His opponent, American Darnell Wilson, had his shot at the WBA belt last year – a bout he also lost to Arslan.

Drozd's aim, if he defeats Wilson in Moscow, is a shot at glory – in other words, a world title.

“I'm going to only spar for the next month. My partners are arriving in the next couple of days. I haven't yet met Darnell Wilson in the ring and don't know him personally. But of course I've heard of him and seen his fights, paying attention to his latest bouts,” says Drozd.

Since last century, the amateur boxing world has been dominated mainly by Russia and Cuba.

Official and underground clubs were mostly in large Soviet cities, plus rivalries between teenage street gangs helped in discovering future champions.

In this day and age, boxing is promoted on a much grander scale in Russia, with showbiz playing a major role.

The sport's popularity has grown hugely in recent years – fueled by TV shows involving celebrities stepping into the ring to face each other for charity.

Former Bolshoi Theatre principal dancer, Gedeminas Taranda, is one such star who's been propelled to further fame by lacing up his gloves.

”When I was a small boy, I lived in Voronezh – a city in central Russia. Every boy there was boxing in the streets. So for me it’s no problem getting hooks and jabs,” he says.

It’s been a massive switch from purely amateur boxing to a professional code in Russia – one that’s taken less than two decades to achieve. And if fighters such as Drozd keep electrifying the fans, then who’s to say the future won’t be every bit as bright?