Różański’s brutal knockout, Kiwior’s sensational defeat at KBN 15
In the main event of KBN 15 in Rzeszów, Artur Szpilka (24-5, 16 KOs) faced Łukasz Różański (14-0, 13 KOs) in a fight for the WBC bridgerweight title. There was expected to be plenty of emotion and bad blood. There was everything. Różański brutally knocked out his opponent in the first round.
A real tornado swept through the ring from the opening bell. Różański was the first man to hit the canvas after taking a heavy shot. The Rzeszów fighter wobbled, but moments later he responded with a powerful right hook. Szpilka was knocked down.
A short while later, the former heavyweight world title challenger hit the canvas again. This time, too, it came after a brutal right hook. He got up, was given a moment to put his mouthpiece back in and was ready to continue. Several seconds later, Różański landed for the third time. Szpilka had lowered his hands and raised his chin before falling again. The referee had no doubts. The fight was over.
They were supposed to fight separately, but ultimately crossed gloves in Rzeszów in a battle for the IBF Inter-Continental junior heavyweight title. Adam Balski (15-1, 9 KOs) and Mateusz Masternak (44-5, 29 KOs) produced an excellent and highly entertaining fight. Both men performed well.
Balski won the first round. He was faster and landed cleanly several times, but allowed Masternak to apply pressure. He prepared his hooks, first attempting to attack the body. Masternak was better in the second round. He opened with a powerful right hook, waited out his opponent’s attacks and moved into calculated combinations. His overhand right missed the target, but Balski neutralized it well with a jab.
Adam threw many punches without the right timing and could not find his rhythm. The popular “Master” did, however. It seemed that if fatigue caught up with Balski, he would start walking into his opponent’s shots and find himself in trouble.
Masternak gained a clear advantage in the third round. Balski, with his back to the ropes, defended from behind a high double guard. The Wrocław fighter found the right rhythm and scored well against his opponent from Kalisz. He threw many punches with his left hand, from jabs to straight hooks.
Masternak began the fourth round with attacks to the body. In one combination, he connected a right and left hook. Following one of his opponent’s offensive moves, Balski held him against the ropes with his left hand and then landed a hard right hook. In the final minute, Masternak launched a powerful right and brutally battered his opponent for several seconds. Balski responded with two heavy shots, however, and halted the assault. The round still clearly belonged to Mateusz.
Masternak’s charge, coached by Piotr Wilczewski, decisively won the fifth and sixth rounds. Balski missed with many punches and had no idea how to dismantle Masternak’s boxing. Above all, he lacked his jab. Contrary to appearances, Adam was most dangerous when Masternak launched bolder attacks and forced him onto the ropes.
After six rounds, Maciej Miszkiń’s unofficial scorecard read 5-1 for Masternak. In the seventh round, almost every one of his jabs found its target. Balski nevertheless showed toughness, resilience and tremendous determination. Swelling and a cut appeared beneath his left eye, but a medical consultation was not necessary because the swelling was not increasing excessively.
Harry Keitt’s charge tried to engage in exchanges by the ropes and looked for counters. During one exchange in the eighth round, he blocked a punch and responded with his right hand. Seeking to limit the risk of a counter, Masternak extended his left hook. Balski continued looking for evasive moves and a powerful right hand until the end. He believed that one hook could turn the fight around.
From the first through the tenth round, Masternak’s punches had the necessary snap. His craft also lay in an excellent jab, which he used effectively to break Balski down. Commentating on the fight alongside Janusz Pindera, Maciej Miszkiń scored it 99-91 for Masternak. All three judges awarded Mateusz the victory (98-92, 99-91, 99-91). He became the holder of the IBF Inter-Continental junior heavyweight title.
After two celebrity bouts, Paweł Stępień (15-0-1, 12 KOs) and Deneb Diaz (14-1, 11 KOs) entered the ring. The IBF Inter-Continental light heavyweight title was at stake. The winner was expected to enter the federation’s rankings in the near future.
The Colombian was something of an unknown quantity. He had fought almost all of his professional bouts in his homeland. For that reason, most experts picked Stępień to win inside the distance, but after the opening bell the Pole did not rush thoughtlessly at his opponent. He calmly assessed the situation.
In the first round, the Szczecin fighter spent a long time studying his opponent. He did not throw many jabs yet, but the ones he did throw found their mark. As Maciej Miszkiń correctly observed, unlike Damian Kiwior, Stępień controlled his opponent’s right hand and did not absorb many punches.
Stępień needed more initiative, offense and variety in his punches to find openings for counters. In the second round, he began throwing more hard jabs, which broke down the Colombian. Diaz was not passive. He tried to move and throw punches, but leaned more toward defensive solutions. He lost energy minute by minute.
When preparing his hooks, the Colombian stood square. As a result, he walked onto Stępień’s accurate jabs. The Pole grew accustomed to the power of his punches and stopped fearing the right hooks. He could also see that his opponent was becoming increasingly tired.
In the fourth round, a hungry Stępień raised the pace. He landed a left hook to the body, hurt Diaz with his right hand and gave the Colombian no room. Diaz was hurt three times in the round. Another 10–15 seconds might have been enough to send him to the canvas.
Paweł finished the job in the following round. He began his combinations well with the jab and ended them with a powerful overhand right. The referee counted Diaz out and stopped the fight. Stępień won the IBF Inter-Continental title. He will probably also enter the federation’s next light heavyweight rankings, earning the right to fight for a world championship.
Although Aleksander Bereżewski (2-0, 2 KOs) comfortably defeated his opponent in the opening bout of the card, a minor shock followed in the second. KnockOut Promotions fighter Damian Kiwior (8-2-1, 1 KO) was brutally knocked out by Pablo Mendoza (10-8, 10 KOs).
Bereżewski, trained by Andrzej Liczik, faced experienced Czech Bronislav Kubin (20-27-2, 12 KOs), who was already past his best. He quickly went on the attack and dropped his opponent with a powerful hook. The fight did not go beyond the first round. The GIA Boxing Promotions fighter landed again, and referee Robert Gortat decided to stop the contest. It was the 23-year-old Bereżewski’s second professional victory.
Kiwior trained in Warsaw for some time with American coach Harry Keitt. Ultimately, experienced Jerzy Baraniecki worked his corner, having also been present during the Tarnów fighter’s training sessions at the gym on Petofiego Street.
In recent months, Mendoza had fought, among others, Aleksander Strecki in Pionki and Łukasz Maciec in Dzierżoniów. He performed well in both bouts. He could even have been declared the winner against Strecki. Łukasz Maciec also failed to look his best against the Nicaraguan.
The fight did not go Kiwior’s way from the outset. Mendoza launched dangerous attacks, including left-right combinations to the body. Commentators Janusz Pindera and Maciej Miszkiń correctly noted that if the Nicaraguan continued repeating his attacks, the Pole would be in trouble.
In the second round, Mendoza found his range and landed a brutal right hook. Kiwior fell to the canvas, was counted out by the referee and the fight was stopped. It was the first shock of the KnockOut Promotions card in Rzeszów.
Source: bokser.org
