By Alexey Sukachev

In the main event of a multi-fight local show in Ekaterinburg, Russia, Ukrainian welterweight (and former national champion) Eduard Skavinskiy (7-0, 5 KOs) of a troubled city of Lugansk scored his second win on the Russian soil, and acquired vacant WBC CISBB welterweight title with the third-round stoppage of Uzbek import Xusniddin Polatov (6-2, 3 KOs).

Skavinskiy, 26, has been dominating Polatov since the opening bell. He used smart pressure to hit Polatov, smart defense to avoid being hit. In round two, Polatov tried a wild truck, Skavinskiy ducked the shots and turned around, while the Uzbek fighter fell on the canvas due to failed attempt. He got up hurt, his left hand injured.

Polatov continued to fight till the midst of the third, when the guest fighter signalized he was in no position to continue due to severe pain - thus ending the fight.

Rising featherweight prospect Mark "Canelo" Urvanov (12-1, 6 KOs) barely got past aging Belarussian veteran Andrey Isaev (30-10, 9 KOs) with a split decision over eight rounds.

The fight was fought in spurts, and Isaev, 37, gave fits to his opponent, matching his pressure with his experience and punching power. Urvanov, 21, was predictably more active than his opponent but lacked precision to really trouble him. Isaev used his jab well but faded over the distance.

Interestingly, Isaev was ensured he had lost the fight, but one judge gave it to him: 77-75. He was overruled by the other two, who gave it 78-74 and 77-75 - to Urvanov.

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Fighting for the third time this year after three years away from the ring, welterweight prospect Mikhail Smirnov (9-0, 3 KOs), still just 24, utlized his superior skills set to outpoint rough and tough Magomed Kasumov (3-1-1) over six-rounds. Kosumov was willing to bring some fight to Smirnov, but his footwork and reflexes weren't enough to engage with Smirnov, and he was soundly outboxed at the distance.

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In a mild upset, relatively inexperienced featherweight Alexander Krasheninnikov (3-0, 1 KO) earned his first stoppage win by knocking out Murad Arslanov (8-2, 4 KOs) in two rounds.

After the cautious first round, Krasheninnikov started to get the better of Arslanov, though the latter was battling hard in return. With several seconds left, Arslanov made a sidestep with hands down, and Krasheninnikov immediately landed a major right hand, putting his opponent down in face-first fashion. Arslanov got up but was too wobbly to let it go.

Interestingly, Arslanov is the WBC Eurasian Pacific super bantamweight champion. He lost his second bout in a row, but both of them were non-title affairs. This May, Arslanov dropped a majority decision to 1-2 Xumoyun Rustamov.

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In a non-title battle of blood and guts, Kyrgyz Akzhol Sulaymanbek uulu (8-0, 4 KOs) was dropped down twice in the first and deducted a point for low blows in the fifth but still managed to squeak out with a unanimous decision over journeyman Evgueny Smelov (3-4, 2 KOs) in a scheduled six-rounder.

The Kyrgyz fighter was down hard twice in the first, being dropped firstly with a straight right hand, and then on a combination of punches. Sulaymanbek uulu utilized hard, damaging body shots and pressure to start winning rounds from the second one. Smelov was bleeding and hurt several times but still was up on his feet. In the fifth, the Kyrgyz boxer hit Smelov several times below the beltline thus losing a point. However, he gave his best in the sixth, Smelov barely lasting till the final bell. BoxingScene had it 5-1 by rounds, and 56-55 by points - for Akzhol Sulaymanbek uulu.

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In a battle of two fighters with similar records, Ashot Papayan (4-2, 1 KO) imposed serious beating onto Tajik Naimdzhon Mahmadsafarov (3-3, 2 KOs) over six rounds but failed to stop his opponent. All three judges had it unanimously for the fighter of Armenian origin.

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In a hard-fought fight, Kazakh Daulet Daukenov improved his record to 2-0, 1 KO, with a close unanimous decision over Royal Alyrzaev (2-1) in a scheduled four-rounder. Alyrzaev was very game and stubborn but Daukenov's tecnhique prevailed.

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Vladyslav Krasnoshein (1-0, 1 KOs) kicked off his career with a bang, stopping experienced Denis Lashin (6-5-1, 2 KOs) in two rounds. Lashin has never been down but took too many consecutive punches being in his defensive shell, prompting referee Semen Stakheev to wave it off.

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It took Kazakh debutant Stanislav Kalitskiy (1-0, 1 KO) just a single liver shot to hurt fellow rookie Ivan Vanyukhin (0-1) seconds into their first professional fight. Vanyukhin has never recovered, and was stopped for good by referee Victor Panin.

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Light welterweight Nuzhmudin Biymirzaev (3-0-1, 1 KO) suffered his first career blemish, being held to a draw by Moscow-based Tajik Rezvoni Safarzoda (1-1-2). Scores were identical on all the judges' scorecards: 38-38 x3.

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Kazakhstani Abukheir Shegaliev (1-0) debuted as a pro with a workmanlike unanimous decision against Moscow-based Cameroonian Guerin Son Fonkou (0-2) over four rounds.

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Fethareweight Sukias Kuyumchyan (3-0) started quickly and furiously, rocking Beimbet Esov (0-3) several times but then Esov evened things up in the second round. The fight lasted its scheduled distance - four rounds - and Kuyumchyan edged out Esov on a majority decision.

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Bantamweight Ibragim Akperi (1-1) started successfully, immediately clipping fellow novice Zafar Parpiev with a hard left hook. However, the bout turned to the worse for the Azerbaijani native as he started to eat punches in return. Akperi retaliated with successive low blows in round two, then continued to hit below the beltline until referee Semen Stakheev deducted a point, then two from the fighter. Akperi didn't hesitate to go on with illegal tactics, finally forcing Stakheev to wave it off on a DQ at 0:43 of the third. Parpiev improves to 2-0.