Ever-improving Masternak stops tough Argentine
Mateusz Masternak (43-5, 29 KO), in excellent form, broke down and stopped tough Jose Gregorio Ulrich (17-4, 6 KO) in the main event of KnockOut Boxing Night Extra in Lodz.
Mateusz applied light pressure from the opening second. Near the end of the first round, he briefly switched to a southpaw stance before returning to orthodox and surprising his disoriented opponent with a powerful left hook. When the Argentine raised his hands, the Pole immediately punished him with a left hook to the liver. After the break, Ulrich, following the principle that the best defense is offense, tried to take the initiative. Masternak either stopped his attacks on his guard or let the punches pass and answered with counters. The former European champion worked hard with his jab in the third round before focusing on body shots at close range. The Wroclaw native spent a long time looking for the right rhythm in the fourth. Eventually, he landed a right uppercut. He saw that it was an effective weapon against the crouching Argentine, so he repeated the move twice more. With 20 seconds left in the fifth round, Mateusz beat his opponent to the punch in an exchange of right hands and briefly rocked him, but Ulrich confirmed that he was an exceptionally tough and ambitious fighter. In the sixth, Masternak surprised him with a left hook, and when his opponent tried to respond, he drew him onto a powerful right-hand counter. The Pole came out for the seventh round determined to end the fight. He immediately lengthened his combinations and landed several heavy punches. When Ulrich dropped to one knee in the corner, the referee stopped the uneven contest without starting a count.
Marek Matyja (18-2-2, 8 KO) added another victory to his record by defeating Czech Ondrej Budera (13-18-1, 8 KO). The cruiserweight bout was one-sided from the outset. Matyja asserted his advantages in strength and technique, worked behind his left hand and added more punches to it. He did not dazzle, but calmly controlled the action. He was average offensively, but, as usual, absorbed very little and displayed a tight defense. In the third and fourth rounds, the Czech was visibly hurt by body shots. He was also caught by left hooks to the head and right straights. Despite that, he tried to fight and surprised the Pole several times. After the final bell, the judges unanimously awarded the fight to Matyja, scoring it 60:54 and 59:55 twice. Marek may receive several interesting offers next year. A clash with Mateusz Tryc is among those being discussed, as are fights abroad. Everything suggests that we will see him in interesting bouts against European-level fighters. That is what we wish for him—and for ourselves.
At middleweight, Kamil Gardzielik (11-0, 3 KO) defeated Nicaraguan David Bency (14-19-1, 4 KO) by a wide points decision. From the beginning, he controlled the shorter opponent with his jab and occasionally surprised him with his right hand. At times he threw a right straight upstairs, at others downstairs, as well as a right uppercut. He moved well and quickly imposed his terms. In the second round, he continued to execute his plan, although he failed to emphasize his advantage more forcefully. His punches lacked the necessary impact. A right uppercut in the third began a slightly better spell for the Pole. His right hand found the target more and more often, while his opponent was helpless. Bency had virtually no attacking weapons apart from occasional wide rights and light right straights. Gardzielik, despite his clear dominance, was not spectacular either. He landed some interesting combinations, but they lacked spark. Andrzej Liczik's charge attacked more strongly late in the sixth and landed a solid right, but could not finish the fight early. The pattern remained unchanged until the final bell. The judges all scored it 80:72 for Gardzielik.
One of Poland's most interesting super-middleweight prospects, Kamil Bednarek (6-0, 3 KO), unanimously outpointed Czech Tomas Bezvoda (8-14, 5 KO). The Pole worked well with his right straight from the opening bell. He doubled and tripled it before adding a left uppercut. Using his footwork, he controlled the bout against an opponent who tried to attack. Bezvoda landed several times but was unable to seriously threaten Bednarek. In the second round, Kamil raised the pace and looked for stronger solutions. The Czech was hurt by a body shot, but moments later answered with a powerful right by the ropes. Bednarek lengthened his combinations and moved forward, but Bezvoda showed character and decent ability. In the third, the Pole focused on applying active pressure and took complete control. In the fourth, he repeatedly hurt the Czech with punches upstairs and downstairs. He boxed with freedom, and his inventive combinations were pleasing to watch. The sixth round also belonged to the Pole. Bezvoda was counted and barely made it to the end, although he deserves credit for his ambition. The judges scored it 60:54 and 60:53 twice for Bednarek.
Maks Hardzeika (9-0, 4 KO) won the bout that opened the broadcast. The Belarusian dominated experienced Adam Grabiec (8-33, 1 KO) in every department. His opponent could not cope with Hardzeika's advantages in strength, speed and technique. Hardzeika changed the direction of his attacks, moved reasonably well and set up the finishing sequence in the fifth round. A powerful right and the reaction of the veteran from Zory prompted the referee to stop the fight. The Belarusian's victory came by stoppage.
Rafal Wolczecki (2-0, 2 KO) is known for his power and confirmed it at the event in Lodz. He quickly dealt with Nicaraguan Nelson Altamirano (10-38-3, 6 KO). The Pole began with a jab downstairs, then unleashed a series of heavy punches, first to the body and then to the head. He countered with a powerful right, then moments later landed another clean shot. His opponent was counted. Altamirano recovered, but a left hook put him down again. The next powerful punch sent him to the canvas for a third time. Referee Arkadiusz Malek, however, did not stop the fight. The end came in the second round. A left hook sent the Nicaraguan down for the fourth time. When Wolczecki added an uppercut, his opponent again crumpled in pain. The referee began the count but stopped the contest moments later.
Konrad Kaczmarkiewicz (1-0, 1 KO), one of Poland's leading heavyweight amateur boxers, lost several kilograms and made a successful professional debut at light heavyweight. The fight did not last long. Another debutant, Bartlomiej Wlodarczyk, was stopped near the end of the first round. Earlier, Jan Czerklewicz (4-1, 1 KO) ended his bout with Przemyslaw Binienda (2-29, 2 KO) in the third round, while Bartlomiej Szczesny (2-0) outpointed tough journeyman Artsiom Czarn iakiewicz (3-29, 3 KO).
Source: bokser.org
