Heavyweight kingpin Wladimir Klitschko (61-3, 51) once again showed why he is the boss of the division as he soundly defeated Russian challenger Alexander Povetkin (26-1, 18). Taking the Russian's unbeaten record in the process.
The fight started well for Povetkin who appeared to be showing the confidence of an unbeaten man looking to land big shots from the off on the jaw of the supposedly vulnerable Klitschko. The tactic seemed to work well with a claim that Povetkin could have taken the round on aggression even if it wasn't the most effective.
Unfortunately for Povetkin the good work of the opening round was undone quickly in the second as he was dropped for the first time in the fight. The knockdown, which seemed to be a delayed reaction to a sharp left hook from Klitschko was a flash one but still showed Klitschko's ability to hurt Povetkin.
Following the second round Klitschko began to really grow in to the fight and controlled the fight at range whilst holding, and leaning on Povetkin time and time again in the following round. Klitschko had, like he has through out his career, shut down Povetkin after just a few rounds. Povetkin still looked confident but was slowly being beaten mentally and physically. He was being out boxed and worn out by Klitschko's tactics.
By round 6 it appeared as if we were heading to a very simple and very boring looking unanimous decision. The holding had become the main part of the fight and Povetkin had been totally neutralised in a way that was far from friendly for the fans. Thankfully round 7 saw a serious change in Klitschko's mindset with the Ukrainian sending the Russian to the canvas 3 times. Unfortunately, perhaps, the knockdowns weren't the cleanest though referee Luis Pabon seemed happy to give Klitschko the benefit of the doubt on all 3 in what was therefore a 10-6 round.
After knockdowns in round 7 it appeared almost certain that Klitschko was going to to stop Povetkin, instead however he took his foot off the gas in rounds 8 and 9, rounds that again saw Povetkin have some success between the holding and stop-start action.
Thankfully Klitschko did move up a gear at the start of round 10 banging off some lovely free flowing jabs to keep Povetkin on the outside. This was stepped up again in round 11 as Povetkin was rocked hard and seemed set to go. Unfortunately rather than actually scoring a knockdown with punches Klitschko again pushed Povetkin down and was this time deducted a point in what was an somewhat meaningless deduction.
With a DQ perhaps in Klitschko's mind he did little of note in round 12, a round that Povetkin may have claimed with nicer judges due to Klitschko's total lack of aggression. Despite the negativity of Klitschko through the round none of the judges saw it fit to give it to Povetkin however as the final scores all read 119-104. Effectively the only point Klischko failed to take was the one he was deducted.
Showing posts with label Russia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Russia. Show all posts
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Friday, 21 June 2013
Krzysztof Wlodarczyk v Rakhim Chakhkiev
The Cruiserweight division may never have the massive level of prestige that the Heavyweight division has but it's getting it's self a real reputation as one of the most exciting divisions in the sport. This excitement was shown once again as Poland's Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34) retained his WBC title with a stoppage of the highly touted Rakhim Chakhkiev (16-1, 12).
The bout started perfectly for Chakhkiev who dominated the opening round with his aggression and body work. He really looked like a star in the making with through the way he dominated the champion in the first 3 minutes cutting Wlodarczyk and really imposing his will on the bout.
The dominance of Chakhkiev continued through out the opening rounds as he took the second in clear fashion and dropped Wlodarczyk in round 3 to claim a clear 4 point lead through just 3 rounds. It was the dream start and it appeared almost certain that we'd have a new champion.
Going in to the 6th round it was almost impossible to give Wlodarczyk even a share of a round. The champion was doing next to nothing offensively and was being clearly out worked by a determined challenger. As those who have seen Wlodarczyk fight will know however, the Pole is a notoriously starter and seemed that Chakhkiev was himself slowing down very visibly as we went in the middle section of the bout.
In round 6 the bout started to turn against Chakhkiev when Wlodarczyk dropped Chakhkiev with a left hook. The shot, which appeared to come on the break seemed to annoy Chakhkiev who complained, but the referee gave the count anyway with the old adage of "protect yourself at all times" ringing true.
Wlodarczyk would really come back in to the bout the following round as he dropped Chakhkiev a second time. Although the replays seemed to indicate the feet were involved, the knockdown was an eye catching one following several monster shots from Wlodarczyk. It was starting to become obvious that Chakhkiev was a man who was tiring whilst Wlodarczyk, despite taking the body shots early on, was still fresh.
Going in to the 8th round the clear lead on the scorecards had been slashed by 4 points thanks to the knockdowns. Chakhkiev was now bloodied from the nose and starting to look like a fighter who was beginning to doubt himself. The doubts were magnified early in the 4th when he tagged Wlodarczyk hard and couldn't budge the Pole who fired back. This lead to one of the bouts few trading sequences which quickly sent Chakhkiev down to the canvas for the 3rd time in the bout.
This time around the Russian was very slow too his feet. The power or Wlodarczyk and the high work rate of Chakhkiev seemed to have left the challenger with little energy and he'd be sent to the canvas once more before the referee waved the bout off.
The victory quickly saw the champion yelling to the crowd (something along the lines of "I'm the champion") which did little more than rile the crowd in to jeering at the man who had stopped their national hero.
Monday, 17 December 2012
Denis Lebedev v Santander Silgado
WBA Cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev (25-1, 19) successfully defended his world crown for the first time as he knocked out Colombian challenger Santander Silgado (23-1, 18) in the 4th round with a genuinely eye catching shot.
The bout started slowly with the opening round being very quiet as both men tried to figure the other out. Both men got through with some shots though there was little of note from either man in a true feeling out round. Sadly it took a while for the fight to warm up though Lebedev was caught off balance in round 2 and was forced to eat several hard right hands from the challenger which he generally took well (apart from the shot that he appeared off balance for). It appeared both men wee showing too much respect to each other.
In round 3 we saw the action starting to warm up as Silgado continuously threw his jabs and started to control the distance excellently. At one point in the third Lebedev looked genuinely frustrated looking towards his trainer, the legendary Kostya Tszyu. Thankfully for the Russian he did manage to get through with several solid shots himself, though Silgado did seem to take them well.
With the bout warming up it seemed to be suiting the champion who would of course prefer a war rather than a tactical battle and thankfully for viewers we ended up getting the war with Lebedev rocking Silgado part way through the round. Following the shot Lebedev went straight in for the kill and both guys swung quite wildly at each other, often catching the others arms. Despite both men missing a number of shots we know with Lebedev that it only takes one and that's what we saw again as he detonated a perfect uppercut that almost seemed to behead Silgado before leaving the challenger unconcious and face first on the canvas.
Until the KO this wasn't the most impressive that I've seen of Lebedev, however his concussive and nasty punch is still as vicious as ever. It's fair to say that Silgado was better than expected however I think we all want to see Lebedev back in the mix with the top fighters in the division such as Marco Huck, Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Ola Afolabi
The bout started slowly with the opening round being very quiet as both men tried to figure the other out. Both men got through with some shots though there was little of note from either man in a true feeling out round. Sadly it took a while for the fight to warm up though Lebedev was caught off balance in round 2 and was forced to eat several hard right hands from the challenger which he generally took well (apart from the shot that he appeared off balance for). It appeared both men wee showing too much respect to each other.
In round 3 we saw the action starting to warm up as Silgado continuously threw his jabs and started to control the distance excellently. At one point in the third Lebedev looked genuinely frustrated looking towards his trainer, the legendary Kostya Tszyu. Thankfully for the Russian he did manage to get through with several solid shots himself, though Silgado did seem to take them well.
With the bout warming up it seemed to be suiting the champion who would of course prefer a war rather than a tactical battle and thankfully for viewers we ended up getting the war with Lebedev rocking Silgado part way through the round. Following the shot Lebedev went straight in for the kill and both guys swung quite wildly at each other, often catching the others arms. Despite both men missing a number of shots we know with Lebedev that it only takes one and that's what we saw again as he detonated a perfect uppercut that almost seemed to behead Silgado before leaving the challenger unconcious and face first on the canvas.
Until the KO this wasn't the most impressive that I've seen of Lebedev, however his concussive and nasty punch is still as vicious as ever. It's fair to say that Silgado was better than expected however I think we all want to see Lebedev back in the mix with the top fighters in the division such as Marco Huck, Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Ola Afolabi
Saturday, 6 October 2012
Zaurbek Baysangurov v Lukas Konecny
Russian Zaurbek Baysangurov (28-1, 20) successfully defended the WBO Light Middleweight title as he defeated Czech Lukas Konecny (48-4, 23) in a thoroughly enjoy and hard fought bout.
The bout started excellently for the challenger who applied constant pressure and appeared to win the first two rounds with a high work rate and some excellent movement as Baysangurov tried to trade with him. In these early rounds it appeared as if Konecny just had too much experience, skill and toughness, sadly for the challenger however it didn't take long before the champion changed his tactics.
In round 3 Baysangurov started to utilise his significant reach and height advantage and used his jab to keep Konecny at a safe distance. Although many of Baysangurov's shots were taken on the guard he was starting to stay away from Konecny's relentless attack and whilst also beginning to control the distance. By the end of the 3rd Konecny's nose was starting to trickle blood, though it was nothing too noticeable it still seemed noteworthy.
Through the middle rounds Baysangurov started to take control of the bout and although Konecny kept the rounds close and competitive it just appeared as if Baysangurov had a bit too much movement, energy and reach. As Baysangurov started to take the rounds he was also upping his own work rate whilst Konecny was becoming less active as well as less successful.
Having fallen well behind, Konecny tried to turn the fight around in the championship rounds but unfortunately had left himself too much to do and had suffered a number of cuts, including a nasty one on his nose an usual one on top of his head and, in round 12, a very nasty one around his eye. The eye cut forced the referee to take Konecny over to the Dr but with less than 2 minutes left the Dr let the fight continue as Konecny attempted to turn the fight around but failed.
Despite being an excellent and high tempo bout with a lot of competitiveness it was fought with a lot of mutual respect by both men who both seemed to respect not only each other but the actual fight it's self. There was only 1 notable foul (a low blow by Baysangurov in round 11) and nothing deliberately dirty by either man, sadly however it seemed like Konecny, at 34 years old, was a fighter who was starting to genuinely look like a man on the slide. Hopefully it won't be the last we see of him.
The bout started excellently for the challenger who applied constant pressure and appeared to win the first two rounds with a high work rate and some excellent movement as Baysangurov tried to trade with him. In these early rounds it appeared as if Konecny just had too much experience, skill and toughness, sadly for the challenger however it didn't take long before the champion changed his tactics.
In round 3 Baysangurov started to utilise his significant reach and height advantage and used his jab to keep Konecny at a safe distance. Although many of Baysangurov's shots were taken on the guard he was starting to stay away from Konecny's relentless attack and whilst also beginning to control the distance. By the end of the 3rd Konecny's nose was starting to trickle blood, though it was nothing too noticeable it still seemed noteworthy.
Through the middle rounds Baysangurov started to take control of the bout and although Konecny kept the rounds close and competitive it just appeared as if Baysangurov had a bit too much movement, energy and reach. As Baysangurov started to take the rounds he was also upping his own work rate whilst Konecny was becoming less active as well as less successful.
Having fallen well behind, Konecny tried to turn the fight around in the championship rounds but unfortunately had left himself too much to do and had suffered a number of cuts, including a nasty one on his nose an usual one on top of his head and, in round 12, a very nasty one around his eye. The eye cut forced the referee to take Konecny over to the Dr but with less than 2 minutes left the Dr let the fight continue as Konecny attempted to turn the fight around but failed.
Despite being an excellent and high tempo bout with a lot of competitiveness it was fought with a lot of mutual respect by both men who both seemed to respect not only each other but the actual fight it's self. There was only 1 notable foul (a low blow by Baysangurov in round 11) and nothing deliberately dirty by either man, sadly however it seemed like Konecny, at 34 years old, was a fighter who was starting to genuinely look like a man on the slide. Hopefully it won't be the last we see of him.
Saturday, 29 September 2012
Alexander Povetkin v Hasim Rahman
Russian Heavyweight Alexander Povetkin (25-0, 17) successfully defended his WBA Heavyweight title as he swiftly disposed of veteran American challenger Hasim Rahman (50-8-2-1, 41) in what can only be described as a waste of time.
The opening round was somewhat quiet however it was highlighted by the fact Povetkin did manage to wobble Rahman with the only meaningful shot of the entire round. The shot seemed to make Rahman wary of Povetkin's power however the Russian failed to connect with another one until the second round.
Having realised he could hurt the challenger, Povetkin started the second round quickly and detonated another right hand that staggered Rahman into the ropes. Povetkin swiftly swarmed on the Rahman and threw a number of hurtful shots, including 3 massive right hands that detonated one after the other on Rahman. From then on it was only a matter of time before Gustavo Padilla was forced to step in (however he really did take his time).
Although this was a mandatory title defense it was a mismatch from the day it was announced and it showed in the ring as Rahman failed to land a notable punch in the 286 seconds it took Povetkin to stop him. Hopefully this loss will force Rahman into retirement rather than on the verge of being recycled for another title fight.
Whilst it was another win for Povetkin it really did little to answer the questions surrounding his stamina, durability or world level credentials. He did the job but it was against a very poor opponent, and hopefully he'll be out in a more meaningful bout either later this year or very early next year as he puts the memory of this farce behind him.
The opening round was somewhat quiet however it was highlighted by the fact Povetkin did manage to wobble Rahman with the only meaningful shot of the entire round. The shot seemed to make Rahman wary of Povetkin's power however the Russian failed to connect with another one until the second round.
Having realised he could hurt the challenger, Povetkin started the second round quickly and detonated another right hand that staggered Rahman into the ropes. Povetkin swiftly swarmed on the Rahman and threw a number of hurtful shots, including 3 massive right hands that detonated one after the other on Rahman. From then on it was only a matter of time before Gustavo Padilla was forced to step in (however he really did take his time).
Although this was a mandatory title defense it was a mismatch from the day it was announced and it showed in the ring as Rahman failed to land a notable punch in the 286 seconds it took Povetkin to stop him. Hopefully this loss will force Rahman into retirement rather than on the verge of being recycled for another title fight.
Whilst it was another win for Povetkin it really did little to answer the questions surrounding his stamina, durability or world level credentials. He did the job but it was against a very poor opponent, and hopefully he'll be out in a more meaningful bout either later this year or very early next year as he puts the memory of this farce behind him.
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