Philadelphia, Penn. / Ekaterinburg, Russia – December 28, 2018 – Undefeated and number-one ranked WBO Junior Lightweight contender, Evgeny “Happy Gilmore” Chuprakov has been preparing for the biggest fight of his career, when he takes on WBO World Junior Lightweight world champion, Masayuki Ito, this Sunday in Tokyo, Japan.

Chuprakov (20-0, 10 KOs) has earned his ranking by defeating quality opposition, which includes four undefeated opponents, and capturing The Russian Junior Lightweight Title; WBO European Junior Lightweight title & the WBO Intercontinental Junior Lightweight title.

“The training camp is going well. In the beginning I had more functional work, then there were my sparring sessions. As usual. I am jogging in Griffith Park, and then have functional workouts with my coach. Each weekend I have massage and sauna sessions,” said Chuprakov.

“Each professional boxer has it as a goal, and that is to fight for and win a world championship. I am very excited, but I have an important bout coming up, and the issue is not in the excitement, but to get preparation to the bout.”

Chuprakov knows that Ito is a tough customer, but did not want to divulge what he knew about the defending champion.

“He is a good fighter. He is a world champion,and I respect that about him.”

Chuprakov has been waiting his whole career for this opportunity, and the 28 year-old Chuprakov will not let this opportunity go to waste,

“It seems like it has been a long time coming, but now it is here. I will say, that I have had great preparation for this bout. I will, put my mind for it. I will show a good boxing, and of course I’ll look forward to winning this fight and becoming world champion.”

The title fight can be seen live on ESPN+ on Sunday, December 30th with a start time of 5:00 a.m. ET, with the Ito-Chuprakov fight starting around 6:20 a.m.

(Dec. 20, 2018) — American fight fans will be treated to a world championship doubleheader edition of Breakfast and Boxing on Sunday, Dec. 30 from the historic Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. In the main event, WBO junior lightweight world champion Masayuki Ito will make his first title defense against the unbeaten Evgeny Chuprakov.

In the co-feature, in a clash for the WBC interim bantamweight world title, Takuma Inoue will battle fellow unbeaten Tasana Salapat.

The action begins at 5:00 a.m. ET on ESPN+ — the new multi-sport, direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment in conjunction with ESPN. The Ito-Chuprakov main event is expected to begin at roughly 6:20 a.m. ET.

Ito (24-1-1, 12 KOs) captured the vacant WBO junior lightweight world title on July 28 in Kissimmee, Fla., going on the road as a sizable underdog and defeating Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz by unanimous decision. Ito, a Tokyo native, is no stranger to fighting in his home city. Prior to the Diaz fight, all of his pro bouts had taken place in Tokyo. Chuprakov (20-0, 10 KOs), a native of Ekaterinburg, Russia, has gone 10 or more rounds in four of his past six bouts. In his last outing, July 14 in Ekaterinburg, he scored a 10-round unanimous decision against Ernie Sanchez.

Inoue (12-0, 3 KOs), younger brother of pound-for-pound elite Naoya Inoue, defeated Mark John Yap by unanimous decision on Sept. 11 to earn WBC mandatory status. Salapat (48-0, 33 KOs), from Roi Et, Thailand, will be making his fifth ring appearance of 2018. A seven-year pro who has won a host of regional titles, Inoue represents the stiffest test of the 25-year-old’s career.

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