Dmitry Mikhaylenko vs. Ray Robinson on Jan. 30

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Dmitry Mikhaylenko (left) fires a left hook to the body of Johan Perez on Aug. 8, 2015. Mikhaylenko won by eighth round stoppage. Photo credit: German Villasenor

Welterweight Dmitry Mikhaylenko has passed every test thus far in his pro career and will face another difficult opponent, at least on paper, in his next fight.

Mikhaylenko will fight slick southpaw “The New” Ray Robinson on Jan.30 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Main Events officially announced Monday.

The 10-round bout will open the “HBO World Championship Boxing” broadcast (9:45 p.m. ET/ 6:45 p.m. PT) and will precede the rematch between light heavyweights Sergey Kovalev and Jean Pascal.

Mikhaylenko (20-0, 9 knockouts) scored an impressive eighth round technical knockout over contender Johan Perez in his last bout on Aug. 8, in Indio, Calif. The 29-year-old from Gelendzhik, Russia, who has trained in the boxing hotbed of Oxnard, also has wins over Sechew Powell and Ronald Cruz.

He has won his last three bouts by stoppage.

“I am excited to be on HBO,” said Mikhaylenko, who is co-promoted by Main Events and German Titov. “This is a big fight for me. I am looking to get my name in the hunt at the top of the welterweight division. I am also excited to be opening for my countryman, Sergey Kovalev. I hope to put on a great show.

In his last bout on April 17, Robinson (20-2, 9 KOs) won a one-sided decision over Sherzodbek Alimjanov in Mashantucket, Conn.

Robinson has won his nine bouts in a row since suffering back-to-back losses to Brad Solomon and Shawn Porter.

“Success comes with a price,” said Robinson, who resides in Philadelphia, Penn. “I paid my dues. January 30 will be another step closer to my dreams.”

“These are the kinds of fights that fans want to see,” said Kathy Duva, CEO of Main Events. “In the stacked welterweight division, these are two ranked fighters, both in the prime of their careers.

“Dmitry continues to impress us, as he has quietly worked his way through the ranks of the division. He is willing to stand and trade punches with anyone and has proven on numerous occasions that, with his high punch output, he (is) ready for anything.”

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV since RingTV since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (CA) Star newspaper, Boxingscene.com, and Knockout Nation. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter at FSalazarBoxing.