Masternak Loses His Belt After Fight with Bellew. Judges Favor the Englishman

Mateusz Masternak (36-4, 26 KO) once again had no luck with the judges abroad. He came within a step of a knockout in the closing stages, but earlier he had done enough to beat Tony Bellew (26-2-1, 16 KO). Ultimately, the Englishman’s hand was raised. He became the new European champion at junior heavyweight. There was no scandal, but at a neutral venue the verdict could easily have been awarded to the Pole.

In the first round, Mateusz Masternak picked at his opponent with his jab and was good at beating him to the punch. However, he did absorb one powerful right hook. The second round was highly successful. It seemed that the home fighter was punching harder, but “Master” disrupted his rhythm. He punished Bellew twice with strong right hooks. After the break, the Englishman changed his tactics. Instead of hunting for one big punch, he began boxing and made up ground. The next three minutes were even and fiercely contested. Both men landed, and neither wanted to surrender the initiative.

The Wrocław native found the right rhythm in the fifth round. He took several punches from the tough Englishman, but he was landing more often and more cleanly. The sixth round looked similar. Masternak was more accurate, although not necessarily more powerful. He maintained the distance better, while Bellew occasionally looked lost. He was never in serious danger, however.

The home fighter got back into the contest in the seventh round, and the situation became even again. He may even have held a slight advantage. In the eighth round, though, he hit a rough patch. Masternak forced his opponent onto the defensive. Bellew avoided major trouble thanks to good upper-body movement, but he conceded the initiative to the Pole.

A fierce exchange broke out in the ninth round. Masternak absorbed a hard right, but moments later he beat his opponent to the punch and rocked him with a left hook. It seemed that the Englishman had been shaken. He quickly regained his balance and launched an attack of his own.

Masternak had to win the rounds clearly because he was fighting away from home. Fortunately, he decisively took the tenth round, forcing Bellew into retreat. The Englishman was primarily looking for a left hook underneath the right elbow. Bellew started the penultimate round better, but the Pole finished it more strongly. He landed several powerful shots to his opponent’s head. “You should knock him out,” Bellew was told in his corner.

Unfortunately, with forty seconds remaining, a powerful left hook from Bellew stunned Masternak. The Pole absorbed several more hard punches before the final bell and was clearly hurt. Fortunately, he made it to the end without being knocked down. We waited anxiously for the official verdict…

The judges scored the bout 115:113 and 115:112 twice. All three scorecards favored the home fighter.

source: bokser.org