Ekaterinburg, Russia - 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Evgeny Tishchenko (11-1, 7 KOs) scored his second victory of 2022 with a one-sided drubbing of former IBF cruiserweight title challenger Artur Mann over ten rounds. Scores were: 100-88, 99-89 and 99-89 - for the Russian, who scored two knockdowns en route to his dominant win. Mann, three fights removed from his TKO 3 loss to then-IBF champion Mairis Briedis, is now 19-3, with 10 KOs.

Tishchenko, 31, a lanky southpaw boxer-puncher, took his time to study his opponent and to adjust his style to Mann. Mann, 32, was trying to press action against a taller fighter, and he had some mild success early on. Problems started to mount for the German in round two, when Tishchenko found both his range and his rhythm and started to land his right jab with authority. Tishchenko fought at a measured pace, but he landed very consistently, and Mann had trouble getting closer to the Russian.

The mid-point became crucial for the outcome of the fight. In round six, Tishchenko scored a couple of knockdowns, which weren't caused by a single punch but rather by the tonnage of the Russian's blows. Mann was discouraged and concentrated solely on survival after that, allowing Tishchenko to get full control of the already one-sided fight. As always, the Russian southpaw was measured and didn't rush to score a stoppage or even another knockdown. Mann wasn't able to capitalize on that, and Tishchenko easily punctuated his win in the closing rounds.

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In what seemed to be a wrongful split decision, Russia-based Azerbaijani Elnur Samedov was lucky to escape his catchweight ten-rounder versus previously undefeated Spain-based Moroccan Moussa Gholam with the W mark.

IBF #14 rated lightweight Samedov relies on his boxing skills rather than on his sub-par punching power. Against powerful Gholam, however, the Azerbaijani was forced to fight in trenches more often than he usually does. Gholam, five inches taller than Samedov, used his stature and reach to tag Elnur on his way out. Gholam landed several clean shots in the opening rounds, and one of them had Samedov down for a flash knockdown.

Samedov evened things up in mid rounds, when he used multi-punch combinations and mixed tempo to put Gholam's aggression on halt. Had he been able to continue doing so till the end of the fight, the bout would have been clearly his. Yet, something different happened, as Ghoulam became sharper in later rounds. Round nine was catastrophic for the local fighter, as he was hit from pillar to post and sought his salvation in clinches and holding. Round ten was more even but Gholam was an aggressor.

BoxingScene scored it as 96-93 - for Moussa Gholam. One of the judges was in total agreement, but he was overruled by the other two, who had the same score - for Samedov. Elnur Samedov increases his record to 15-1, 5 KOs, while Ghoulam drops to still-solid 19-1, with 12 KOs. 

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Once-defeated super bantamweight Asror Vokhidov (11-1, 6 KOs) of Tajikistan dropped Armen Ataev (7-5-1, 4 KOs) twice en route to his dominant unanimous decision in a scheduled eight-rounder. Vokhidov, 27, dropped Ataev once with an overhand right, then repeated the trick with a solid right hand. Vokhidov has also been deducted a point for fouling.

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Evenly matched junior welterweights Ivan Kozlovsky and Avak Uzlyan clashed against each other in a very competitive match-up. Kozlovsky (now 7-0, 3 KOs) went out as a winner on the strength of a tight unanimous decision after ten rounds.

Both Uzlyan and Kozlovsky fought in spurts. Uzlyan was a bit more rugged and also forceful, while Kozlovsky showcased his finesse and extended amateur background. Ivan was especially strong in the middle rounds, and Avak came strong at the end of the fight, albeit clearly losing it. BoxingScene had it 97-93 - for Ivan Kozlovsky. Uzlyan drops down to 5-2-1, with 2 KOs.

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30-year-old heavyweight Georgiy Yunovidov (7-0, 4 KOs) continued his professional education with a dominant victory over outweight and overmatched Namibian veteran Vikapita Meroro (30-14, 15 KOs), 37. Yunovidov slowly got into the fight but gradually increased tempo and forced Meroro to eat more and more leather with each fought round. The Namibian went down on accumulation of punches in the fourth and retired in his corner during the subsequent break between the rounds, marking the tenth loss in his last twelve fights.

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Famed Uzbek amateur Bobo-Usmon Boturov (1-0) debuted as a pro with a forceful but competitive unanimous decision over determined but slightly underskilled Artem Pugach (1-3-2) in a scheduled eight-rounder. Boturov dominated the contest but Pugach didn't give the 2019 WC bronze medalist (and a two-time Asian gold medalist) a walk in the park and fought it to the very end.

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Lanky Russian Saveliy Sadoma (2-0, 1 KO) managed to stop overmatched Uzbek veteran Abdulaziz Matazimov in three rounds, getting the first TKO of his young pro career.

Light heavyweight Sadoma, 2021 WC bronze medalist, applied pressure to the smaller, older Matazimov in the opening round. The Uzbek, who has been fighting for the first time in 5+ years, showed every aspect of rustiness. He was slow and shaky, yet even under those circumstances, landed some shots, which were hardly valid for the top-notch amateur standout. Still power and skills prevailed for Sadoma, who scored a knockdown with the right/left combo in the second. He floored Matazimov (now 14-11, 7 KOs) twice more in the third before the stoppage - firstly with a punch, which seemed to land a bit at the back of Matazimov's head, the other one - with a perfectly timed shot to the solar plexus.