Głowacki Scores a Lightning-Fast Knockout at KnockOut Boxing Night 1
Krzysztof Głowacki (30-1, 19 KO) brutally disposed of Santander Silgado (28-5, 22 KO) in the main event of KnockOut Boxing Night 1 in Wałcz. The former—and hopefully future—world cruiserweight champion won by knockout in the very first round. Both men are known for their punching power, so they fought cautiously from the opening bell, waiting for the right moment. They twice clashed at close range, but neither fighter landed cleanly. The third time, everything ended with a spectacular knockout for the hometown fighter. In the closing seconds of the round, “Główka” landed a left hook to the temple and brutally knocked out his opponent. Silgado lay half-conscious on the canvas for another two or three minutes.
Paweł Stępień (9-0, 8 KO) faced Michał Ludwiczak (15-8, 7 KO) for the vacant International Polish Light Heavyweight Championship. The belt is heading to Szczecin. Stępień looks better with every outing. The first two rounds belonged to him. He was mobile, frequently changed position and, although he did not punch particularly hard, landed accurately and with ease. Ludwiczak moved forward ambitiously, but most of his attacks cut through empty air. In the third round, after several lighter punches upstairs, Stępień fired a left hook to the liver. It looked like the end, but Ludwiczak rose at eight, a grimace of pain on his face. The bell rang moments later. After the break, the pattern of the fight did not change. Paweł controlled the action, deceived his opponent once again and finished the combination with a powerful hook under the right elbow. This time, Ludwiczak could not beat the count.
Marek Matyja (14-1-1, 6 KO) won his first fight of the year inside the distance. His opponent was Giorgi Beroszwili (30-24-3, 22 KO). After a calm, exploratory opening round, Fiodor Łapin’s charge began dismantling his opponent. First, he hurt him with a hook to the body, opening the way for more hooks upstairs. After a right hook, Beroszwili took a knee for the second time. Moments later, Matyja rained punches on him against the ropes and scored a third knockdown. Only a few seconds remained in the round, so the fight was allowed to continue. Another hard hook from the Pole resulted in a fourth count. The end of the count came after the bell for the break.
Przemysław Runowski (17-0, 3 KO) had occasional problems with Sergei Guliakevich (43-10, 17 KO), but ultimately broke him down physically and won on the finish. The first two rounds belonged to Fiodor Łapin’s charge, who forced his way through his opponent’s guard with a stiff left jab. The former European champion responded in the third and fourth rounds. He picked up the pace, beat the Pole to the punch and landed frequently, evening up the contest. However, Guliakevich could not maintain the pace he had set himself. From the fifth round onward, the energy drained from him with every minute. His biggest crisis came in the seventh. He clinched more and more often, while the surging Runowski increased the pressure further. It ended with two warnings and a count after a body shot. The bell saved Guliakevich, but he still had to box through the final three minutes. He was no longer capable of doing so. Exhausted, he resorted to clinching. Referee Robert Gortat ran out of patience and disqualified him for repeated fouls.
In recent weeks, Fiodor Czerkaszyn (9-0, 6 KO) has received plenty of praise. However, when a fighter is being praised by his promoter, it is worth viewing such opinions with some distance. We were therefore waiting to see him face the tough and awkward Daniel Urbański (21-23-3, 5 KO). We did not get to watch the Ukrainian for very long, though. Czerkaszyn, who lives in Poland and speaks fluent Polish, dispatched Urbański in lightning-fast fashion. He feinted a left hook upstairs, stepped to the side and then fired a powerful left hook toward the liver. Daniel doubled over in pain like a pocketknife. That was the quick and spectacular public-television debut of this middleweight prospect.
Timur Kuzakhmedov (5-0-2, 2 KO) made an average start to his professional career, but he has improved from fight to fight. Krzysztof Rogowski (10-25, 5 KO) found that out firsthand. The Ukrainian from Darek Snarski’s stable, who openly admits he would like to face Damian Wrzesiński, controlled the bout during the first two rounds with good footwork and his left jab. In the third, he sent his opponent to the canvas with a right hook. It was not a heavy knockdown, so Rogowski quickly returned to the fight. The end came in the fourth round. After a right uppercut, Rogowski stumbled, and referee Gortat stopped the bout without administering a count.
Konrad Dąbrowski (9-2, 1 KO) made a successful return after an 18-month layoff. The fighter defeated Tomasz Gołuch (6-12, 4 KO).
