Making the first defense of his WBA Intercontinental super bantamweight title, the 24-year-old southpaw amateur standout Murodjon Akhmadaliev, 121.2, from Namangan, Uzbekistan, dominated Isaac Zarate, 122, of San Pedro, CA, for nine one-sided rounds. The one thing Zarate brought to this fight was a sturdy chin, absorbing a tremendous beating. A key weapon for Akhmadaliev throughout was his overhand left. Showing deft footwork, Akhmadaliev used angles to close the gap and attack on the inside. Short right hooks soon found their mark in the third, one snapping Zarate's head back, drawing a loud reaction from the crowd. Whenver in close, Akhmadaliev dished out a ruthless attack to the midsection. Halfway through, it was target practice. A flurry ending with an overhand left forced a TKO stoppage at 1:17 of round nine. Trained by Joel Diaz, and a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist with a 300-15 amateur record, Akhmadaliev reached 5-0 (4 KOs) as a pro. Rated #3 by the WBA, Akhmadaliev is hoping to challenge WBA 122lb. titlist Daniel Roman sometime in 2019. Zarate, who had never previously been stopped, dropped to 16-4-3 (2 KOs).