“Diablo” defends his title, Cieślak wins after premature stoppage
In the main event of the professional boxing gala in Wrocław, Krzysztof Włodarczyk (52-3-1, 37 KO) defeated Leon Harth (14-2, 10 KO) on points to retain the IBF intercontinental cruiserweight title.
The opening round was largely a feeling-out affair. It was the Armenian with a German passport, however, who landed a right hook. The picture did not change in the second round. There were few punches and little engagement. The minutes passed, while the fans continued to wait for something more than a handful of punches per round.
“Diablo” applied pressure with his footwork but remained largely inactive. It must be admitted, though, that Harth did even less. Even when he attacked, he punched in a way that allowed him to retreat immediately. Włodarczyk tried to press forward and collected small points, but he lacked both spark and changes of pace. His opponent mainly disrupted the action and perhaps should have been warned. A Polish fighter boxing this way away from home would certainly have received such a warning.
Włodarczyk looked for a breakthrough with hooks to the body, but for a former two-time world champion he was showing too little. Harth clinched even after the left jab. From the ninth round onward, his conditioning visibly deteriorated. He was breathing increasingly heavily and at times stood still, giving the Pole a chance to bring an emphatic end to a dull bout. Unfortunately, the slippery and extremely defensive opponent consistently avoided a genuine fight. After the final bell, the judges scored it 116:112, 115:113 and 116:112 in Włodarczyk’s favor.
The clash between Michał Cieślak (15-0, 11 KO) and Nikodem Jeżewski (12-1-1, 7 KO) produced plenty of excitement, but also controversy. Cieślak won and captured the Polish cruiserweight title.
The fighter from Radom opened with powerful right hooks to the ribs. They paved the way for a right cross in the opening round. Jeżewski absorbed the punches without much concern, however. Half a minute before the end of the second round, Cieślak slipped his opponent’s right, answered with a short right and immediately launched an attack. It was a fierce but brief assault.
Cieślak started the third round aggressively. He landed a left hook, followed with a right cross, and it seemed that he would finish the fight momentarily. Then something unexpected happened. A powerful right from Jeżewski caused the Radom bomber to be knocked down for the first time in his career.
He responded quickly. In close quarters, he landed a short right, and this time Jeżewski ended up on one knee. That was when the controversy began. Cieślak added another punch while his opponent was kneeling. The Italian referee not only failed to see it, but also stopped the bout far too early. It left a great deal of disappointment. If a referee from outside Poland is overseeing the fight, he should at least assess the situation correctly. It was a good fight, with plenty of excitement, spoiled by a terrible decision from the referee.
Przemysław Runowski (13-0, 2 KO) displayed mature and intelligent boxing. He comfortably defeated the dangerous Mykola Vovk (12-2, 8 KO), avenging his surprise win over Krzysiek Kopytek. Importantly, the bout took place at a higher weight than usual.
The popular “Kosiarz” landed a powerful right uppercut early on. Moments later, following an accidental clash of heads, blood began flowing from the right eyebrow of the Ukrainian who lives in Poland. In the second round, Runowski landed two clean, fast right crosses.
After the break, Vovk went on the attack, but Fiodor Łapin’s charge consistently beat him to the punch. Before the Ukrainian could throw, Runowski would counter and move off the line of attack. It was only in the fourth round that Vovk began to make more of an impact, taking advantage of his strength advantage. He backed the Pole up and tried to draw him into exchanges at mid-range.
After a somewhat weaker fourth round, Runowski returned to his earlier plan. He became more active, beat his opponent to the punch, and almost exactly with the bell landed a perfect right uppercut on the chin. Vovk was badly shaken and reached his corner only with great difficulty, using the ropes for support. Had Przemek been given a few more seconds, he would probably have ended the fight early.
Runowski’s advantage remained clear in the sixth round, although Vovk occasionally tried to answer with a heavy punch. The ambitious Ukrainian continued to look for his chances, but the technically well-organized Runowski calmly controlled the bout. Two minutes before the final bell, a straight right to the body produced a knockdown.
Vovk got up quickly and tried to respond. In a right-for-right exchange, Runowski sent his opponent to the canvas for the second time in half a minute. Moments later, he landed a superb left hook to the jaw. The bell once again saved the Ukrainian. A good fight ended in Przemysław’s complete dominance: 80:71, 79:72 and 79:71.
Przemysław Zyśk (3-0, 1 KO) also scored a decisive victory, defeating Ruslan Mokrytskyi (1-2, 1 KO) in Wrocław. The Pole’s physical advantage was apparent from the start. Zyśk pressed forward, backed his opponent onto the ropes and looked for a big punch. At close range, he worked through with right uppercuts, and in the fifth round he wobbled his opponent with a left hook.
The Pole maintained a high pace. In the final, sixth round, he turned it up even further. There was not enough time, however, to finish the fight before the bell. The judges unanimously awarded Zyśk the victory, scoring the bout 60:54.
Marek Matyja (12-1, 4 KO) made a successful return after his first defeat. The fighter from Oleśnica comfortably defeated Olegs Fedotovs (21-28, 15 KO). He started in his usual fashion, targeting the body with punches that are his trademark.
Once he had hurt his opponent, he shook him with a right cross midway through the second round, and moments later with a left hook. In the fourth round, he was again close to a stoppage win, but the experienced Latvian saved himself with a clinch. From that point, the only question was whether the fight would go the distance.
Fedotovs made it to the end, but his determination was not enough to win even a single round. All three judges scored it 60:54 for Fiodor Łapin’s charge.
Konrad Dąbrowski (8-2, 1 KO) suffered a clear defeat against Nadzir Bakhshyieu (3-4-1). His opponent immediately went on the attack, but the technically better Polish fighter effectively kept him at bay during the opening minutes with his footwork and counters.
For five minutes, everything looked promising. The end of the second round, however, was less encouraging. Bakhshyieu completely dominated the third and fourth rounds, raining combinations of several punches on Dąbrowski. During the break before the fifth round, the Warsaw fighter was bleeding heavily from his mouth and nose, and had also visibly run out of energy.
The fifth round was even worse. It was remarkable that Dąbrowski withstood all the punches. In the final round, Bakhshyieu landed a left hook to the jaw, followed with a right cross, and the Pole made it to the final bell only thanks to two interventions by referee Arek Małek.
The judges had no doubts and unanimously awarded the victory to the visitor: 55:59, 54:60 and 55:59.
source: bokser.org
