Sergey Kovalev stops Anthony Yarde to retain WBO light heavyweight title

CHELYABINSK, Russia — Sergey Kovalev knocked out Anthony Yarde on Saturday to retain the WBO light heavyweight title in his first defense since winning back the belt in February.

Kovalev was rocked by heavy punches from the British challenger in the eighth round but Yarde tired, allowing Kovalev to floor him with a left jab in the 11th.


After Yarde’s eighth-round flurry, Kovalev’s trainer Buddy McGirt warned the Russian veteran he would throw in the towel if he kept taking punishment.

It is one month since another Russian fighter trained by McGirt, Maxim Dadashev, died from injuries sustained in the ring. The light welterweight suffered a brain injury against Subriel Matias despite McGirt intervening to stop the fight when Dadashev took heavy punches to the head.

“It’s hard for me now when everyone is celebrating, and I have to think about him,” Kovalev said, referring to Dadashev.

The previously unbeaten Yarde (18-1) hadn’t gone beyond seven rounds before Saturday and appeared exhausted in the latter stages. He has had just 12 fights in the amateur ranks and 18 as a professional.


It was the 16th consecutive world title fight for Kovalev (34-3-1). He lost his belt to Eleider Alvarez in August 2018 but won it back in a rematch six months later.

Kovalev, who was hugged in the ring by his mother at the end, was fighting in Russia for only the fourth time as a pro.

He could now be heading for a big-money bout with middleweight champ Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.

“Canelo is a great fighter and if he wants to fight, I am ready,” he said.

source: sports.inquirer.net

UFC 235: Jon Jones retains light heavyweight belt

LAS VEGAS — Jon Jones defended his light heavyweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Smith at UFC 235 on Saturday night, overcoming a two-point deduction for an illegal knee to Smith’s head in the fourth round.

Kamaru Usman claimed the UFC welterweight title in the penultimate bout at T-Mobile Arena, dominating Tyron Woodley in a one-sided unanimous decision victory.

Ben Askren, Woodley’s close friend and training partner, survived an opening-minute beating and rallied to choke out Robbie Lawler midway through the first round of his own UFC debut.

Jones (24-1) had little trouble in an expert display of his all-around brilliance against the overmatched Smith (31-14), who had no answers for the likely pound-for-pound champion of mixed martial arts.

Jones dominated on his feet, against the cage and on the ground until he got in trouble in the fourth round when his knee struck Smith’s head while the challenger was in a downed position. Referee Herb Dean deducted two points from Jones, who apologized to Smith after the bell.

“This MMA thing is really hard,” Jones said. “Some days you’re going to look amazing, and some days at work you’re not going to perform at the level you hold yourself to.”

Jones finished uneventfully and remained unbeaten since 2009, winning a decision for the fifth time in his last seven fights.

Jones won 48-44 on all three scorecards.

Jones has been the UFC’s 205-pound champ for long stretches of the past eight years, but also has been stripped of his belt twice. After doping suspensions and other woes limited Jones to just two fights in a nearly four-year stretch of his prime, he returned to the cage at UFC 235 just nine weeks after beating Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 last December to reclaim his belt.

Smith, a tough veteran fighter from Texas, got a title shot when Jones decided to make a quick return to the cage. Although Smith had won three consecutive fights, he was a heavy underdog at the Vegas sports books, but Jones emerged with respect for Smith’s fighting spirit.

“I have never had anyone talk to me while I’m hitting them,” Jones said. ”(Smith was) saying like, ‘That was nice,’ or, ‘Was that all you’ve got?’”

soure: sports.inquirer.net

Oleksandr Gvozdyk stops Adonis Stevenson in 11th round

QUEBEC CITY — Oleksandr Gvozdyk stopped Adonis Stevenson at 2:49 of the 11th round Saturday night to take the World Boxing Council light heavyweight title from the Canadian.

The 41-year-old Stevenson was put on a stretcher after the fight and left Videotron Centre in an ambulance. There was no immediate word on the nature of the injury.

The 31-year-old Gvozdyk, from the Ukraine, improved to 16-0. Stevenson dropped to 29-2-1 with his first loss since 2010 and first in Canada.

Stevenson was making his 10th title defense since winning the belt against Chad Dawson in 2013. Stevenson was ahead on two of the judges’ card and tied on the third when he was stopped.

Stevenson fell early, in the third round, after getting hit by Gvozdyk. But referee Michael Griffin said it was a slip. Gvozdyk, however, was the more aggressive of the two and it showed the rest of the round.

In the sixth round, Stevenson threw more punches to the body, something that he rarely does. He hit Gvozdyk in the abdomen and shook him, and Stevenson finished the round strongly.

Stevenson controlled the center of the ring for part of the match, but in the 10th round, Gvozdyk finished with a series of blows that seemed to motivate him for the 11th round.

Gvozdyk continued with his series of flurries that got Stevenson in the ropes in the middle of the 11th, before sending the Canadian to the canvas with three solid right punches.

On the undercard, Montreal’s Oscar Rivas unanimously outpointed Brazil’s Fabio Maldonado to retain the NABF heavyweight title.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Beterbiev knocks out Koelling in 12th for IBF title

Russian boxer Artur Beterbiev claimed his first world title belt on Saturday with a 12th round knockout of Enrico Koelling in a battle for the vacant IBF light heavyweight crown.

The undefeated Beterbiev recorded his 12th straight knockout but he had to go past seven rounds for the first time in his career to get the 175-pound belt.

The 32-year-old Beterbiev systematically dismantled underdog Koelling over 12 rounds, finishing him off with a right hook to the head with 27 seconds left in front of a crowd of 18,800 at the Fresno State University arena.

He knocked Koelling down for the first time in the fight earlier in the round but the 27-year-old German was able to continue after an eight count from the referee.

Beterbiev improved to a career record of 12-0 with 12 knockouts after just his second pro fight outside of Canada, where he trains.

Beterbiev had over 300 fights in an impressive amateur career that included two victories over former light heavyweight champ Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev.

As a pro, Beterbiev had only been past four rounds once when he was pushed to the seventh round by Alexander Johnson in 2015.

Koelling landed very few good punches in the one-sided fight but he can find solace in becoming the first fighter to survive into the 12th round with Beterbiev who some call the best pure puncher in boxing today.

With his first world title in hand there are some who now feel the two-time Russian Olympian is on the verge of finally fulfilling the lofty expectations he had coming out of the amateur ranks.

Beterbiev moved to Montreal when he turned pro and signed a contract with promoter Yvon Michel. Beterbiev and Michel are now embroiled contract dispute which is in the Canadian courts.

This was just the second career loss for Koelling who had won seven in a row since a 2015 defeat on points to Italian Mirco Ricci.

Koelling (23-2) was hoping to become the first German to win a world title in the US since Max Schmeling won the NBA — now the World Boxing Association — world heavyweight title at Yankee Stadium, New York, in June 1930.

source: sports.inquirer.net