Things you didn’t know about Dmitry Bivol next opponent Malik Zinad
Unbeaten Russian Dmitry Bivol (22-0, 11KO) defends his WBA and IBO World titles against fellow undefeated light-heavyweight Malik Zinad (22-0, 16KO) on June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The unified light-heavyweight champion, Bivol, was originally all set to clash with the ‘other guy’ at his weight, Artur Beterbiev, until an injury sustained during training forced the WBC, IBF, WBO unified titlist to withdraw.
So Zinad stepped in, but who is he? Find out some interesting facts about the relatively unknown boxer who grew up in a country that had banned boxing:
Malik Zinad was born Almalek Alzanad on 19 November, 1993, in Tripoli, Libya.
His father was a former boxer and began training him in the sport when he was just five-years-old.
Muammar Gaddafi had issued a nationwide ban on boxing, so the father and son had to train secretly in their basement.
Aged 20, Malik left his country in 2013 due to the political unrest following Gaddafi’s death, eventually settling in the island nation of Malta after his father encouraged him to follow his dreams.
Zinad had around 25 amateur bouts, eight of which took place in Malta.
The Libyan made his professional debut, after he signed former world champion Donny Lalonde as his manager, on October 30, 2015, defeating Bogoljub Borišev via second-round TKO in Attard, Malta.
In 2016, he captured the vacant WBF International light-heavyweight title in his sixth fight, stopping Attila Palko in September 2016.
In March 2017, he won the Baltic Boxing Organisation light-heavyweight title by stopping Bosnian journeyman Aleksandar Kuvac in just over a minute.
He has fought in England, Scotland and Wales.
In March 2021, Zinad won the IBO Continental light-heavyweight title when he beat Russian prospect Timur Nikarkhoev in Brussels, Belgium.
In his next fight that August, he scored a third-round TKO over Almir Škrijelj for the vacant WBC Mediterranean light heavyweight title.
In his last fight, in April this year, he secured a career-best win over unbeaten English-born New Zealander Jerome Pampellone in Sydney, Australia. Malik won the IBF semi-final title eliminator by mixed decision after a training camp in Florida with Buddy McGirt.
Now 30, he has held the WBC Mediterranean; WBA Continental; IBO Continental light-heavyweight titles.
He is ranked IBF #2 and IBO #11
His boxing nickname is “The Trigger”.
Bio
Wins: 22
Losses: 0
Draws: 0
Bouts: 22
Rounds: 102
KOs: 16
KO Ratio: 72.73%
Height: 6’1″
Age: 30
Nationality: Libya
Residence: Malta
Manager: Nomaan Ali