German-born Kurd Agit Kabayel defended his interim WBC heavyweight title against Poland’s Damian Knyba in Oberhausen, Germany Saturday night. Kabayel had an uphill battle starting in the first round as he was at the end of the tall Pole’s jab and awkward style, from which he received a cut on his right eyelid.
Kabayel immediately began to turn the tables in the second round as he found his rhythm with shots to the head and the body of the 6’7 Knyba. In the third, Kabayel landed his first hard right to the head of Knyba, returning the favor by cutting the Pole along the side of the left eye.
A mixture of body shots and right hands to the head began to wilt Knyba visibly. Several more right hands had Knyba reeling around the ring on unsteady legs. Referee Mark Lyson had seen enough, stepping in to save Knyba from further damage. The time was 2:36 of the third round. Kabayel moves to 27-0, 19 KOs. Knyba falls to 17-1, 11 KOs.
The atmosphere created by the thirty thousand strong crowd was electric. When asked, “Who’s next?” the crowd began chanting, “Usyk…Usyk…Usyk!” Kabayel appeared up for it and the brain trusts behind Queensberry Promotions are going to push for it as well.
Granit Shala (Germany) and Peter Milas (Croatia) battled for Shala’s IBF international heavyweight title in the co-main event. It was a fight that was incredibly difficult to score through nine rounds, with each man having their moments in the back and forth tactical contest.
Suddenly, in the 10th round, both men stood toe-to-toe, when Milas landed a Titanic right hand, dropping Shala hard. He rose with a badly cut left eye, but was driven to the ropes under heavy fire again. As Shala staggered to the middle of the ring, Milas signaled to the referee to stop it as he pointed to the wilting Shala.
The referee did nothing, so Milas took matters into his own hands, drilling Shala with another hard right which sent him crashing to the canvas yet again. As the referee took his time counting, the corner of Shala threw in the towel which the referee still didn’t see. He kept counting as Shala rose shakily by pulling himself up the ropes. The referee kept counting until 10, then finally waved it off at 1:29 of the final round.
Milas wins the IBF intercontinental heavyweight title and moves to 20-1, 16 KOs. Shala loses his second fight, to fall to 18-2, 7 KOs.
Nelson Birchall (UK) got the call on Wednesday to fight Wilbert Panttin (Spain via Nicaragua) on this Saturday night card in Germany. He took the opportunity and got five solid rounds of work in, as Panttin surrendered on his stool between rounds 5 and 6, after a one-sided beating. Birchall will now take a 10-0, 7 KOs record into his battle 2 weeks from now against Ryan Griffiths on the Itauma – Franklin undercard. Panttin falls to 7-7, 4 KOs.
#1 ranked Jadier Herrera (Dubai, by way of Cuba) and #3 ranked Ricardo Nuñez (Panama) went to war for the vacant interim, WBC lightweight title. A hard right dropped Herrera in the first round. He battled hard to get himself back into the fight, driving Nuñez back with his own hard left in the fourth round.
Herrera rocked Nuñez along the ropes with some hard combinations in round five. Slowly but surely, Herrera took control and turned things around from that first round knockdown. Suddenly out of nowhere, a flurry along the ropes rocked Nuñez, who appeared to be out on his feet, prompting referee Daniel Van de Wiele to step in and save Nuñez from further punishment.
Van de Wiele was in an awkward position, coming from behind Herrera. As he tried to get between the two fighters, his feet got tangled up with Herrera’s and he himself went crashing to the canvas! Herrera began to celebrate, Nuñez was dazed along the ropes and Van de Wiele struggled to get back to his feet. When he did so, he walked directly over to Nuñez and waved it off at 2:15 of the eighth.
Herrera is now the interim WBC champ at lightweight. He could move up to full Champion if current champion Shakur Stevenson wins the WBO super lightweight title against Champion Teofimo Lopez. Herrera is now 18-0, 16 KOs. The hard luck Nuñez falls to 26-8, 22 KOs.
Roman Fury, kid brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson, stopped Kevin Greenwood standing at 2:52 of the fourth. Greenwood was taking non-stop punishment without answering back. Fury goes to 6-0, 3 KOs. Greenwood falls to 6-12, 1 KO.
Opening the show, former German Olympian Nelvie Tiafack teed of on Poland’s Piotr Cwik dropping him once in the second before the referee stepped in to stop Cwik standing at 1:50 of the round. Tiafack now 3-0, 3 KOs. Cwik falls to 9-6, 8 KOs.
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