Tashkent, Uzbekistan - WBA #7 / IBF #11 light welterweight Shakhram Giyasov (12-0, 9 KOs) displayed his talent despite tough resistance of always game Argentinean Christian Rafael Coria (29-9-2, 13 KOs) to score a unanimous decision.

Coria gave some tough rounds to the Uzbek star and also sent him down in the second, which wasn’t ruled a knockdown by referee Sergey Litunov.

Giyasov finished the fight strong but final scores were a bit too wide: 100-90, 100-90, 99-91.

——————

Comebacking super middleweight prodigy Bektemir “The Bek Bully” Melikuziev (8-1, 6 KOs) easily dominated Russian journeyman Sergey Ekimov (18-4, 9 KOs) to a wide unanimous decision over eight rounds.

Ekimov was in full survival mode from the opening bell and was mostly successful in his mission, using a variety of tricks to help his cause. Late in the fifth round he lost that luck, being dropped hard with a cracking left to the body. Ekimov struggled but survived it to the end despite throwing zero offensive in return.

The final scores were: 80-72, 80-71 and 80-71 for the Uzbek.

——————

2016 Val Barker trophy owner Hasanboy Dusmatov (4-0, 4 KOs) continued his iron march towards the occasional shot at one of the major belts, when his Mexican opponent Jose Rivas (18-13-4, 10 KOs) retired on his stool after four complete rounds. 

WBA #4 Dusmatov easily overcame Rivas’s reach and height advantage to bring heat to the Mexican early on. Dusmatov dropped Rivas with a straight right and continued beating through the fourth, though Rivas tried to retaliate.

Rivas was cut over his nose in the fourth and signalized he was in no position to go on after bell rang for the fifth. The Uzbek amateur star retained his WBA International title.