Boxing Results from Around the World

By Jeremiah J. Preisser

Featherweight prospect Eric “The Outlaw” Hunter, 21-3, 11 KO’s, displayed an excellent jab and overall boxing skill while disposing of Mexican native, Antonio Escalante, 29-8, 20 KO’s, in the first round of a scheduled ten. Hunter is a Philadelphia native with a knack for counter-punching, much in the vein of men like James Toney and Bernard Hopkins. Unfortunately, the bout was over too early for Hunter to give us a taste of his broader range of skills, but what he did show us was much to make note of. Aside from the aforementioned jab, he was defensively tight, exhibited fast hands, showed some pop, was accurate with his shots, and didn’t seem to discriminate between the body and head. The left hook which put Escalante on the floor was picture-esque, as well. Good win for the recent Golden Boy signee.

Another prospect who made short work of his opponent was twenty-four-year-old, Dmitry Bivol, 3-0, 3 KO’s. The Kyrgyz pugilist is one of a number of World Series of Boxing participants who have taken their craft to the pro game. And akin to the others, the 6’0” light-heavyweight looks to have potential. In a bout that lasted four rounds, Bivol demonstrated traits which seem typical of those coming out of the “Soviet school” of boxing: fundamentals, a strong base, technique, accuracy, patience, and power. Joey Vegas, 17-11-2, 10 KO’s, Bivol’s in-ring foe, showed his experience with his survival tactics, but he couldn’t produce much offensively. This led to him being knocked down twice in the third and once in the fourth.

On the same card as Bivol, Dmitry Kudryashov, Rakhim Chakhkiev, Grigory Drozd, and Alexander Povetkin scored victories. Kudryashov, known also as “The Russian Hammer”, 18-0, 18 KO’s, highlighted once again why his nickname is perfectly suited to him, as he stopped Namibia-native, Vikapita Meroro, 28-5, 14 KO’s, with a left hook to the body which had his full weight behind it. However, it wasn’t easy for Russia’s power throwing cruiserweight to arrive at that point. Meroro frustrated Kudryashov’s attack for the first four segments with a high-volume attack and a smothering defense. Eventually the Namibian challenger tired from the activity and when he did so, he had little to keep Kudryashov off of him. In the sixth round, that’s when the hammer met the nail.

Rakhim “The Machine” Chakhkiev, 23-1, 18 KO’s, a powerfully built southpaw who looks as if he just stepped out of a Russian lumberyard, axed a twenty-eight-year-old American by the name of Junior “Hurricane” Wright, 13-1-1, 11 KO’s. Chakhkiev controlled the contest throughout, as he was significantly more active than his orthodox foe and landed the clearer, harder punches. Had Wright spent as much time throwing punches as he did taunting, he may have had a chance. The American seemed to possess quality tools the few times he took the initiative. In the eighth, the husky bearded fellow finished the job, connecting with a wonderful straight left hand to the stomach, rendering Wright unable to continue. This is the second straight fight in which “The Machine” has scored a sensational knockout and he is 7-0, 6 KO’s, since his loss to Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in a WBC cruiserweight title match. Surely he is due for another go-round for gold.

WBC cruiserweight champion, Grigory “Pretty Boy” Drozd, 40-1, 28 KO’s, showed once again why he is one of the top operators at 199. He outfoxed his Polish opponent, Lukasz “Lucky Look” Janik, 28-3, 15 KO’s, clearly. The Russian champion was always two steps ahead his challenger, jabbing, moving, counter-punching, and landing crisp power shots from the outside. Eventually Janik was worn down from the onslaught and the referee interceded in the ninth. This was the first defense for Drozd. Hopefully he tests his mettle against a top-ranked combatant in his next outing.

The bout following Drozd-Janik pitted two top-ten heavyweights against one another, one of Russian stock, the other of Cuban blood: number two rated Alexander Povetkin (Transnational), 29-1, 21 KO’s, versus number ten ranked, Mike “The Rebel” Perez, 21-2-1, 13 KO’s. Against the backdrop of a pro-Povetkin crowd, the former WBA heavyweight champion laid waste to Perez in ninety-one seconds, much to the dismay of those who assumed that Perez’s chin would hold up well enough to allow for a prolonged, spirited affair. Povetkin and Perez came out, probing one another with half-hearted jabs and a few power punches, which is par the course for significant fights. However, “Sasha” landed a right hook which shook the Irish-based Cuban to his boots about one-minute into the engagement. Afterwards, Povetkin backed his man up, only to find Perez still dazed and doing his best impression of a retaliatory attack. They entered a slight clinch after Povetkin fee in with a missed punch and Perez attempted move out to re-establish distance. While doing so, Perez was met with a ferocious right that snapped his head back and he hit the canvass with a thud. “The Rebel” barely beat the count and looked out of it when he finally did rise. The referee, probably in poor judgement, allowed the bout to continue. This only prompted more punishment and the eventual signal of Perez’s defeat, as Povetkin landed the coup de grace in a hard left hook which put his man on the floor again. This victory cemented Povetkin’s status as the second best fighter at 200+, falling only behind the long-reigning, Wladimir Klitschko.

Elsewhere, undefeated lightweight prospect, Richard Commey, 22-0, 20 KO’s, of Accra, Ghana, overcame the crafty Bahodir “Baha” Mamadjonov, 17-2, 11 KO’s, originally of Uzbekistan. These combatants engaged in a back and forth affair which saw Commey’s power triumph in the eighth round.

And on the finale of both Friday Night Fights and their Boxcino tournaments, lanky light-middleweight, John “Apollo Kidd” Thompson, 17-1, 6 KO’s, and Russian heavyweight, Andrey Fedosov, 28-3, 23 KO’s, scored stoppages. Thompson was the underdog against Brandon “Canon” Adams, 17-2, 12 KO’s, a participant from last year’s middleweight tourney. Adams came out strongly, a little too strongly in fact, and left himself open to counter-punches. One of these happened to come in the form of a left hook which stunned Adams. Thompson never let his man recover and brought about a quick ending via a flurry of strikes along the ropes in the second segment of a scheduled ten.

Fedosov competed in the heavyweight final against southpaw pugilist, Donovan Dennis, 12-2, 10 KO’s. Dennis boxed well when he maintained his movement and won most of the rounds, but he couldn’t keep it up and let Fedosov catch up and finish him in the eighth. The final blow: a countering right over the low guard of the taller Dennis.

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