Матч: Albert Khanbulatovich Batyrgaziev vs. Suat Laze & Khariton Daurovich Agrba vs. Andrey Maik RBR

Agrba still hasn't shed the habit of vocally emphasizing his punches from the amateurs.

"hah! hwueh!"

Something you eventually want to phase out in the pros, especially as bout length increases to several rounds past what you box in the am's. That habit isn't great for long haul energy conservation and can telegraph your offensive rhythm if the opponent pays studious attention to your breathing.

That said, he's imposing his will on Maik, walking him down and throwing power shots regularly behind a strong jab, although he is yet to catch him with anything flush enough to put his chin under scrutiny.

50-45

 

Hmm.

Not sure what's happening, the bout appears to have been halted. Both corners in the ring now removing the fighters' gloves.

edit: the ring emcee announces the result, which includes the word "knockout" in English, in Agrba's favor. Still unclear what happened - injury to Maik, perhaps? Or he just up and quit?

TKO5!

 

Sasha Povetkin is sitting ringside (they showed him a few times during the prelims; he might promote or manage some of those prospects) and Denis Lebedev is also in attendance, now being interviewed. Looking slightly chubbier in the jowls than last time we saw him, but not in terrible shape, could make a return at bridgerweight if he really wanted to.

 

I still can't get over Maik just casually being like "okay cool, I lose..."

Sure it was halfway into the match and he was in a deep hole, but he wasn't getting TOTALLY outclassed, and he came in with a 7-0 record. You wouldn't think he'd be so quick to forfeit that (even if he didn't quit, his body language when it was stopped was blasé and calmly accepting).

 

Albert Khanbulatovich Batyrgaziev vs. Suat Laze, 10 rounds @ featherweight

 

Interesting. Laze has gone with the Italian national anthem rather than Albanian. Guess he's all-in repping the margherita flag.

 

For anybody that didn't watch th Olympics a couple of months ago: Batyrgaziev was among the strongest men's performers outside the Cuban team, alongside Pat McCormack.

Had there been a Val Barker trophy awarded (there wasn't, due to AIBA's recent scandals meaning they got neutered from administration of the Games) he wouldn't have been the recipient, but an honorable mention.

 

Round 1

Batyrgaziev is flooding his fellow southpaw with right jabs. The first is usually snapped out quick and hard and the ones behind it are thrown in more yo-yo fashion, barely returning halfway before sent out again. Laze is skipping to his right, backside skimming the ropes, holding both arms bent up parallel to his face, and lowering his elbows as needed to protect against lancing body shots from Batyrgaziev. Laze very tightly wound, flitting around the ring nervously and slashing at Batyrgaziev with intermittent 1-2s and wild left uppercuts downstairs to buy himself room to maneuver.

10-9 Batyrgaziev

 

Round 2

Batyrgaziev is finding Laze's upper lip easily with the jab, putting several on him in a row, to Laze's chagrin as he keeps twisting his chest & turning his neck. The frustration of the Albanian-Italian with his inability to slip punches despite his best efforts is very apparent. He resorts to wild overhand lefts to fend Batyrgaziev off, but the Russian walks through a few of them and touches up Laze further with right hooks and carefully placed roundhouse lefts behind a measuring jab on that same well-tread spot on the mouth. Laze goes down on a delayed reaction from a couple of flush shots, and clutches at his shoulder, in what to me looks to be a bit of playacting, finding a way out by faking injury. Or maybe he did overexert himself throwing some of those desperate shots, idk, give him the benefit of the doubt I guess. Either way, this is over...

KO2!!

 

Laze had never been stopped entering this, his 35th contest.

Batyrgaziev improves to 4-0 in the pros, all by KO.

 

Lebedev and Povetkin standing behind him (literally), both looking proud as punch. I'm guessing Batyrgaziev is a co-project of theirs.

Their relative height differentials also happen to be perfectly suited to making Russian nesting dolls of them:

This content is protected

(or at least to have them do a sick Ginyu Force style pose )

 

Batyrgaziev is 23 but his face looks a decade younger. I'd readily believe he was in junior high school if you told me.