Denis Lebedev vs. James Toney & undercard RBR

Round 3

Bakhtin is landing hard rights behind every stiff jab - and not missing many of his jabs. Melendez is down! Bakhtin keeps working him over, mixing in some underhanded slap-hooks to the hip but mostly focusing upstairs with straight piercing shots. Bakhtin starts to back up and draw Melendez into his jab, literally just feeding it down his gullet as Melendez hacks at him uselessly. Bakhtin is in defensive mode now, backing up and making Melendez reach with rights that just have too far to travel in too little time.

10-8 Bakhtin

30-26 Bakhtin

 

Round 4

Bakhtin flicks his jab up into Melendez's face, backhanding. Melendez tries to hurl his own 1-2 across the gulf but can't root out Bakhtin from his position on the outside, reaping only the stinging pain of being countered with jabs and rights to the bridge of the nose. Bakhtin opens up a bit in the last minute and drives forward with his straight double-whammies with lefts and rights, converting the jab again into a power punch.

40-34 Bakhtin

 

Round 5

Bakhtin is just holding his jabbing arm out at length now like a ruler, keeping Melendez cued up for rights and also fishing up around Melendez's right ear with a hook, casting the line down to his trunks when he doesn't get any bites. All Melendez can do is drift to the ropes and shell up, hoping to snake out a quick shot while Bakhtin leaves himself open with his straight flurries coming forward to crowd in. Melendez grabs at Bakhtin and winds up tossing him to the floor with his limbs snagged and laced around each other.

50-43 Bakhtin