Things you didn't know about David Avanesyan next opponent Oskari Metz
European welterweight king David Avanesyan (28-3-1, 16KOs) takes on the unbeaten Finn Oskari Metz (15-0, 5KOs) in a fifth defence of his EBU belt on March 19 at the OVO Arena, Wembley.
The challenger comes to the UK for the first time as a professional, but who is he?
BBN found out some interesting facts about Metz right here:
Oskari Metz was born in Helsinki in 1991.
He first started training in karate at the age of just five.
Metz started boxing late, in 2016, and made his pro debut that same year without any amateur background behind him.
He does have a Muay Thai and Kickboxing background. His debut fight in Muay Thai was on December 21, 2010, when he was just 19-years-old. His record was 5-1, experiencin gfive fights in the Netherlands and one in Thailand.
He is coached by Mikhail Karpinskiy out of the Pekka Maeki's gym in Helsinki. Maeki has praised Oskari for being strong-willed with strength of character and good psychological qualities. He has also described his welterweight charge as a very active boxer who takes his opponents into the deep end.
The 30-year-old Finn is managed by Martin Mikolajczak, who also manages Przemyslaw Runowski, who UK fight fans will remember from his fight with unbeaten Michael McKinson in 2021. Martin's promotions company is called MSM-POL and is based in Maidstone in Kent. He is also co-managed by Pekka Maeki.
Metz is currently ranked EBU #11, which he earned after defeating Michal Syrowatka away from home in Poland in 2020. Metz scored the upset after hurting the experienced Pole with a body shot in the first round which he never fully recovered from. It was his first eight-round contest and he won every round of the fight. Remember the name, Michal Syrowatka? He's the one who upset Robbie Davies Jr. in 2018 with a TKO in the 12th round with 30 seconds to go.
It has been his ambition to win the European title for some years now.
He ranked even higher with the European Union at #4.
He is a big animal lover and loves to take his two dogs on walks when he isn't training. He also has horses.
Oskari has confessed to watching a lot of David Avanesyan's fights as a fan of his.
He will be getting paid 'five digits' to fight Avanesyan, so in excess of £10,000, but has said he is not fighting for money, only opportunity.
Finland isn't really known for being a boxing country, ice hockey is their most popular sport. However, the Northern European nation, with a population of just 5 million, has produced some memorable boxers in the past, such as Gunnar Barlund (56-30-1, 28KOs), who is said to have headlined the first ever professional boxing event in Finland in 1935. He then fought at Wembley Stadium in his very next fight, defeating Brit Ben Foord over six-rounds. In recent times, 'The Nordic Nightmare' Robert Helenius (31-3, 20KOs) is the most well-known Finn fighter. The former European and European-Union heavyweight champion is currently WBA #3, waiting for his shot at the world title.
You can follow Oskari Metz on his Facebook Page
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