Włodarczyk and Kołodziej Score Quick Wins at Sosnowiec Gala
After an 18-month layoff, Krzysztof Włodarczyk (50-3-1, 36 KOs) needed just one and a half rounds to deal with Valery Brudov (42-8, 28 KOs). The first round was quiet. The Pole, protected by a tight guard, countered hard with his left jab several times and did not allow his opponent to close the distance. More happened after the break, although unfortunately it did not last long. “Diablo” was hunting for a counter right uppercut but missed. Near the end of the second minute of the second round, he threw a double left jab. The second punch landed on the jaw and dropped the Russian. Brudov rose at the count of eight, but his corner immediately threw in the towel. Replays showed that the Russian injured his right knee during the fall.
Krzysztof Kopytek (12-0, 2 KOs) preserved his unbeaten record by outpointing Stanislas Salmon (25-5-2, 10 KOs). Near the end of the first round, Fiodor Łapin’s charge hurt his opponent with a left hook to the liver area, although there was no count. At the beginning of the second round, he drew the Frenchman into a right-for-right exchange and came close to scoring a knockdown again. It came two minutes later, when Kopytek fired a light but highly accurate left hook. Salmon went down, struggled to get up and was visibly shaken. The bell came to his rescue.
For several more minutes, Kopytek controlled the action between the ropes. However, in the second half of the fifth round, he appeared to suffer a slight crisis. Perhaps Salmon simply grew in confidence. The fight became more even, and at times it was the Pole who was forced onto the defensive. The Frenchman even owned the closing stretch, but the scorecards left no doubt: 79-72, 79-72 and 78-73, all in Kopytek’s favor.
Earlier, Kamil Młodziński (8-0-1, 5 KOs) earned a victory, albeit after an average performance. He defeated the very chaotic but ambitious and game Ivan Njegac (6-1, 1 KO) by a split decision. The Pole was technically superior, but he could not cope with his opponent’s bizarre style. A warning proved decisive. Without it, the fight would have been a draw. The judges voted two to one: 57-58, 58-56 and 57-56.
After an unsuccessful challenge for the WBA title and a lengthy layoff, Paweł Kołodziej (34-1, 19 KOs) made a successful return to the ring. His opponent was the once-capable but now badly worn-down Vladimir Letr (6-7, 3 KOs). The bout took place at a contracted weight of 95 kilograms. Surprisingly, the first round was fairly even. Letr lowered his stance and looked for a double left hook. He missed with the first punch, but the second occasionally reached “Harnaś’s” head. After the break, however, everything returned to normal and followed the expected script. Kołodziej dropped Letr twice with left hooks. The third knockdown came courtesy of a long right cross. Włodek quickly got up and was given another chance, but another right hand and a fourth knockdown in the second round brought the fight to an end.
Andrei Staliarchuk (11-25-4, 2 KOs) has already given several of our fighters plenty of trouble. This time he lost to Konrad Dąbrowski (8-1, 1 KO), but once again left a good impression. The Belarusian tried to attack from the outset, but during the first six minutes the faster Pole held the advantage, putting his punches together in combinations. When he tired slightly, his opponent’s experience came to the fore. Staliarchuk won the third round, and everything was to be decided in the final stanza. That round was even. Dąbrowski controlled the start, while Staliarchuk took the closing moments. After the final bell, the judges awarded the Pole the fight by a two-to-one decision: 39-37, 39-37 and 38-38.
Earlier, Remigiusz Wóz (8-1, 4 KOs) used body shots to take away Mateusz Zieliński’s (2-6, 2 KOs) desire to continue. The fight ended late in the second round.
Paweł Stępień’s (2-0, 2 KOs) professional career is developing impressively, as he ended a bout in the first round for the second time. The well-built light heavyweight defeated Przemysław Binieda (1-1, 1 KO). Stępień began with several left hooks to the body, then near the end of the first minute fired a left hook around the temple. His opponent went down heavily but managed to rise. Moments later, Stępień landed a right hook against the ropes and sent Binieda to the canvas again. At that point, the fight should essentially have been stopped, but referee Moszumański allowed the determined fighter to continue.
It ended in a knockout. Stępień slipped under his opponent’s jab, leaned back and slammed a right cross into the jaw. The knockout was spectacular, although there was no need to let the fight continue any further.
Source: bokser.org
