Vladimir Shishkin is waiting around for no one. 

The unbeaten super middleweight contender will remain active while waiting for a significant opportunity to come his way. 

Shishkin will face Ramon Ayala in a stay-busy fight Friday night, promoter Dmitriy Salita confirmed to The Ring Wednesday. The 10-round bout will take place at the Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort in Miami, Florida. 

“Vladimir is one of the best super middleweight contenders in the world, if not the best,” said Salita, who is the president of Salita Promotions. “The champions will only fight him when they have to, and he’s in a position right now to make that happen. I believe in activity, so while Canelo’s fight takes place (Saturday night), Vladimir is going to stay prepared and ready for the day his number is called.”

The 32-year-old (14-0, 8 knockouts), who is originally from Stepnoe, Russia and now resides in Detroit, Michigan, is currently ranked No. 8 by The Ring at 168 pounds.

In his last bout on December 17, Shishkin defeated Jose Uzcategui by unanimous decision. In his previous fight on March 5 of last year, Shishkin stopped Jayson Minda in the fifth round. 

Shishkin has appeared on a handful of ShoBox telecasts. His most notable fights, Shishkin defeated Sena Agbeko by decision in February 2021 and stopped DeAndre Ware in August 2019. 

Ranked in the top 15 in two of boxing’s major sanctioning bodies, Shishkin believes he is ready to face the upper echelon in the division, including Canelo Alvarez. 

“I’m staying active and sharp and making sure that I’m getting better every day,” said Shishkin, who made his pro debut in July 2016. “I’ll be watching the Canelo vs. Charlo fight closely, but I’m laser focused on being at my best this Friday night. To get that Canelo fight, I know that I have to win impressively and earn my shot.”

Ayala (25-8-1, 13 KOs), who grew up in Cuernavaca, Mexico, was stopped by Neeco Macias after the fifth round of his last bout on April 7. Ayala has mostly fought at lightweight and later at 147 pounds

The 34-year-old will be making his debut at 168 pounds against Shishkin.

Also on the M&R Boxing Promotions card, junior bantamweight Winston Guerrero (19-0, 12 KOs) of Managua, Nicaragua will square off against Puerto Rico’s Charlie Clemente-Andino (12-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

Middleweight Yoanki Urrutia (12-0, 5 KOs), who is originally from Las Tunas, Cuba and now resides in Miami, will face Mexico City Esau Herrera de la Cruz (19-15-1, 8 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

Light heavyweight Yildo Depestre (6-0, 4 KOs) of Miami will square off against Brent Oren (4-10, 1 KO) of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in a six-round bout. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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