New trainer, weight class suiting Beibut Shumenov just fine

— -- In April 2014, Beibut Shumenov, who had a fine amateur career that included a berth on the 2004 Kazakhstan Olympic team, squared off with Bernard Hopkins in a light heavyweight world title unification bout. Things could not have gone worse for Shumenov.

The wily veteran Hopkins toyed with Shumenov. Hopkins knocked him down in the 11th round, won a split decision that most saw as a very wide and very easy win for Hopkins and took his world title belt.

To the shock of many, Shumenov trained himself for the fight, a decision that turned out to be about as bad as a defendant electing to serve as his own attorney.

After the loss to Hopkins, Shumenov, who had struggled to make the 175-pound light heavyweight limit, made the expected move to cruiserweight. He also hired a real trainer, going with the highly respected Ismael Salas, a former trainer with the powerhouse Cuban national amateur team, though he has plenty of pro experience, having worked with the likes of Jorge Linares, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Yuriorkis Gamboa and Jessie Vargas.

Shumenov and Salas had their first bout together in December, when Shumenov made his cruiserweight debut and easily knocked out club fighter Bobby Thomas Jr. in the fifth round.

Now comes a real test of their pairing, when Shumenov squares off with B.J. Flores on Saturday (NBC Sports Net, 9 p.m. ET) in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Shumenov's adopted hometown. The winner will claim a vacant interim cruiserweight belt and become the mandatory challenger for full titleholder Denis Lebedev (27-2, 20 KOs) of Russia.

In the co-feature, cruiserweight prospects Jordan Shimmell (19-0, 16 KOs), 26, of Hudsonville, Michigan, and Isiah Thomas (14-0, 6 KOs), 26, of Detroit, square off in a scheduled 10-rounder.

The 31-year-old Shumenov (15-2, 10 KOs) said he believes his two decisions -- to move up in weight and to train with Salas -- will pay dividends on Saturday.

"Ismael is the coach I dreamed of finding," Shumenov said. "We have a lot of similarities in our boxing backgrounds. I learned in the Soviet Union system and the Cuban system that what Ismael teaches is very similar. Me and Ismael had great chemistry right away from the first day of training. I also have two assistant coaches, Jeff Grmoja and Rodney Crisler, and we all discuss and share our boxing knowledge as a team to help me become a better fighter. We now all think as one."

Said Salas, "It is true that we come from very similar training systems. We've added a professional approach to training, stressing the fundamentals of boxing skills. Add Beibut's mental strength and all his hard work to be prepared in the ring to adjust, in approximately 10 months, and we have a new team that works so well together."

As for his new weight class, with a limit of 200 pounds, Shumenov said it's a big relief not having to continually struggle to make weight.

"All I thought about was making weight when I fought at 175," he said. "There was too much stress on my body to lose weight, and it was also affecting me psychologically because all I thought about was losing weight. Now, as a cruiserweight, I have no problems making weight. There is no stress at all. I really enjoy being a cruiserweight, and I have only positive energy at the gym."

Salas said he likes what he has seen in their limited time together.

"Beibut has adapted very well to fighting in the cruiserweight class," Salas said. "It is due to his healthy way of working hard and eating well. He doesn't struggle anymore to make weight. Plus, he still has good mobility and power-punching ability."

Flores (31-1-1, 20 KOs), 36, of Chandler, Arizona, has been a pro since 2003 -- before that he was a two-time national amateur champion -- but is finally getting a major opportunity. To many, he is known more for his role as an analyst for the NBC and NBC Sports Net televised fights.

But Shumenov said he is not taking his opponent -- who trained for the fight with heavyweight contenders Bryant Jennings and Steve Cunningham -- lightly despite the soft level of Flores' competition, other than in his one defeat, a decision to Danny Green in Australia in 2010.

"B.J. Flores is a good, tough cruiserweight who has a lot of good experience," Shumenov said. "I am prepared to fight with any style and against any style. I'm ready for anything in the ring, and I want to make it a great fight for the fans."