By Alexey Sukachev

Russia - WBO #3 super featherweight Evgueny "Happy Gilmore" Chuprakov (20-0, 10 KOs) is looking more and more like a local, diminished version of Andre Ward. Not blessed with any particular strengths, aside of his light nature and sense of humour, Chuprakov somehow finds a way to succeed in each and every fight, against various opponents. This time he scored a unanimous decision over experienced Filipino journeyman Ernie Sanchez (18-12-1, 9 KOs), 26. As a bad habit, common for a majority of the Russian events, no scores were announced.

Chuprakov, 28, fought in spurts, jumping in with light, fast blows, then trying either to tie his opponent or to jump out. Sanchez was fit enough to provide some solid counterattacks, and his punches were heavier and better felt by the local fighter. Sanchez also used his body punching skills to trouble Chuprakov, especially in later rounds. Chuprakov was more active of the two but that doesn't mean he was more effective.

Sanchez did his best to snatch the fight in later rounds and had some success in doing so. Yet, Chuprakov came out of this ugly, foul-filled and not-so-entertaining affair as the winner. BoxingScene had it 96-95 - also for the Russian, who will have very little chances against the top guys of his weight class if he doesn't improve his game.

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IBF #5, WBO #6, WBA #11 ranked cruiserweight Yuri Kashinsky (16-0, 15 KOs) did what he needed to do in stopping overmatched Brazilian Julio Cesar Dos Santos (28-9, 25 KOs) in three rounds of a one-sided contest. Kashinskiy, 32, kept Dos Santos, 40, at the tip of his gloves, controlling the distance and the rate of the fight. He also hurt him to the body, which ultimately led to a fight being stopped inside the distance.

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Anyone who doubts Evgeny Romanov's firepower can ask reigning WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder for an assessment. Wilder, then a relative rookie, was knocked out by Romanov ten years ago, while both were fighting as amateurs. This time Romanov's power wasn't on full display. Yet it was enough to make Brazilian import Marcelo Luiz Nascimento (18-17, 16 KOs) quit on his knees at 2:08 of the sixth round.

Romanov (10-0, 7 KOs), 33, was better in each round but was unable to land one meaningful blow for one finishing touch. Yet, he continued stalking the Brazilian, dropping him briefly late into the third, hurting him several times after that and finally dropping him twice - the second time for the count - with body shots in the sixth.

Rising Kazakh flyweight prospect Madiyar Zhanuzak bit more than he could chew and paid a high price for his mistake, being stopped in eight rounds by more experienced and tough-as-nails Filipino import Aplhoe Dagayloan (10-2-5, 4 KOs).

Zhanuzak, 22, started his career in Russia in 2017, then relocated briefly to Macao for a couple of local promotions. Dagayloan, 26, was fighting abroad for the first time in his career.

The first rounds were close, Dagayloan pressing forward and winging shots, while Zhanuzak taking his time to sting on the Filipino's way inside. Both were calm under fire, but impression was soon formed that the older and more experienced boxer also was more durable and had better stamina. The bout was fought in spurts but it was the Kazakh fighter who was feeling the power of his opponent, not vice versa.

Round five was the breaking point of the fight, as the guest pugilist started to break Zhanuzak's will. Madiyar was forced to take a knee midst into the sixth on a huge left uppercut. He took a knee one more time after another barrage of Alphoe's punches but survived the round. Two more knockdowns (on body shots) were registered for Dagayloan in the seventh round. Zhanuzak went down for the fifth time seconds into the eighth. The punishment just went on as Zhanuzak, too-brave-for-his-own-good and got up again. Finally, a staggering left hook dropped the Kazakh down face-first. Yet, he beat the count again, and it took referee Semen Stakheev to put a halt to the ultra-brave fighter's surge.

Zhanuzak is now 4-1, 1 KO. Time of stoppage was 1:30.

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In a battle of two unbeatens, Denis Khamatov used his superior physicality to overpower Leon Antonyan (3-1-2, 1 KO) over six in a light heavyweight scrap. The decision was unanimous. Khamatov is now 3-0, no KOs.

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Sergey Kozhukhar, the 20-year old of Krymsk, Russia, moved to 3-0-1, 1 KOs, following a wide unanimous decision (no particular scores were announced) over tough and rugged Cameroonian import Daniel Negat in a six-round light heavyweight fight. Negat, 30, has lost his sixteenth straight bout after relocating himself to Russia three years ago. It's not that Negat is a bad fighter - he is not - but he is both unlucky and put in rough against usually more experienced or, at least, more gifted fighters. His local record in Cameroon is unknown but he had a win for a national cruiserweight title back in 2012 with a split decisions and unusual scores, punctuating it (93-85, 95-93, and 87-98).

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The combined record of Igor Adleiba's previous opponents was 0-6. It's now even and at much higher numbers of 39-39-5, following his sixth-round stoppage of Georgian journeyman Mikhail Avakian, who has dropped to 39-34-5, 2 KOs. The 20-year old from Sukhumi, Abkhazia, was solid in breaking his opponent's will, and finally the bout was stopped 1:28 into the sixth and final round, when Avakian turned his back onto Adleiba. The Abkhaz fighter is now 4-0, 3 KOs.

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Tajik import Zafar Parpiev (4-1) was close to his first career stoppage win but ultimately failed to get the job done against overmatched Kyrgyz native Chingiz Akhmat Uulu (2-6, 2 KOs). Parpiev dropped Uulu in later rounds, made him bleed but the Kyrgyz showed remarkable recovery skills and will to last the distance. It was a unanimous decision in favour of the Tajik bantamweight.