 Vyacheslav Senchenko vs Charlie Jose Navarro |
And still WBA welterweight champion of the world, Vyacheslav Senchenko (31-0, 20 KOs), who survived some rocky moments in the midst of the bout but still got the better of WBA #12 Venezuelan brawler Charlie Jose Navarro (18-4, 13 KOs) with an unanimous twelve-round decision with the scores: 116-113 (same as BScene) and 115-113 (twice) - for Senchenko.
In a stunner, unheralded Frenchman Sofiane Takoucht (20-1, 9 KOs) got the biggest win of his career so far with an upset twelve-round split decision over defending European champion Oleg Yefimovich (18-2, 11 KOs) in a two-way action battle. WBC/WBO #5 and IBF #13 Yefimovich, fighting with Freddie Roach in his corner, didn't look his best and was too inconsistent but gave the determined challenger fits regardless. A final outcome was a bitter setback for local fans, who expected another result: 116-112 and 115-114 - for the new EBU featherweight champion Sofiane Takoucht, and 117-112 for Yefimovich. BScene scored it a draw: 114-114. Interestingly, a number of European officials had it for the defending champion.
WBC Youth I/C cruiserweight beltholder Yago Kiladze (15-0, 10 KOs) successfully retained his title with a not-so-easy/not-so-hard victory over Latvian Arturs Kulikauskis (7-4-1, 4 KOs) over ten rounds. The Latvian was down in the fourth after a ripping rib shot by the Donetsk-based Georgian. Scores were 100-89 (twice) and 97-92 - for Kiladze. BScene had it 98-91 - also for Kiladze.
-----------------
In a fight between two unbeatens, Ukrainian Vladimir Kravets (23-0, 14 KOs) made a blood bath of his contest with extremely durable and extremely light-hitting Belgian Tarik Madni (14-1, 0 KOs). Madni was never down but was eating an increasingly big amount of leather with each passing round. Scores were 120-107, 120-106 (Same with the BScene) and 119-108 for Kravets, who is now the IBC champion of the world.
Donetsk-based pole bean-like Stanislav Merdov (31-7, 23 KOs) scored a bloody twelve-round unanimous decision over Italy-based Albanian Suat Laze (17-3-1, 6 KOs). Scores were 116-112, 117-112 and 115-114 - all in favour of the local fighter. Merdov is now the EBU-EE featherweight titlist. BScene had it 116-112 - also for Merdov.
---------------
In the initial title fight of the evening, local favorite Artiom Karpets (11-0, 5 KOs) scored a tough decision against determined Brovary-native Igor Fanian (9-2-1, 6 KOs) over ten hard-fought rounds to become a new Ukrainian light middleweight champion. Fanian was a better fighter in the opening rounds, and Karpets got better down the stretch. Karpets should have been deducted a point in the fourth for intentionally hitting his foe behind the back of the head. Scores were surprisingly lopsided across the boards: 100-90, 99-90 and 99-92 - for Artiom Karpets. BoxingScene had it much closer but also for a local fighter - 97-95.
WBO #11 and WBC #18 super middleweight Stas Kashtanov (28-0, 15 KOs) proved his potential with a short destruction of the BBU International champion Ruslans Pojonisevs (11-10-1, 8 KOs) of Latvia. The Latvian was down once in the first and three time more in the second after wicked body punches by bigger/stronger Kashtanov. Freddie Roach worked the Ukrainian's corner in this one. Time of stoppage was 1:21 of the second.
----------------------
Lightweight Andrey Kudriavtsev (34-7, 15 KOs) tuned up for his upcoming (Sep. 25) EBU challenge versus Britain's John Murray with the third-round stoppage of Uzbek Dilshod Abdullaev (7-7, 3 KOs). Time was 2:58, there were no knockdowns, and the Uzbek had never been visingly hurt.
------------------
In the off-TV opener at Lenin Square, Donetsk, super bantamweight Olexander Yegorov moved up to 4-0, 3 KOs, after the second round stoppage of former two-time kickboxing world champion Sergey Mironov, who was making his pro debut. Mironov's corner stopped the contest after the second round.
Photos: Vitali Klitschko, Shannon Briggs Do Some Fishing
