UAE - In the inaugural WBA super cruiserweight title fight, WBA #1 Russian Evgeny Tishchenko (13-1, 8 KOs) eliminated determined WBA #2 German Leon Harth (22-6-1, 13 KOs) with a major left hand to the liver at 2:45 of the sixth round.

2016 Olympic gold medalist Tishchenko, 32, has been previously competing in the conventional 200lb division, his career culminating in a 2021 loss to Thabiso Mchunu. Harth, 35, is also a career cruiserweight; his best result being a 2016 close decision loss to Krzysztof Wlodarczyk.

As always, lanky (6'5'') southpaw Tishchenko started the fight - as he usually does - from a distance. Shorter, smaller Harth tried to get his way in with mild success but it was Tishchenko who did better work with his jab. In round two, Harth continued to press forward and paid a dear price, when a short left hook to the body dropped him momentarily. He was up at the count of eight and continued his spirited efforts. A powerful one-two at the end of the round made it a bit less one-sided for the German-Armenian.

In round three, both boxers worked in their preferrable fashions. Harth was trying to stalk a taller fighter and to bully him on the inside, while the Russian chose to pepper the German with his jab and added uppercuts whenever possible. Both fighters had some success, but Leon suffered more with his right eye being cut and started getting shut.

In rounds four and five, Harth did better, landing some solid shots and rocking Tishchenko a bit. The Russian fighter made the same error he had made earlier, moving back in straight lines and thus making himself an easy target for Harth.

However, when it looked like the fight was evening a bit, Tishchenko once again started to do better. He began clinching more effectively in close quarters, pumped his uppercut into the German's face and showed some defensive tricks to frustrate his opponent. Yet the end came suddenly, when Tishchenko landed a big left hook to the liver, which forced Hart to get down for a count at the end of the round.