Kazan Card Results: Lebedev, Afolabi and Durodola Win by KO, Povetkin Wins on Cuts
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Kazan, Russia (November 5th, 2015)– A seven bout card at Basket-Hall Arena in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, yielded mixed results for the Russians, with some wins and some losses, and one highly questionable outcome.
In the key match, Alexander Povetkin of Chekhov, Russia, the former WBA World Heavyweight champion, went to 30-1 with 22 knockouts, with a stay busy 12th round stoppage on cuts of slow but durable Mariusz Wach, a Polish fighter now out of North Bergen, New Jersey, now 31-2 with 17 knockouts. The battle of the two heavyweights with only a loss to Wladimir Klitschko was not much of a contest, with Povetkin winning all but one round on the cards. Povetkin is the first fighter to stop the tough Wach, but he could not do anything with him. Povetkin will be the mandatory challenger for Deontay Wilder in May or June of 2016 after Wilder fights one more defense of his WBC title. Luis Ortiz will defend the interim WBA title against Bryan Jennings at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York December 19, as the battle to determine the next challenger for Klitschko’s titles continues. Povetkin, 36, cut Wach on the bridge of the nose and under the left eye. The stoppage was questionable. Wach appeared capable of finishing the bout.
In a stinker between 22-0 Eduard Troyanovsky and 48-0 Cesar Rene Huenca, the bout ended in the sixth round when Huenca, bent over, lifted up with Troyanovsky on his back, then went down to the canvas with Troyanovsky atop him. Troyanovsky apparently stepped on Huenca’s face in the entanglement. Referee David Fields signaled no knockdown. Huenca got up from all fours, and was standing in a corner with blood dripping from his eyes. Fields then stopped the bout without a disqualification, declaring Troyanovsky the winner. At 35, Troyanovsky is not the next Floyd. At 34, Huenca is not the next Danny Garcia. Still, at 48-0, one would think Huenca would have gotten the benefit of the doubt. Barring a knockout in Russia, no fighter wins there. It’s that simple.
Huenca took his chances out of Argentina in only his second bout in 18 months. Troyanovsky, with six bouts in the past 18 months, was at least more active. The outcome of this bout appeared highly questionable.
In two cruiserweight doozies, Ola Afolabi exposed pretender Rakhim Chakhkiev, knocking him out in the fifth round. The southpaw Chakhkiev, 24-2, 18 knockouts, Magas, Russia, came forward with pressure for four rounds and emptied his guns, trying to bully Afolabi. Chakhkiev threw hard rabbit punches to the back of Afolabi’s head when he got more desperate. Afolabi took every hard shot Chakhkiev threw but he would not go. Chakhkiev ran out of gas in the fifth round. Afolabi knocked his out with a short but lethal power shot to the head, sending Chakhkiev down and out unconscious. Chakhkiev appeared to be somewhat stiff, having arm mobility problems with his jabs, and neck problems. Whatever his conditioning approach, the Russians threw Chakhkiev to the wolves, and he failed the test. Afolabi regained the IBO World Cruiserweight title with the win-not that it mattered.
Olanrewaju Durodola, a Nigerian fighting out of Kansas City, Kansas, ‘did what he had to do’ and went to 22-2 with 20 knockouts with a second round knockout of pretender Dmitry Kudryashov, who came into this bout 18-0 with 18 knockouts. Durodola cut off the ring in the second round, pummeling Kudryashov at will with brutal power right head shots until referee Jay Nady stopped it. Kudryashov had no clue, no ability to hold, and no answer.
Denis Lebedev retained the WBA World Cruiserweight title with an eighth round stoppage of Lateef Kayode. Southpaw Lebedev, 28-2, 22 knockouts, Chekhov, Russia, had Kayode, 21-1 with 16 knockouts, down in rounds seven and eight. Kayode had two previous bout losses, with Luis Ortiz and Antonio Tarver, overturned when they failed post fight drug tests. This loss by the 21-0 Kayode appeared legitimate. Lebedev was landing clubbing power shots to the head of Kayode on the ropes when Steve Smoger stopped it. In any case, whoever Lebedev fights next, it will not be either of the two disappointing Russian cruiserweight prospects who got knocked out on this card. Ola Afolabi would be a great challenge for Lebedev, his best since his loss to Guillermo Jones. Afolabi versus Jones for the IBO world title would also be great. Jones will fight Daniel Cota of Mexico in his native Panama on November 14, and can put himself back into the cruiserweight mix with a win.
5-0 light heavyweight Dmitry Bivol, a Kyrgyzstan fighter now fighting out of Vsevolzhsk, Russia, won the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Light Heavyweight title with a fourth round stoppage of limited 19-5 Jackson Junior of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Jackson has lost to opponents with a combined 70-1-3, opponents in Russia, the United States and Argentina who were more difficult than the typical Brazilian opponent Junior always beat.
Finally, 12-0 Russian welterweight prospect Viskhan Murzabekov knocked out 13-3-2 Solomon Bogere of Uganda in the third round to win the vacant IBO International Welterweight title. Bogfere has lost three bouts outside of Uganda in Russia and Ukraine.
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