Artem Suslenkov TKO3 Artur Mann... On April 17th, IBA Pro 16 in Serpukhov, Russia saw heavyweight fringe contender Artem Suslenkov stop experienced German cruiserweight Artur Mann (22-5). From the opening bell, Suslenkov imposed relentless pressure, targeting the body and forcing Mann onto the back foot. The sustained attack paid off in the third round, when Suslenkov (17-1 including IBA Pro and World Series of Boxing bouts), dropped Mann twice with heavy hooks. Moments later, a final wave of unanswered punches forced the stoppage, sealing a dominant technical knockout victory.
Suslenkov spoke after his triumph: “After training camp there’s always a degree of fatigue. And once the fight is over, you feel a real sense of relief — a chance to catch your breath a bit. But I stress a bit — there’s still a great deal of work ahead and plenty of fights to come. Mann was dangerous in the first round. I hesitated slightly at the start, but then my coaches in the corner gave me the right advice and things began to improve. Honestly, I didn’t expect to finish the fight that early. We prepared to go the full ten rounds. As for what’s next, I’m ready for anyone. I understand that specific challenges matter, but that’s not how I approach it — I’ll fight whoever I’m offered. A bout with Murad Khalidov? I’d rather not. What’s the point of us fighting each other in Russia? But if it has to happen, then we’ll fight.”
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
On the undercard, Michael “Your Highness” King of Luxembourg) and Yury Osipov of Russia battled to a six-round draw in the middleweight division.
Mikhail Grigoryan delivered one of the most technically impressive performances of the night, neutralizing Jeo Santisima. Controlling distance and dictating angles, Grigoryan repeatedly punished his opponent with sharp left hands and uppercuts. Despite a late push from Santisima, Grigoryan maintained control throughout all ten rounds to secure a clear unanimous decision and remain unbeaten.
Sergey Kalchugin closed his career in emphatic fashion, overwhelming Jamshid Khudoyberganov with sustained pressure and body work. After three one-sided rounds, Khudoyberganov declined to continue, handing Kalchugin a technical knockout victory in his farewell bout.
Danil Belevitin’s professional debut featured both adversity and dominance. After being dropped in a flash knockdown in the second round, Belevitin responded by dramatically increasing the pace, breaking his opponent down with body shots before scoring a knockdown of his own. A barrage of unanswered punches forced the referee to stop the fight, awarding Belevitin a comeback technical knockout victory.
