After a surprise announcement just days prior, IMMAF Junior World Champion Heorhii Hudz returned to his home nation of Ukraine to make a successful professional debut on June 1 in Kyiv, winning via TKO in the second round.
The 19-year-old was widely recognised among the breakout stars of the 2025 IMMAF World Championships, making history by claiming the gold medal and world title in the men’s Junior Bantamweight division while representing the IMMAF Refugee Team in its debut appearance.
Hudz first emerged as a standout prospect with the Ukrainian national youth team, earning silver at the IMMAF Youth World Championships and gold at the European Youth Championships.
In 2025, he became the first confirmed member of the newly established IMMAF Refugee Team after relocating to the European Union and receiving Temporary Protection status as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, a move that took him outside the Ukrainian national team pathway.
At the 2025 IMMAF World Championships, Hudz produced four dominant performances showcasing elite rounded abilities to capture the Junior Bantamweight title in Tbilisi, Georgia. As he fulfilled his dream, his championship campaign culminated in a stylishly confident and emotional victory over Tajikistan’s Anushervon Makhmudov in the tournament final.
Hudz’s achievements were among the most recognised stories of the 2025 championships, bringing attention to both his own potential and the objectives of the IMMAF Refugee Team. His success and reputation was underscored by huge online reception and an overwhelming fan vote naming him as their “best junior athlete” of 2025.
Less than a year after claiming junior world championship gold, Hudz remains one of the most notable success stories to emerge from the 2025 IMMAF season and one of the sport’s most promising new professionals to follow.
