Van Damme supports Miskirtchian ahead of his fight for IBF title

Jean Claude Van Damme, a renowned Belgian martial artist and movie actor, made a video message supporting a Belgian boxer Alex Miskirtchian, who is going to compete for the IBF featherweight title against the Russian Evgeny Gradovich. Probably the match will be held in Yerevan.

Miskirtchian, an Armenian born in Tbilisi, now lives in Belgium, while the incumbent champion, Yevgeny Gradovich, lives in the US, and is nicknamed a “Mexican Russian” for his emotional style of fighting.

The manager of Miskirtchian, Alain Vanackere, told NEWS.am Sport that together with the Armenian Belgian chamber of commerce chairman, Valery Safaryan, they met with the Minister of sport of Armenia, Yuri Vardanyan, the president of the Armenian Boxing Federation, Arthur Gevorgyan, and the head of the National Olympic Committee, Gagik Tsarukyan.

“We asked if there was any possibility for him to help hosting the fight in Yerevan, and he was quite positive,” Safaryan said

Alex' supporters are hopeful, and are going to make an announcement as soon as the city is approved.

“There are sports venues in Yerevan good enough to meet the IBF standards, so this is not a problem at all. We are going to bring in technical staff to diffuse the match live in Belgium, for my boxing show. And there is quite a good chance to sign a deal with one of the American channels” , said Alain Vanackere.

The previous fight of Miskirtchian for the EBU title, where he defeated the French boxer Sofian Takoucht, was diffused live in Belgium, and was quite a success with the audience, said Safaryan.

The Armenian Belgian boxer is strongly supported by Van Damme.

“He was busy with a movie, and was not able to attend the latest fight of Alex, but made an official video with a supporting message to him. We broadcasted it here in Armenia too, where it has made a real good score,” Vanackere added.

Miskirtchian’s has also been encouraged by the famous (and much loved in Armenia for generations) Jean Paul Belmondo, a boxer himself in his youth.

Vanackere featured the 18-year Alex in his TV show and has been his manager ever since.

“I told him that he was going to win a Belgian title, a European, and then a global title. Well, he’s got the first two, is heading to the IBF title, and will surely make it to the top,” added Vanackere.

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