Pavel Sosulin KO2 Jorge Fortea ... Russian junior middleweight Pavel Sosulin produced a winning performance to blow Jorge Fortea away inside two rounds on an IBA pro show in Samara, Russia. Sosulin wasted little time as he ripped through the defenses of Fortea (25-5-1) with ease, folding the Spaniard in half after a perfectly-placed right hand to the solar plexus in the second round. Sosulin (15-0 including IBA pro fights) flew out of the blocks in typically aggressive fashion, targeting the mid-section of Fortea with a series of spiteful hooks that had the Valencia man backing up in a one-sided opener. With the writing seemingly on the wall at the start of round two, Sosulin closed the show with a body-shot finish that brought the crowd to their feet.
Following the victory, Sosulin wasted little time in calling for a shot at WBA champion. “Abass Baraou: you’re next!” Sosulin beamed. On his stunning stoppage victory, Sosulin said: “We didn’t go out looking for the knockout: it just happened. My opponent was very sharp and very mobile, but I was able to land a punch that we were preparing and we got the job done.”
UNDERCARD
In the chief support, light heavyweight Ali Izmailov returned to the ring with a hard-fought unanimous decision win over rough-and-ready Iranian foe Meysam Gheshlaghi. In a back-and-forth bout that was high on drama and full of action, Izmailov’s composure and sharp punch-picking saw him awarded the unanimous decision victory via scores of 97-93 (twice) and 96-94. Following eight months of inactivity, Izmailov (14-0, 9 KOs) would settle into the fight as the rounds progressed, but the 32-year old was forced to work hard for victory by Gheshlaghi (5-3-1, 4 KOs), who continued to march forward in a bid to upset the heavily-favored home fighter.
Elsewhere on the card, junior welterweight Pavel Fedorov returned from his first career defeat with a comprehensive six-round decision win over Adilet Kurmetov in their six round IBA Pro contest. Fedorov (9-1 including IBA) used his superior boxing skill to outwork Kazakhstan’s Kurmetov (5-2 including IBA Pro) from the outside, booking a comfortable win on the judges scorecards and banishing memories of his stoppage loss to Georgii Chelokhsaev in March.
In arguably the standout fight of the evening, Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Sobirov triumphed in a super middleweight upset win over Egdard Moskvichev in their highly-entertaining ten round slugfest. After scoring a thudding knockdown in the opening round, courtesy of a counter left-hook, Sobirov (17-5, 10 KOs) would remain a step ahead of Moskvichev for the majority of the fight, surviving a late surge from the Russian to claim a deserved unanimous decision victory on the judges scorecards.
Heavyweight pair Basir Abakarov and Denis Gubarev produced an entertaining IBA Pro contest, with both men landing a series of heavy blows in a competitive six round showcase. In the end, it would be the cleaner shots of Abakarov (12-0 including IBA Pro) that would see him get the nod on the cards, much to the disappointment of fellow Russian opponent Gubarev (4-3 including IBA Pro).
Russian junior middleweight Igor Sviridchenkov sparkled over six with a dominant display against Congolese challenger Mardochee Kuvesa. Utilizing his superior skill-set and mastery of distance, Sviridchenkov (2-0, 1 KO) controlled proceedings throughout, stinging Kuvesa (17-9-1, 2 KOs) several times en route to a comfortable unanimous decision victory.
As previously reported, Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist Davlat Boltaev continued his blistering start to life in the professional ranks as he made quick work of former world title challenger Dilan Prašović, dropping his man twice en route to a highlight reel, first round knockout victory. Boltaev (5-0, 3 KOs) is considered by many to be one of the hottest prospects in world boxing, and the Tajik star lived up to his lofty billing in a sharp-shooting display that saw Prašović (21-8, 18 KOs) simply overwhelmed from the opening bell.
