Jack Robert Culcay-Keth vs. Howard Cospolite & Björn Schicke vs. Marten Arsumanjan RBR

I've got a shutout for Gualteri at the halfway point - but a competitive, fun and hard-fought shutout.

 

Both gassing a tad in the sixth. Gualteri still the busier man, out-jabbing Pavlov from directly in front of & beneath him, and landing clean left hooks to his flanks and jaw - but his own mouth is hanging slack, and he's both getting hit in return and surrendering to clinches more often.

10-9 Gualteri, shading these rounds by ultra narrow margins now.

60-54

 

Pavlov coming on in R7, rushes Gualteri against the ropes with a shoeshine downstairs and pumps some uppercuts into his face. Gualteri able to spin him to reverse position and land in combination. Gualteri very tired, carrying both gloves by his knees when not punching now. Lots of clinching.

10-9 Pavlov, close - finally on the board

69-64 Gualteri

 

This fight is a solid B - meaning, given the havoc COVID-19 has wrought on the landscape of boxing in 2020, it may well be on the current FOTY shortlist!

 

Russian with two rounds on the spin, tagging Il Capo with lashing rights across the base of the skull. Pav's knackered too but Gualteri feeling the pace a bit more, settling the bill for his successes in the first half.

10-9 Pavlov

78-74 Gualteri

 

Cenzo rallied and found some vestiges of quality in the ninth... still well short of his volume and sharpness from the first six, but enough to probably just nose ahead of Pavlov and widen his lead. Both too exhausted for virtually any defense, slipping punches by sheer luck while jogging in place and dipping to either side in rhythm to set up their own shots. One big right hand rocketed upward from a crouch and sending Pavlov reeling secures it for the Italian.

10-9 Gualteri, super close

88-83 Gualteri

 

Bad head clash partway into round 10... for a moment seemed like Pavlov was too hurt to continue. Would hate to see this end on some nonsense, it deserves better...

 

Pavlov never entirely recovered from the headbutt, and was a sitting duck for several Gualteri right hands, but managed to keep his feet (save for a slip when Gualteri stepped on his foot, correctly no-called by the ref).

Huge rally by Gualteri in the final ten seconds after the clap - he wants the KO, but doesn't get it. Pounds the crap outta Pavlov's face with a bunch of unanswered straights, though.

10-9 Gualteri

98-92 Gualteri

 

Best case you could argue for Pavlov is maybe Gualteri winning 96-94. IMO even a draw would be too generous for the Russian.

Now let's see who claims the vacant German BDB middleweight title...

 

Official cards:

95-95
96-95
96-94

MD for... Gualteri

 

The belt Cenzo just won is two months away from celebrating 101 years of lineage.

Notable past holders include Carl Schmidt, Graciano Rocchigiani, Sebastian Sylvester, and most recently Björn Schicke (who boxes in today's co-main event).

 

Il Capo is tri-lingual, apparently. (from Italy, resides in Germany, and the ring announcer posed a question to him in English, which he fully comprehended but chose to respond auf Deutsch)

 

Björn Schicke vs. Marten Arsumanjan, 12 rounds @ middleweight

 

This is for the European middleweight title, 1st defense of Schicke (who vacated that German belt we just saw contested to challenge for - and claim - the vacant EBU last November)

 

Schicke keeping his wiry frame bunched up, tightly wound, planting the long right hand on the chin of Arsumanjan regularly - both with the conventional placement (knuckle-backs facing the ceiling) as well as some unique forklift-style underhanded shots.

Arsumanjan brushing him with some uppercuts on the face and torso falling in, but without much leverage and quickly tying up or slinking outside afterward.

10-9 Schicke