Yeleussinov due to their amateur rivalry. Yeleussinov will be 34 in March, hopefully he makes the most of his prime and talents.
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