Evgeny Tishchenko acquired a vacant WBC International cruiserweight title with a one-sided workmanlike decision over fellow countryman Dmitry Kudryashov over ten rounds. The contest was a crossroads affair between two combatants, who have suffered setbacks in their last fights.

 

The Russian Hammer Kudryashov, 35, started the fight the way he has been boxing his entire career - marching forward, relying on his feared power, trying to land one finishing touch to put his opponent to sleep. The problem was two-sided. Kudryashov himself got considerably slower over the years - both on feet and with his punch rate. And he wasn't a fast boxer even in his prime. Secondly, Tishchenko himself is both very fast and very effective in all aspects of boxing technique - the effect of his storied amateur career. Both aspects were on display in the first, which culminated at the end of the third minute, when Tishchenko's left hand had put Kudryashov down for a flash knockdown.

 

The second round was Kudrashov's best. He was able to connect with his biggest equalizer - a right hand - several times and shook Tishchenko in the corner during one of the exchanges. Still, 2016 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist landed more in the second, though the quality of his shots didn't completely match its quantity.

 

Rounds three to ten were virtually identical. Kudryashov marched forward without a jab, thinking of one or two huge bombs but having no chance not only to land them but even to throw as he was rained down by Tishchenko's jabs and numerous combinations. Tishchenko circled to his right, avoiding Kudryashov's crown weapon - a right hand. He used a variety of punches, wisely changing their accent and placement to make the Russian Hammer uncomfortable in each and every moment of the fight. The encounter itself was easy work for Tishchenko and a painful experience for the veteran brawler. Interestingly, as Kudryashov got slower with years he found himself in fewer exchanges than before, which in turn had effectively decreased the number of hard shots eaten by him and, thus, the number of stoppage losses. His previous loss - against a natural heavyweight in Evgeny Romanov - was also on points.

 

After ten rounds, all three judges saw it almost identically: 100-89, 100-89 and 99-90 - for the Olympic gold medalist, who improved his record to 9-1, with 6 KOs. Kudryashov is now 24-5, 23 KOs, and just 1-3 since June 2019.

 

Top-rated super featherweight Mukhammadkhuja Yakubov (18-0, 10 KOs) of Tajikistan scored a dominant stoppage of veteran Chilean journeyman Christian Palma to retain the WBC International 130lb title for the fifth time. It took Yakubov, 26, four complete rounds to accomplish this feat.

 

The WBO #1 and the WBC #3 ranked contender was previously scheduled to fight the WBC #2 American O'Shaquie Foster in the World Boxing Council eliminator but that fight has yet to be arranged. 

 

The Tajik stylist wasn't in a hurry to end the fight. He slowly measured his opponent in the first, trapped him and probed him with some power punches in the second and started to land seriously in the third. Palma tried his best but his reflexes weren't as sharp as Yakubov's and his punches hit air rather than the Tajik's body. Yakubov continued drubbing in the fourth, connecting with well-timed shots. Finally, a huge left uppercut dropped Palma at the end of the round. The Chilean survived till the bell but made a wise decision to retire just after that. He is now 31-11-2, with 7 KOs. Yakubov is aiming either at Oscar Valdez or Jamel Herring next.

 

Fighting for the first time in three years and coming into the fight with a record of 0-4-1 in her last five fights, Mexican Jessica Gonzalez (8-5-2, 1 KO) scored arguably her greatest career victory by outpointing previously undefeated WBC Interim bantamweight champion Tatyana 'The Black Panther ' Zrazhevskaya (11-1, 3 KOs).

 

Gonzalez, 33, did what needed to by forcing the more refined and less powerful Zrazhevskaya, 29, into a brawl. The Russian bantamweight obliged, thus producing a spirited yet a losing effort. Both fighters brawled rather than boxed, and Gonzalez surged ahead by being more physically imposing and sustaining a greater tempo.

 

Final scores were: 98-93 and 96-94 for Gonzalez, and 96-94 for Zrazhevskaya, who gave her all but was clearly outfought by the Mexican. Gonzalez reclaimed the same title she held seven years ago. Zrazhevskaya wasn't bitter about her first loss and congratulated her opponent after the fight.

 

Hardcore boxing fans got what they had so anxiously craved for with a horrific war for a vacant WBO Oriental super middleweight title between upset artist Artysh Lopsan and Russian 168lb champion Oleg Misiura. Lopsan (6-1-1, 4 KOs)—a native of Kyzyl, Tyva—came out as a winner by way of a seventh-round knockout victory.

 

Lopsan—a lanky 6'3" super middleweight—was coming off a huge road stoppage over former three-time Indian Olympian and 2008 Beijing bronze medalist Vijender Singh in March 2021, while Misiura went through once-defeated Batal Chezhia in May for the Russian national title. Lopsan started more successful while boxing on the outside. His jab and long right hand troubled stockier-built Misiura in the first.

 

The problem with Lopsan, 26, was his negligible defense, which was exposed by Misiura in round two. Oleg connected with a series of overhand rights to pin Lopsan to the ropes. Artysh showcased both sturdy chin and calmness under fire.

 

The shootout continued into the third but this time Lopsan did better, finding room for his left uppercut against his tysonesque opponent. Both combatants engaged into a memorable brawl in the fourth but Lopsan was once against the better fighter of the two. Misiura's left eye was half-shut by the end of the fourth.

 

Misiura, 30, delivered his last great surge in the fifth, connecting with several damaging right hands to put Lopsan in danger. Misiura was visibly gassed off but continued the slugfest no matter what. That cost him tons of health but at least he took a round against the stone-headed opponent. It wasn't enough. Lopsan got back on track with his damaging uppercuts in the sixth. By that time Misiura was shaken, turning into a stationary target, his left eye almost shut. The end was near, and Lopsan delivered the finishing touch in the seventh. A hard overhand right hand to the temple of Oleg made him groggy. It was followed by three consecutive left hands, the third one was absorbed by an already fallen fighter and a white towel which was thrown into the ring by Vasiliy Lepikhin, Misiura's head coach.

 

Time of stoppage was 0:47. Misiura suffers his first career loss. He is now 7-1, 6 KOs.

 

WBO #9 super featherweight Ruslan Kamilov suffered significant facial damage but worked through constantly dripping blood to outpoint determined Kazakhstani Stanislav Kalitskiy with a hard-earned unanimous decision over ten rounds.

 

Scores were 96-94, 98-92 and 98-92 in favor of Kamilov, who retained his WBO Intercontinental junior lightweight title for the second time. 

 

Kamilov looked better than a somewhat inconsistent Kalitskiy in the early rounds. He smartly offered lateral movement in attempting to avoid a slugfest with the 24-year-old Kalitskiy. That all changed late in the third, when Kamilov suffered a nasty cut over his left eyebrow with a blood spree immediately covering the damaged eye.

 

Kalitskiy, who stopped formerly world-rated lightweight Pavel Malikov in his latest fight, hadn't fully realized his chance by waiting too much and not being really aggressive against an opponent in a dangerous position. Kamilov increased the tempo and delivered some hard shots in the fourth.

 

Kalitskiy slowly got into the fight by the midway point, with Kamilov seemingly ahead on points. The Kazakhstan native scored with straight right hands to win rounds seven and eight, by which point Kamilov was examined by a ringside physician before being permitted to continue.

 

Catching his second wind and fueling himself with a sense of urgency, Kamilov closed strong to secure the win as he improves to 11-0-1 (5 KOs). Kalitskiy drops down to 11-2 (4 KOs).

 

Dmitry Khasiev made short work of the late sub Rofhiwa Maemu (19-13-3, 12 KOs) of South Africa, scoring a second round stoppage in their junior lightweight affair.

 

Maemu—who has fought mostly in Russia for the last two years—looked relatively solid in the opening round, even connecting with some hard shots in a head-to-head exchange at the end of three minutes.

 

However, early into the second Khasiev connected with a couple of left hands, which didn't look particularly powerful but managed to drop Maemu down for the count. Referee Irakly Malazonia stopped the contest at 0:47 of round two.

 

Khasiev was first scheduled to fight dangerous upset artist Gaibatulla Gadzhialiev (12-2-2, 6KOs). 

 

Khasiev and Kamilov will probably clash in an improvised final of the intrinsic RCC-powered 130-pound tournament.

 

Mukhammad Shekhov (10-0-1, 3 KOs) prevailed over Asror Vokhidov via ten-round split decision to defend his WBO European junior featherweight title. Scores were 97-93 and 96-94 for Shekhov and 96-94 for the 25-year-old Vokhidov, who suffers his first career defeat.