Gassiev Stops Włodarczyk, “Master” and “Striczu” Triumph
In the final quarterfinal of the World Boxing Super Series, IBF world champion at junior lightweight – Murat Gassiev (25-0, 18 KO) – knocked out Krzysztof Włodarczyk (53-4-1, 37 KO). It was the Russian’s first successful title defense. “Diablo” started cautiously. Gassiev applied pressure, but he also avoided taking excessive risks. He landed several hard right hooks, but the Pole took those punches on his left glove. After the break, Fiodor Łapin’s charge landed a right hook to the body and moments later showed his left jab. In the second half of the round, however, he backed off again and surrendered the initiative to the Russian destroyer.
It all ended in the third round. First, Gassiev landed a left uppercut. He did not let up, pursued “Diablo” and would not allow him to catch his breath. Suddenly, by the ropes, he jumped in and unleashed a two-punch combination: a left uppercut followed by a left hook to the liver. The second punch, aimed beneath the right elbow, shut Włodarczyk down. The former two-time world champion was counted out. In his previous fight, Gassiev had also floored Denis Lebedev with a similar body hook. It appears to be his signature move. In the WBSS semifinals, the Russian will face Yunier Dorticos (22-0, 21 KO), who knocked out Gassiev’s compatriot, Dmitry Kudryashov, in the second round of their quarterfinal.
Mateusz Masternak (40-4, 27 KO) performed very well in the reserve bout for the World Boxing Super Series. Stivens Bujaj (16-2-1, 11 KO) had previously claimed that he beat the Pole in sparring. In Newark, however, he received a sound boxing lesson from him. “Master” controlled his opponent with the left jab from the opening bell and looked for an overhand right cross. That punch found its target toward the end of the first round.
The second round was even better. The former European champion clearly had the edge in speed. He began with body shots before creating room for a right cross to the head. The third round followed an almost identical pattern. The Albanian, who holds an American passport, tried to block Masternak’s attacks and respond with counters, but against Andrzej Gmitruk’s charge, he was simply too slow. After an even start to the fourth round, its second half once again belonged to the Wrocław native.
The fifth and sixth rounds brought continued dominance from Masternak. In Bujaj’s corner, someone finally asked: are you fighting or are we stopping it? His opponent came out for the seventh round intending to attack more aggressively, but his legs could not keep up with the Pole. Moments later, discouraged, he retreated to the ropes, where he felt safer. Midway through the round, Masternak fired a left-right combination to the jaw and sent his opponent to the canvas. Bujaj made it to the break, but his corner then stopped the fight. In Newark, we saw the old, reliable “Master.”
The bout was officially a semifinal in the WBC junior middleweight title eliminator. Behind the scenes, however, it was said that the winner could immediately be granted mandatory-challenger status. The stakes were therefore enormous. After a superb fight, Maciej Sulęcki (26-0, 10 KO) defeated Jack Culcay (22-3, 11 KO).
The German started aggressively and tried to land a hard punch while darting in. Toward the end of the first minute, he reached the Pole with a left hook to the jaw, but “Striczu” was not particularly bothered. The second round followed a similar pattern. Sulęcki had the advantage at range, but whenever Culcay closed the distance, he came into his own. “Get off the ropes,” Paweł Kłak urged him during the break.
The third round was much better from Maciej. He absorbed several hard punches, but responded more frequently and more convincingly. Culcay also returned to his corner with a cut on his left eyebrow after an accidental clash of heads. The pace remained extremely high. The fourth round was excellent: punch for punch, exchange for exchange. Whenever one fighter landed, the other immediately tried to answer with something even harder. Neither gained a clear advantage, and the fans were treated to a brilliant spectacle.
Only in the fifth round could the better man be identified with confidence. It was Sulęcki, although even then he did not avoid several dangerous attacks from his opponent. The sixth round was even once again. In the seventh, unexpectedly, Culcay began to establish a clear advantage. It was not merely on the scorecards. At one point, “Striczu” was hurt and came close to being counted. Fortunately, he escaped the danger without being knocked down.
Sulęcki probably won the eighth round because he landed more frequently. It was surprising, however, that his punches seemed to have less effect on Culcay than the German’s shots had on the Pole. The ninth round was also outstanding. The second and third minutes were debatable, but the first unquestionably belonged to Maciej. The judges did not have an easy task.
The first half of the tenth round was a showcase for Sulęcki, who peppered his opponent with heavy bombs. The closing moments again produced a fierce exchange. When the final bell sounded, both fighters raised their hands, although neither could be certain of victory. Fortunately, all three judges awarded the fight to the Pole: 97-93, 96-94 and an excessive 98-92. Bravo!
Source: bokser.org
