An IBA pro card took place in Kaliningrad, Russia on May 1st. David Surov (2-0) defeated Kevin Martinez of Mexico in a heavyweight bout. From the opening minutes, Surov held the advantage in speed and movement. In the second round, he calmly shifted away from Martinez’s dangerous right hand, beat him to the punch and came back with accurate counters. Martinez (14-3) tried to force a hard exchange and turn the bout into a physical fight, but Surov did not allow him to settle at his preferred range. David used his footwork well, boxed effectively on the pull and repeatedly returned with his own attacks. Surov went on to claim a clear victory on points. Martinez proved durable and tough, but the Russian was sharper, faster and in better control of the bout.
Russian cruiserweight Aleksei Egorov prevailed over previously undefeated Seydi Coupe of France. Egorov (14-3) moved forward in the opening round and worked well to both head and body. In the second, Coupe (13-1) began to answer more actively and caused the Russian some problems. The third round was the most even of the contest, while Coupe showed his best qualities in the fourth, defending well and giving Egorov a competitive fight. Even so, Aleksei finished strongly and secured a convincing victory. Immediately after the bout, Egorov called out fellow Russian boxer Aleksei Papin.
Solomon Adebayo of Nigeria lost to Evgeny Zemlyakov of Russia in a heavyweight bout. The Russian boxer took the initiative from the first round, pressed forward and dropped his opponent late in the round. In the second round, Zemlyakov landed a combination after which Adebayo was unable to continue. Russia reduced the deficit in the team contest.
Imam Kastoev was looking for revenge against Sergey Ogannisyan after a controversial defeat in the Russian amateur system. Their four-round contest was tense throughout and ended in a draw.
Dmitry Shefer and Artemiy Bogdanovich produced one of the toughest battles of the night. After four rounds of heavy exchanges, Shefer claimed a confident victory and preserved his unbeaten record.
Two professional debutants, Supkhan Gurbanov and Amirshokh Dzhalolov, both showed speed, technique and a willingness to work at a high pace, but the judges could not separate them, with the all-Russian bout ending in a draw.
Lukas Ndafoluma of Namibia faced Varazdat Mkrtchyan of Russia. Mkrtchyan took control from the opening round, moving forward, breaking through his opponent’s defense and boxing confidently with his hands low. The second round followed the same pattern, with Mkrtchyan maintaining pressure as Ndafoluma came under increasing difficulty and took a knee. In the third round, Varazdat dropped him with a body shot to the liver. At the start of the fourth round, Mkrtchyan sustained a powerful combination that led to a stoppage. Varazdat secured an emphatic technical knockout victory.
Mahammad Abdullayev of Azerbaijan and Vladislav Vishev of Russia both came in with strong amateur backgrounds, but Abdullayev found his range more quickly in the opening round. Despite giving up size, he applied pressure from the start and landed several heavy shots. Vishev continued to struggle to control the distance in the second round. Abdullayev kept pressing, worked effectively to the body and went on to secure a clear victory.
Khalimjon Mamasoliev of Uzbekistan defeated Russia's Andrey Stotsky. Mamasoliev pressed from the opening bell, while Stotsky tried to box on the back foot. The first round was close, but the Uzbek boxer’s advantage became clearer as the fight progressed. In the second round, Mamasoliev landed a sharp double left and hurt his opponent. In the third, he increased the pressure, boxed with more power and accuracy, and Stotsky was unable to change the direction of the fight. The second half of the bout followed the same pattern, with Mamasoliev in control as he delivered the World Team’s second point.
