Joshua and Wilder’s Undercard Produces Five Knockouts
The ‘Day of Reckoning’ card started with a bang, with the first six fights producing five stoppages.
Dmitry Bivol’s fight with Lyndon Arthur was the only bout which did not result in a stoppage. But Bivol produced a masterclass to win every round to pick up the IBO belt. The WBA light heavyweight champion was on the front foot from the first round. He backed Arthur up on the ropes, landing his jab and combinations on the head. It was the same story in the following two rounds, with Bivol attacking the Brit from numerous angles.
Arthur showed huge grit to stay in the bout as the fight entered the second half. The Brit had some success in the eighth, landing a body shot which slowed Bivol down. Bivol recovered quickly as he connected with hooks to the head in the ninth. As the fight moved to the final round, Bivol went for the stoppage. He had Arthur on the ropes, landing on the head and body. Arthur showed courage to come through, but Bivol won it on the cards. All the judges scored it 120-107.
“I don’t want to say it was good sparing for me. [And] I see my way to my goal, to undisputed. I didn’t push myself too much, I was not sure will have have power. He kept something inside himself too. He was ready for 12 rounds. Yeah, it’s important. I make 11 defence. Did I get anything from my opponents? No? Nothing. They want to make great fights for boxing fans, undisputed is a great fight. Thank you Saudi.I want winner. It’s not personally. I want winner,” Bivol stated
Dubois Gives Miller His First Loss
Daniel Dubois got the better of Jarrell Miller, stopping the American in round ten to silence his critics.
The narrative heading into the fight was that Dubois gave up in the crucial moments. His losses against Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk were clouded by claims that he quit. This time around, Dubois was the better man. His jab and straight right hand were connecting with Miller from the off. But the American continued to walk forward to close the distance. Dubois was more active, but when Miller did land as he did in the second, Dubois was stopped in his tracks.
Dubois’ pace slowed, and Miller capitalized in round four. The American landed a right uppercut and then a left hook on Dubois’ chin. The Brit returned fire with his left hook in the fifth in a back-and-forth fight. After the halfway stage, Dubois pulled ahead. The jab and right hand landed continuously in the eighth. Miller’s pace slowed, showing a man not at his peak. Dubois corned Miller towards the ropes and let go with combinations in the tenth. The referee stepped in to give Miller his first defeat.
Dubois’ Reaction
“It really mattered tonight. Baby Miller came to work. I’m glad I came through it. [And] I’m a prideful fighter and I always want to come forward, so I had to learn new things. I’m glad I came through it. I had to dig very deep. [Also] I knew I had to work. I had to prove it to myself, show that I’m a real fighter and I can be a champion. [And] I silenced the doubters tonight. I had to finish strong. [And] I always look for the knockout. I wanna fight the best, The confidence that might have been missing before, I’ve got it back now,” Dubois stated
Kabayel Knocks Out Makhmudov
Agit Kabayel gave Arslanbek Makhmudov his first-ever defeat with a fourth-round knockout.
Kabayel’s quicker hands and nimble footwork were backed up by his precision punching, which proved crucial. The opening round saw Kabayel stay on the outside to avoid Makhmudov’s power punches. The latter landed with a combination, giving Kabayel a sign of the potential danger.
Kabayel stepped things up in the third. He connected with a vicious uppercut, followed by a flurry of punches as Makhmudov was on the defensive. After moving away from the ropes, Makhmudov hit the deck in the fourth, following a shot to the body. Kabayel hit Makhmudov in the midsection and the head, dropping him again. That was enough for the referee to end the proceedings.
“I shock the world maybe, huh? My movement was the game plan, my body shots … Now I have a rest. I see on the face and I see he’s not here, and I finish the fight. I am ready, I am ready for everything,” Kabayel said
Opetaia Stops Zorro In Round One
Hrgovic Gets First-Round Stoppage
Sanchez Stops Fa
Frank Sanchez remains undefeated with a record of 24-0 following a seventh-round KO of Junior Fa.
It was a reasonably quiet affair in the opening couple of rounds. Sanchez sought to impose the jab and increased the pace of the fight to keep Fa from planting his feet. As the fight threatened to peter out, Sanchez turned up when it mattered. A straight jab dropped Fa in the sixth. The well-timed right hand was the start of the end for Fa. Fa hit the deck in round seven, but it was soon over. A right hand put Fa back on the ropes, dramatically ending the bout.
‘Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com’
