Povetkin KOs Takam in 10

Former WBA heavyweight champion and WBC #3 rated Alexander Povetkin (28-1, 20 KOs) scored a sensational tenth round KO over #5 rated Carlos Takam (30-2-1, 23 KOs) in an important heavyweight clash on Friday night at the Luzhniki Concert Hall in Moscow, Russia. In was a very close and grueling fight, Takam got off to an early lead, but Povetkin upped his pressure and wore down Takam, dropping him at the end of round nine. The 2004 Olympic gold medalist then ended it in round ten with a massive left hook that left Takam flat on his back. With the win, Povetkin won the WBC silver belt.

2008 Olympic gold medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev (20-1, 15 KOs) scored a brutal fourth round KO over 45-year-old Giacobbe Fragomeni (32-5-2, 12 KOs) to claim the vacant European cruiserweight title. Chakhkiev dropped Fragomeni in rounds three and four. Frogmen stayed down after his second trip to the canvas.

In a clash of former heavyweight title challengers, WBC #15 rated Manuel Charr (27-2, 16 KOs), rebounding from his loss to Alexander Povetkin, punished an awkward looking 42-year-old Michael Grant (48-6, 36 KOs) for five rounds. Grant quit after round five.

Unbeaten lightweight Eduard “Troya” Troyanovsky (19-0, 16 KOs) scored a spectacular fifth round KO over former world champion Jose Alfaro (27-9-1, 23 KOs) in a bout for the WBA International belt. Troyanovsky dropped Alfaro in round three and laid him out with a right hand in round five.

In a hard fought clash between unbeaten middleweights, Arif Magomedov (13-0, 8 KOs) outpointed Michael Zerafa (15-1, 7 KOs) over ten rounds. It was a two-fer for Magomedov, who claimed both the vacant WBO Youth and WBO Asia Pacific middleweight titles.