Drozd Dethrones Włodarczyk and Claims the WBC Title

Mateusz Masternak learned about the strength of Grigorij Drozd (39-1, 27 KOs) last year. Today in Moscow, the Russian faced Krzysztof Włodarczyk (49-3-1, 35 KOs), with the Polish fighter’s WBC cruiserweight world title on the line. Unfortunately, Drozd once again proved too difficult an opponent for our countryman.

The first round was primarily about feeling each other out. Both fighters looked for the right distance and limited themselves to feints and occasional, tentative jabs. Much more happened in the second round. The challenger was more accurate. After a jab, he added a right hook to the area around the ear two or three times. Krzysiek missed several times with his left hook, although his punches passed the opponent’s head by mere inches.

The Pole therefore slightly changed his tactics and raised the pace after the break. Drozd kept his hands high, however, and was marginally faster in the exchanges. He got ahead of “Diablo’s” attacks. The fourth round also narrowly belonged to the Russian, but half a minute before the bell, Włodarczyk finally landed his trademark left hook. That offered hope for the minutes ahead. After four rounds, all the judges had the challenger ahead 39-37.

In the fifth round, Drozd got his legs moving. He began dancing around the champion and extending the distance so as not to remain within punching range. He also looked for a straight right, combining it with a left hook underneath the right elbow. In the sixth round, he quickly clinched after each combination, as if wary of “Diablo’s” counters. He was still the more active fighter, however. Almost simultaneously with the bell, he landed a powerful right cross on Krzysiek’s jaw.

In the seventh round, the challenger slightly altered his plan and attacked the body more often. During one exchange, a clash of heads caused his right eyebrow to split. The cut was not deep, and the doctor quickly stopped the bleeding.

Despite this, the Russian came out for the eighth round with great determination and extended his lead with every minute. In the closing seconds, a long barrage of punches stunned Włodarczyk. The Pole went down to one knee and got up only after the count reached nine. Fortunately for him, the bell rang moments later.

After the break, Drozd sensed his opportunity and launched an assault. Włodarczyk was bleeding heavily from his right eyelid and was going through a difficult spell. In his usual fashion, however, he survived the crisis. In the tenth round, he tried to respond with powerful punches, but he lacked precision. Each time, his shots missed the target by a few centimeters.

Włodarczyk gave up some of the eleventh round, saving his strength for a final attack. There was no stopping the superbly prepared Drozd on this night, however. The judges had no doubts. All of them scored a clear victory for the Russian: 118-109 and 119-108 twice.

source: bokser.org