Unbeaten heavyweight prospect Tsonte Rogava is living up to the phrase of ‘activity matters.’

Rogava will face journeyman Terrell Woods tonight at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, California. The eight-round bout will headline a five-bout Toro Promotions card.

Tonight will mark Rogava’s fifth fight of 2024. 

The 31-year-old Rogava (7-0, 7 knockouts), a Ukraine national who currently resides in the Los Angeles suburb of Marina del Rey, last fought on April 12, scoring a knockout win over gatekeeper Jesse Bryan at 36 seconds of the opening round in Superior, Colorado. 

In his previous fight on March 23, which took place in Ontario, California, Rogava knocked out Antonio Brown in the opening round. 

None of Rogava’s victories this year have gone past the opening round. 

Jonathan Walley, who co-trains Rogava with Joe Goossen, is pleased with Rogava’s progress and improved skill-set.

“His punch selection has gotten a lot better,” Walley told The Ring last month. “His timing has gotten a lot better. He’s hitting a lot harder. He listens so it makes it easy for him to get the job done. He knows how to fight. It’s just a matter of getting the right things to him and teaching him how to fight better. 

“Developing tools and showing him how to use those tools (are) things to work on. Giving him those tools so he could utilize those tools so he could get better.”

Walley is glad to see Rogava want to fight as much as possible. 

“Tsonte likes fighting often,” said Walley. “He wants to fight often. He understands that activity is what develops a fighter. That’s why Tsonte wants to remain active. Personally, from a trainer perspective, inactivity is the detriment of fighters. There’s no value in not being active.”

Whit Haydon, a Southern California-based matchmaker, has been impressed with Rogava’s punching power and improving skill-set and believes he can be a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division. 

“(Tsonte) has been running through everybody like a hot knife through butter so far while fighting monthly for Toro Promotions here in the United States,” Haydon told The Ring Tuesday night. “Terrell Jamal Woods represents a guy who embodies one of the least appreciated species in all of boxing – the professional journeyman. 

“Only being stopped twice in just (his) last 72 outings and with 455 pro boxing rounds, I expect Woods will provide much-needed rounds and quality work for Rogava.”

Rogava has recently sparred with the likes of former WBC world light heavyweight Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who will face unbeaten David Benavidez on June 15. 

Woods (29-59-10, 21 KOs), who resides in Forrest City, Arkansas, lost by decision to unbeaten Gustavo Trujillo in his last bout on March 1. Woods has lost his last four bouts since a split decision draw to then-unbeaten Moses Johnson on January 20 of last year. 

The 34-year-old knocked out then-unbeaten Istvan Bernath in December 2022. Woods’ other notable bouts were a split-decision draw to then-contender Alexander Ustinov in March 2021, along with decision losses to Michael Hunter and Rydell Booker in April 2018, both fights taking place within eight days of each other. Woods was stopped by Zhilei Zhang in June 2016. 

Rogava is promoted by Toro Promotions, which is based in Southern California. 

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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