Boxen im Norden: Khoren Gevor vs. Viktor Polyakov RBR [Rafael Bejarán vs. Ilias Essaoudi postponed]

Round 1

Polyakov is jabbing the body as Gevor bounces around the ring, floating his southpaw jab. Gevor reaches in and tickles Polyakov's face with the jab. Gevor throws a 1-2 on the pivot, jab missing as Polyakov sidesteps and left cross a few hairs short. Gevor doubles a couple of left hand leads into Polyakov's guard. Diving body jab by Polyakov. Gevor is waving the right jab in the air, playing watch-the-birdie as Polyakov ducks in place and weaves around it. Gevor plants a straight left between the eyes. Fluttering right jabs on the way in by Gevor. Polyakov spears a right hand into the body, diving under Gevor's jabs. Low blow warning to Polyakov as he makes another submarine pass. Polyakov is parrying the fluttery Gevor southpaw jab on his left forearm. Clinch and tumble into the ropes while clasped together. Polyakov working the body.

10-9 Polyakov, tight

 

Round 2

Polyakov is circling to his right and pushing out at Gevor's midsection with both hands outstretched downward to create space, then jabbing the stomach, eschewing any headhunting in light of Gevor's high guard. A few quick body flurries popped off by Gevor as he spirals in on Polyakov. Overhand right by the Russian, partially caught on the back of Gevor's right wrist. Gevor is twisting away from the right hand of Polyakov, letting it skim across his chest and then snapping in with right hook and short left hand combos before trotting away, eliciting cheers from the crowd at his defensive fluidity and speed for his age. Gevor dancing around, throwing right hooks on the body and then doubling up on the side Polyakov's broad jaw. At the end of the round Gevor jumps on top of Polyakov in a clinch attempt, so Polyakov simply lets his weight sink a bit to receive Gevor and then suddenly erects himself to full height, picking Gevor up and balancing him on his shoulder. Both fighters and the crowd have a little chuckle as the bell rings.

10-9 Gevor

19-19

 

Round 3

Polyakov is jabbing the waistband and diving in with straight & looping rights on the breadbasket. Gevor is dancing away, rowing out the right jab and sliding his rear foot, dragging his toes on the lead foot. Polyakov going berserk on the body, will not be denied. Gevor forced to clinch as he is trapped on the ropes and worked over. Gevor being very negative, changing directions on the outside, playing keepaway. Gevor shoots a couple of right jabs into Polyakov's left to disrupt them but Polyakov is able to out-fence him and land a couple of jabs while chasing, and then dives in to bang the body with more power shots. Gevor unable to successfully flurry to dissuade or properly escape, trapped on the ropes getting tenderized as he dashes side to side in a claustrophobic area on the ropes directly in front of Polyakov.

10-9 Polyakov

29-28 Polyakov

 

Round 4

Polyakov lets Gevor chisel a few southpaw jabs into his brow while burrowing his way inside, whole body hunkered down low, and then Polyakov explodes with hooks on either hip. Gevor being absolutely banged up downstairs. Gevor leaps away from the ropes and flurries, barking as he clangs into the guard. Polyakov is dipping and weaving and feints an uppercut but pulls up short, leaning into Gevor's clinch. A few light jabs on the nose by Gevor, with Polyakov watching, timing his movements, and then CRACKING HIM WITH A GIANT LOOPING RIGHT. Dayum. Punch of the fight so far. Gevor spits out his gum shield. Pause to replace it. Time in. Polyakov is on the hunt, driving his 1-2 past Gevor's soft jab and scoring on the face. Gevor hurt to the body. Gevor flurrying madly in response, using every bit of his hand speed. Crowd going wild.

10-9 Polyakov

39-37 Polyakov

 

Well, third and fourth were both clear (the latter dominant) for Polyakov so unless he gets inarguably shut out in the second half, that one 78-74 card was in fact BS.

 

Round 5

Polyakov is charging with spearing lead rights up top and hooks on the body stepping inside. Gevor is fleeing into the ropes, twisting himself 45° leftward into the crowd and coiling up an uppercut to crash into Polyakov's stomach/crotch when he rushes in, using his own momentum to add emphatic torque and sap his wind. Polyakov cannonballs himself toward Gevor, muscling through his rapid but weak southpaw jab and clipping the body with powerful shoveling blows, then piking at the head with the right. Gevor doing lots of running, grabbing, hugging the ropes.

10-9 Polyakov

49-46 Polyakov

 

Round 6

Polyakov is reaching for the body and falling short with the jab. Gevor is establishing the range and pace now, looking a bit more comfortable as he keeps Polyakov on the end of his right jab while dancing around on his toes. Polyakov is warned for something, maybe going low with a lunging right on the body. Gevor is buzzing Polyakov's hairline with the jab and Polyakov grazes with a looping right on the navel ducking in. Very sloppy attacks from Polyakov now, huffing and puffing but still chugging along, pursuing Gevor to all four corners by turn. Gevor has a little more spring in his step and is playing the jab-and-grab, release-and-flurry, run-wide-rinse-and-repeat game.

10-9 Gevor

58-56 Polyakov

 

Round 7

Polyakov is still attempting to deflate Gevor by puncturing him low with the diving left jab delivered with a running start. Gevor still able to outmaneuver him, pivoting to flurry on Polyakov's face while turning him or sticking the right jab into his eyes. Polyakov is catapulting himself at Gevor and throwing hard body combos but can't pin him down, Gevor like an oiled up piglet in there. Lots of clinching. Some rabbit punches by Gevor. Polyakov answers in kind. Ref is looking a bit disgruntled, these guys don't really listen to his warnings so he seems to have stopped bothering, just letting them fight it out.

10-9 Gevor

67-66 Polyakov

 

WTF, that video is missing the 8th round, cuts off just before the bell is about to sound for it.

But there's another video from a different angle, hooray!

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8th starts 22 minutes in.

 

Round 8

Polyakov is letting Gevor's right jab bounce off his cheeks and continuing to apply heavy pressure, body-checking him into the ropes. Gevor is dancing around, slapping the body leaning in and then pulling out to circle. Polyakov lands a couple of chopping blows walking Gevor into the ropes. Polyakov is dipping to either side as Gevor twitches a jab-feint. Hook on the body from Polyakov. 1-2 by Gevor, ducked and taken across the scapula. Polyakov is caught with a HUGE left cross while throwing a left hook stepping in. Head snaps back sharply but he keeps moving forward. Clinch. Polyakov is held at bay with the Gevor right jab up top but manages to reach in and poke Gevor on the belly with a left jab.

10-9 Gevor, close, pretty much stole it with that giant counter left, otherwise uneventful and pretty even round.

76-76

 

...and here, if anyone's curious to see, is Lo Zito vs. Hardok:

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Doesn't always being right suck?