Матч! Боец: Radzhab Yusupovich Butaev vs. Fazliddin Hasanboyevich Goibnazarov RBR

...now, I'm the first to advocate for all fighters' right to put their own health ahead of the braying masses' entertainment, but - goddamn. There was no broken skin, nary a knockdown in sight or even close to it - this was just a case of a guy emptying his bag of tricks, getting frustrated at nothing working, being the clear loser thus far but with more than half of the contest remaining, and deciding "no thanks".

Beotch-made action.

 

By the by - lest anybody be tempted into excusing Hasanboy Dusmatov's lackluster performance against Siphamandla Baleni with the context that it was his first time competing since May of 2022...know that Butaev himself last fought a month before that, in April of last year (coming off a loss, no less, to Stanionis), and just took care of business.

 

The Python (his original, better nickname before cribbing from Mercito Gesta of all people with "No Mercy") improves to 15-1 with twelve stoppages after snatching the Olympic gold medalist's soul with body punches just now.

He remains the WBA #3 contender at 147lbs, so a chance to avenge his only defeat in a rematch with regular world titlist Stanionis is a distinct possibility...and obviously a far more winnable proposition than super titlist Bud Crawford.

(for those who remember Butaev suffering a robbery loss to Alexander Besputin in 2019 - yes, that happened, but the result was later voided and Besputin stripped when he failed a doping test)

 

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Re-watching, and you can actually see Faz's will to compete slowly ebb over the course of it. By midway into round three he is pelting Butaev with underhanded lefts whipped into his jaw and stomach as hard as he can muster, full-blast - no effect. He looks heartbroken.

Also, somehow I missed this watching live (probably because the ref didn't react to it and treated it like a slip, and my eyes may have momentarily flitted to my keyboard) but there was an uncredited KD that should totally have been ruled for Butaev just under a minute into the 2nd. Landed a three piece on Goib - plugged him with a right in the gut, then a hook and cross on the mush - and sat him down on his ass, clear as day.

 

I actually had it a draw; what made it feel like a gift decision was all three judges happening to have it 116-112 for Besputin when if anything you could argue he squeaked it by the narrowest of margins (115-113) - but really it should have been a draw and obviously it's moot with him popping dirty, and Butaev we can presume would handle a clean Besputin.

This was my take after scoring in the RBR thread after watching it belatedly a couple of months after it happened:

https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/alexander-besputin-vs-radzhab-butaev-cecilia-brækhus-vs-victoria-bustos-rbr.640459/page-13#post-20268155


Still have never gotten around to Stanionis vs. Butaev so don't have any input there.

 

Матч! Боец is name of the channel it aired on.