By Dmitry Mikhalchuk

Ukraine, Kiev - In a grudge match-up between fighters from two neighboring but conflicting states, Ukrainian southpaw titlist Olexander Usyk stopped Russian challenger Andrey Knyazev at 2:24 of the eighth round. WBO #3 Usyk (7-0, 7 KOs) retained his WBO I/C cruiserweight title and made another step towards a possible title shot against reigning WBO champion Marko Huck.

With relationship between two fraternal nations having been drastically worsened over the last eighteen months, it came as a surprise that a ranked fighter from Russia, like WBO #15 Knyazev, had been chosen to travel for a bout with such a talented opponent on hostile territory. But Knyazev has done exactly that and after seven and a half rounds of resistance has nothing to be ashamed of.

The 29-year old Russian was doing the only thing he was able to do - and that was to march forward for a slim chance to land something big. But 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympics heavyweight gold medalist was nowhere to hit, nothing to land against. Knyazev was taking big punishment from the 28-year old Ukrainian southpaw - primarily with a pumping right jab but most painfully with debilitating uppercuts from both hands. Knyazev was rocked (at least once) in each round but never went down.

After the fifth his face was a mess with several puffs and cuts. Finally, Knyazev leaned forward, missed, then was forced to the ropes, where he ate a head-blowing combo of at least fifteen unanswered punches, allowing aging referee Mickey Vann to step in and wave it off.

Knyazev, who fought valiantly, falls down to 11-2, 6 KOs. Oppositely, Usyk will take a careful look at the winner of the WBO mandatory between reigning champion Marko Huck and Polish challenger Krzysztof Glowacki.

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Featherweight Oleg Malinovskiy (15-0, 5 KOs) knocked out Romanian Oszkar Fiko (11-11, 9 KOs) in the fourth round.

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Another of Zaurbek's counsin Hussein (3-0, 2 KOs) was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career against experienced Hungarian Lazslo Fazekas (24-18-1, 17 KOs), getting a unanimous decision over eight rounds.

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Comebacking former middleweight fringe contender and ex-EBU 160lb title Max Bursak got his second stoppage victory after back-to-back decision losses to Jarrod Fletcher and Martin Murray in 2014. Bursak easily annihilated overmatched German Chris Herrmann, fropping him three times with left hooks for a stoppage win in round one. Bursak is now 31-3-1, 14 KOs, and is expected to travel all way to Australia for a fight with undefeated Zac Dunn (17-0, 15 KOs) on June 27 for a vacant IBO crown. Herrmann is down to 19-6-1, 10 KOs, all of his losses coming by way of knockout. Time was 2:22.

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Cherkasy-based Georgian light welterweight Mishiko Beselia (10-0, 7 KOs) got an easy stoppage win over his compatriot Anozr Gamgebeli (20-9-3, 8 KOs) in five one-sided rounds. Gamgebeli has been beaten badly before being put down with a combination of the left hook and a right cross not to continue after that.

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Former WBO light middleweight champion Zaurbek Baysangurov's 17-year old cousin Khasan moved to 8-0, with 2 KOs, outpointing Georgian import Nikoloz Gviniashvili (7-2-3, 5 KOs) over eight rounds with a unanimous decision, getting 80-73 and 79-73 (twice) scores from the judges.

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Other results:

Sergey Radchenko (2-0) UD 4 Roman Mirzoev (2-11, 1 KO). Scores were 40x35 across the boards. Mirzoev was down in the third.

Petro Ivanov (3-0, 1 KO) UD 4 Sergey Shevchuk (0-1)