Bektemir Melikuziev TKO8 Pierre Hubert Dibombe... Uzbeki super middleweight Bektemir "the Bully" Melikuziev, 167.8 pounds, battled France's Pierre Hubert Dibombe, 166.6 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as part of the Devin Haney-Ryan Garcia undercard. Believing in his power, the Uzbeki southpaw plodded forward methodically throwing single thudding shots. Because he would often march straight in with his hands down, Melikuziev was susceptible to countershots and the determined Frenchman was more than willing to engage. As often happens with a southpaw fights an orthodox boxer, a clash of heads in round one left a cut above Dibome’s right eye. Then, Melikuziev suffered a deep gash above his left eye, following another accidental head butt in the fifth. In the same frame, Melikuziev scored a questionable knockdown when a shot landed at the same time as the boxers’ feet got tangled, resulting in Dibombe falling to the mat. With Melikuziev’s cut worsening, the fight was halted at the start of the eighth round on recommendation of the New York State Athletic Commission doctor. 

 

Because the bell had rung, round eight was also scored. The judges tallied 79-73 twice, and 78-74, all for Melikuziev, the winner by technical decision. Melikuziev upped his ledger to 14-1 (10 KOs), his seventh straight victory. Tasting his first defeat, Dibombe returned home with a record of 22-1-1 (12 KOs).