Alexander Povetkin faces Mariusz Wach today in Kazan, Russia, headlining a show with three world title fights and talent up and down the card in the form of veterans and prospects. BLH will have live coverage beginning at 8 am EST, and if you're in the States and looking to watch, you can order the online streaming PPV in the video above for just $9.99.
Povetkin (29-1, 21 KO) is looking to score a win that could lead to a mandatory title shot against WBC world heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder in 2016. Povetkin has won three straight in impressive fashion since his 2013 loss to Wladimir Klitschko. Wach (31-1, 17 KO) has won four straight since his own loss to Klitschko, which came in 2012.
World Title Fights: Denis Lebedev (27-2, 20 KO) will defend the WBA cruiserweight title against Lateef Kayode (21-0, 16 KO); Cesar Cuenca (48-0, 2 KO) defends the IBF junior welterweight belt against Eduard Troyanovsky (22-0, 19 KO); and Svetlana Kulakova (10-0-1, 1 KO) puts her WBA junior welterweight belt against Ana Laura Esteche (11-4-2, 2 KO).
Other Undercard Bouts: Rakhim Chakhkiev (24-1, 18 KO) vs Ola Afolabi (21-4-4, 10 KO), cruiserweights, 12 rounds; Dmitry Kudrayshov (18-0, 18 KO) vs Olanrewaju Durodola (21-2, 19 KO), cruiserweights, 12 rounds; Dmitry Bivol (4-0, 4 KO) vs Jackson Junior (19-4, 17 KO), light heavyweights, 10 rounds; Viskhan Murzabekov (11-0, 5 KO) vs Solomon Bogere (13-2-2, 10 KO), welterweights, 10 rounds; Rauf Garaev (8-4, 4 KO) vs Andrey Tomashchuk (1-2, 0 KO), junior middleweights, 6 rounds.
Patrick L. Stumberg will be on the live call, so join us for some morning-to-afternoon boxing action!
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Alexander Povetkin def. Mariusz Wach by TKO (cut) in Round Twelve
Denis Lebedev def. Lateef Kayode by TKO in Round Eight
Ola Afolabi def. Rakhim Chakhkiev by KO at 1:44 of Round Five
Olanrewaju Durodola def. Dmitry Kudryashov by TKO at 2:29 of Round Two
Eduard Troyanovsky def. Cesar Cuenca by RTD at 2:44 of Round Six
Dmitry Bivol def. Jackson Junior by TKO at 1:59 of Round Four
Vizkhan Murzabekov def. Solomon Bogere by KO in Round Three
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Alexander Povetkin vs. Mariusz Wach
Round one: Wach sticking out his jab, but not standing terribly tall. Right to the body from Povetkin. Good shots inside, clinch. One minute in. More jabs from Wach. Left hook by Povetkin. One minute to go. Povetkin taps the body, Wach clinches. Cuffing shots by the Russian. 1-2 by Wach. Overhand right from Povetkin, body blows by Wach. Counter right by the big man. 10-9 Wach.
Round two: Short blows from Povetkin, Wach is warned for pressing his head down. Povetkin pops him with a lead hook, right hand, and body blows. One minute in. Left hook, stiff jab. Wach's jab isn't as busy this round. Clinch. 1-2 by Wach, 2-1 by Povetkin. One minute to go. Povetkin digs to the body, Wach clinches. Overhand right, Wach comes back to the body. 10-9 Povetkin, 19-19.
Round three: Wach goes back to the jab. Combo by the Russian. Double left hook, one high and one low. Body shots. One minute in. Povetkin continues to target the body. Wach almost exclusively using the jab. Overhand right just misses for Povetkin. Hard body shots around the guard. One minute to go. Straight right downstairs connects. Overhand right and left uppercut, Wach warned again for the clinching. Wach to the body, Povetkin answers. Wach pops him with a 1-2. 10-9, 29-28 Povetkin.
Round four: Overhand right, uppercut, left hook from Povetkin, then some body blows. Another uppercut lands for Povetkin, as does a right cross inside. Wach not offering much besides the jab at this point. Overhand right, uppercut from Povetkin. One minute in. 1-2 by Wach. Body shots, right uppercut from Povetkin. Clinch. Cross counter hits home for Povetkin. One minute to go. Body shot, stiff left upstairs. 1-2 from Wach, combination from Povetkin. Wach lands another right and now Povetkin's cut. 3-2 from Povetkin, body shot from Wach. 10-9, 39-37 Povetkin.
Round five: Wach pumping the jab, avoids the overhand right. Povetkin steps in and lands a left hook upstairs. One minute in. Wach having a better round. Overhand right and left hook from Povetkin. Wach firing the jab and lands a 1-2. Povetkin sneaks a pair of hooks through and around the guard. Overhand right by Povetkin after taking some more jabs. Wach with a right to the body, Povetkin with a left hook downstairs. 10-9, 49-46 Povetkin.
Round six: Hard combination from Povetkin to start to the round. 2-3, clinch. Another good combination. One minute in. Double jab from Povetkin. Overhand right just misses, the next right hand connects. One minute to go. Povetkin lands the right hand again and the left uppercut, then digs to the body. Wach's not doing much this round and eats another combination. Good right hand by Povetkin, then a 1-2. Clinch. 10-9, 59-55 Povetkin.
Round seven: Povetkin lands a solid right and left hook early. Wach's output has dropped and it wasn't considerable to begin with. Povetkin can literally just walk into range. One minute in. Povetkin with a right downstairs. Stiff jab by Wach, body shots from Povetkin. Overhand right, body shot, overhand. Clinch. Overhand, clinched. One minute to go. Hard 1-2-3 from Povetkin, the latter to the body. More body shots. Wach with a right downstairs, clinch. 1-2 from Povetkin at the bell. 10-9, 69-64 Povetkin.
Round eight: Hard lead hook from Povetkin, then body shots. Clinch. Left hooks from Povetkin in combination. Clinch. Body shots from Povetkin. Hard uppercut inside. Wach's tired and moving poorly. Overhand right from Povetkin, clinch. One minute to go. Clinch. Short lefts by Povetkin. Clinch. Combination, clinch. 1-2 by the Russian, clinch. 10-9, 79-73 Povetkin.
Round nine: Wach hasn't even been close to hurt, but he's got nothing for Povetkin. He's slipping some punches and tossing out jabs once in a while, but that's it. Stiff jabs and a right uppercut by Povetkin. Lead hook, uppercut, lead hook. Clinch. One minute in. 1-2 by Wach. More jabs. Povetkin lands a series of lefts and clinches. Lead hook by Povetkin. Overhand right by Povetkin, then another. One minute to go. Multiple left hooks in sequence. Clinch. Body shots from Povetkin. Clinch. 1-2 , 3-2, uppercut-left hook by Povetkin before the bell. 10-9, 89-82 Povetkin.
Round ten: More of the same. Wach's not doing anything to stop Povetkin from getting inside. Clinch. He's landing some jabs. Clinch, low blow from Povetkin. One minute in. 2-3 from Povetkin, right to the body. Clinch. Hard hooks and a chopping right by Povetkin and now Wach's wearing a cut below his left eye. Clinch. Stiff left, clinch. One minute to go. Overhand right and short uppercut, clinch. Clinch. Clinch, 2-3 on the exit by Povetkin. Clinch. Jabs from Wach met by a heavy right hand. Povetkin cracks him a few more times before the bell. 10-9, 99-91 Povetkin.
Round eleven: Clinch. Combination by Povetkin. Short shovel hook, clinch. 1-2 lands. Wach jabbing. Overhand right, uppercut from Povetkin. Body shot. Lead right, then a series of lefts from Povetkin. Clinch. Three-piece combo lands. Wach with a right uppercut inside. Loose tape on Wach's glove pauses the fight. Left hook from Povetkin on the reset, then a pair of body shots. Wach digs to the body. Corkscrew uppercut lands for Povetkin, clinch. Body shots. One minute to go. Another hard combination by Povetkin. 2-3-3. Body shots. Clinch. Jab, clinch. Hard hook inside. Overhand right, counter right by Wach in return. 10-9, 109-100 Povetkin.
Round twelve: Jab, hook, clinch. Clinch. 2-1 connects, then another hard lead hook. Body shot. Povetkin continuing to land heavy shots. Wach's corner takes a look at his cut and it's deep enough that they stop it.
Final result: Povetkin def. Wach by TKO (cut)
Denis Lebedev vs. Lateef Kayode
Round one: Another mirror matchup, so some pawing early. One minute in. Lebedev prods the body. Straight right from Kayode, then to the body. Lebedev fires a straight left downstairs. One minute to go. Kayode working well behind his jab. Lebedev lands a left hand to the forehead. Kayode to the body before the bell. 10-9 Kayode.
Round two: Lebedev with a jab to the body. Right hook up top. Straight left to the chest, looks like. One minute in. Lebedev again goes to the body with the left. Kayode to the body in return. One minute to go. Lebedev with a right hook. Kayode with a 1-2 downstairs, avoids a big left from Lebedev. Left to the body from Lebedev before the bell. 10-9 Lebedev, 19-19.
Round three: 3-2 from Lebedev. Lebedev goes to the body, Kayode flurries. Another left downstairs from Lebedev. One minute in. 1-2 from the Russian. 1-1-2 this time. Kayode with a right to the gut. One minute to go. 1-2 draws a smirk from Kayode. Good long left by the Russian before the bell. 10-9, 29-28 Lebedev.
Round four: Lebedev just misses with an overhand left. Kayode waving him on, takes a left straight. Kayode to the body as he pursues. Short left from Lebedev. Lebedev with a jab and straight left to the body. One minute in. Nice jabs from Lebedev, then a short left as Kayode ducks. Kayode comes back with body blows. One minute to go. Right hook by Lebedev draws a smile. Kayode pops him with a jab. He's doing a bit of showboating but getting outboxed. Right hook lands again for Lebedev before the bell. 10-9, 39-37 Lebedev.
Round five: Right hook from Lebedev, then a left straight to the body. Body jab. Nice 2-3 by Lebedev, Kayode sticks out his tongue. One minute in. Three-punch combo connects for the Russian. Check hook lands. 1-1-2, then a hard counter left. Body shot this time. Lebedev cracks him with yet another counter left and right hook. One minute to go. Another 3-2 counter. Kayode lands a 1-2 and postures. Lebedev comes back with a lead left. Kayode continuing to mock him, eats a left to the body. Lead right by Kayode. 10-9, 49-46 Lebedev.
Round six: Lebedev opens the round with body shots. Looking for the lead left. Hard combination from the Russian, Kayode comes back with rights to the body. Left hook by Kayode. One minute in. Hard counter left by Lebedev. Right hook connects. Kayode with a 1-2 downstairs. One minute to go. Lebedev pops him with a counter hook and then digs to the body. Good short combination. He digs one more left downstairs before the bell. 10-9, 59-55 Lebedev.
Round seven: 3-2 to start the round from Lebedev, who backs Kayode up with further combinations. One minute in. Hard left to the gut by Lebedev, Kayode comes back with a right downstairs. Short uppercut by Lebedev, then a sweeping left hand. One minute to go. Hard 3-2 from Lebedev knocks Kayode down; it might have been a push, but Smoger gives him a count. Counter right by Kayode after an argument. Lebedev just misses on a pair of right hooks before the bell. 10-8, 69-63 Lebedev.
Round eight: Yeah, looked like a push.
Counter left from Lebedev, then another huge left puts Kayode flat on his back. That's a real knockdown. Kayode makes it back to his feet and Lebedev storms after him, dropping him with another left. Kayode's protesting that one for some reason. Kayode's firing back but Lebedev looks determined. One minute in. Uppercut, then a massive left hand that knocks Kayode's head way back against the ropes. Kayode droops forward and covers up, allowing Lebedev to drill him with a couple more lefts before Steve Smoger steps in.
Final result: Lebedev def. Kayode by TKO
Rakhim Chakhkiev vs. Ola Afolabi
Round one: Pawing early, as expected of a mirror matchup. Chakhkiev to the body. Overhand left, then a straight to the body. One minute in. Afolabi answers downstairs. Right hook from Chakhkiev, who's aggressive early. Clinch. Left to the body. 2-3 from Chakhkiev and they clash heads in the process, causing both men to pause. Chakhkiev keeps attacking after turning to the ref. One minute to go. Chakhkiev throwing heat to the head and body. Clinch. Clinch. 10-9 Chakhkiev.
Round two: Hard right hand from Chakhkiev early. Counter right from Afolabi, then a 1-2. Clinch. Hard flurry by Chakhkiev, landing bombs against and around the guard. Hard counter hook by Afolabi. Counter right hook by Chakhkiev soon after. One minute in. Hard overhand lefts from Chakhkiev, then another brutal flurry. He's not making clean contact but there are some bombs slipping through. Afolabi makes space. Left to the body by Chakhkiev, clinch. One minute to go. 3-2 from Afolabi lands clean. Clinch. 10-9, 20-18 Chakhkiev.
Round three: Chakhkiev comes out orthodox, then switches back. Afolabi to the body, Chakhkiev with a counter hook. Right hook, clinch. Clinch. Overhand left and right hook to the body. One minute in. Chakhkiev with a straight left to the body. Right hook, body shot, right hook up top and their heads collide. Afolabi's got an ugly cut over his left eye from the butt, but they go back to it. Right hook from Chakhkiev, then another and they clinch. Hard shots from Chakhkiev, another clinch one minute to go. Chakhkiev's landing bombs. Clinch, hard right hands from Chakhkiev inside. More big shots from the Russian. Clinch. Hard right hook rattles Afolabi and Chakhkiev continues carpet bombing him until the bell. 10-9, 30-27 Chakhkiev.
Round four: Afolabi sticking out the jab. Clinch. Chakhkiev dipping low. Counter hook from Chakhkiev. Afolabi tags the body. Clinch. One minute in. Afobali continuing to jab, lands a right to the body. Clinch. Overhand left from Chakhkiev, clinch. One minute to go. Body shot lands for him. Clinch. Chakhkiev hops in with a right hook, then a straight left. Afolabi's jab working well. 10-9 Afolabi, 39-37 Chakhkiev.
Round five. Straight lefts from Chakhkiev. Hard right hands from Afolabi knock Chakhkiev down, but the ref inexplicably calls it a slip. Garbage. Clinch. Left hook for Afolabi. One minute in. Afolabi digs a right to the body. Clinch. Left hook and more jabs. Chakhkiev lands some hard rights in the clinch. Nice right from Afolabi, then a counter left that makes Chakhkiev faceplant. Knockout of the Year candidate from Ola Afolabi.
Final result: Afolabi def. Chakhkiev by knockout
Dmitry Kudryashov vs. Olanrewaju Durodola
Round one: Durodola active early. Nice combinations by the Nigerian. He's landing some good shots in Kudryashov. Kudrayshov just playing defense at the moment. Body blows from the Russian. NICE left hook takes Durodola's legs out. He manages to stay up on the ropes, but eats a bevy of shots from Kudryashov. Now Kudrayashov's walking him down and lands a brutal hook to the body. Halfway through the round. Durodola firing back; Kudryashov's right eye is starting to swell. Straight right by Kudryashov. Another left hook and straight right. Solid shots by Durodola. 3-2 from Kudryashov, then a straight right and uppercut. Body shot lands, Durodola clinches. Good round. 10-9 Kudryashov.
Round two: Kudryashov jabbing the body, lands a good hook as Durodola looks to open up. Clinch. Solid blows from Durodola. Hard shots on the inside. One minute in. Combination seems to rattle Kudryashov and Durodola's pouring it on. Kudryashov playing defense on the ropes and manages to clinch. More heavy blows by Durodola on the ropes. Left hook after Kudryashov turns him around. Left hook from the Russian, then another met by a huge rigth hand that nearly drops Kudryashov. Durodola continues pouring on a ludicrous amount of punishment and Kudryashov is out on his feet. The ref steps in and Durodola's done it.
Final result: Durodola def. Kudryashov by TKO
Cesar Cuenca vs. Eduard Troyanovsky
Round one: Troyanovsky looks like the bigger man by a fair margin. Straight left by Cuenca. Both men coming up a bit short with their punches in the early going. One minute in. Cuenca circling. Straight left to the body, Troyanovsky answers with his right. Right up top by Troyanovsky. One minute to go. Another right hand connects. Cuenca comes back with a combination. Bell. 10-9 Troyanovsky.
Round two: More pawing from both men early on. Left to the body from the Argentinian. Troyanovsky falling short with right hands. Counter right lands for him, then one on the lead. Troyanovsky stalking. One minute in. Cuenca's punches coming up short as well. One minute to go. Cuenca flurries. Good jabs from Cuenca. Solid straight right by Troyanovksy, clinch. Cuenca with a double jab. 10-9, 20-18 Troyanovsky.
Round three: Both men sticking out the jab, neither of them making real contact with it. Three-piece combo from Cuenca, who avoids retaliation. Troya to the body, Cuenca catches him at the end of a three-piece. One minute in. This is a pretty bad fight, honestly. Cuenca having more success this round. Lots of glancing blows. One minute to go. Right from Troyanovsky, straight left by Cuenca. Troyanovsky keeps throwing an ugly right uppercut. Combination from Cuenca kicks off a nice exchange. 1-2 from Troyanovsky. 10-9 Cuenca, 29-28 Troyanovsky.
Round four: Jabs from the Russian. Counter combo by Cuenca near the ropes. Body shot lands, Troyanovsky comes back with an overhand right. One minute in. More jabs. Counter left by Cuenca. Troyanovsky with a straight right, answered by a left. Lead right from the Russian. One minute to go. Cuenca's got a mouse under his left eye from those right hands. Body shot by eh Argentinian. Hard combination from Troyanovsky on the ropes and Cuenca tells him to come on. They slug it out in entertaining fashion until the bell. 10-9, 39-37 Troyanovsky.
Round five: More active start to his round as Troyanovsky pursues with right hands. Counter combo from Cuenca. Lead hook lands for the Russian, then a right hand as they trade on the ropes. One minute in. Cuenca touches the body. He opens up on the ropes. The pace slows back down and they paw in the center. One minute to go. Cuenca catches a right to the back of the head. His footwork has been on point this round and he lands a counter left. Overhand left by the Argentinian. Troyanovsky biffs him with a nice left uppercut before the bell. 10-9 Cunca, 48-46 Troyanovsky.
Round six: Cuenca looks a lot more animated now and pokes the body. Troyanovsky with a right downstairs, then a check hook. Low-high two-piece from Cuenca. One minute in. Troyanovsky tries a combination and runs into a right hand. Long right by Troyanovsky. 1-2, then a straight right by Troyanovsky. One more right through the guard. Hard left uppercut from Troyanovsky and they trade some haymakers. One minute to go. Another right lands for Troyanovsky. Cuenca digs to the body. Troyanovsky steps in with a left uppercut and Cuenca dips down, then lefts him when they collide. Cuenca falls back and is slow to get up; there seems to be some confusion in the corner. The ref waves it off, believing that Cuenca doesn't want to continue. His cornermen are cursing the ref out; you can clearly hear at least one "puta." Too little, too late.
Final result: Troyanovsky def. Cuenca by RTD
Dmitry Bivol vs. Jackson Junior
Round one: Bivol sticking out the jab early. Finding success to the head and body with it. Body shot lands for Bivol. Hard combinations from Bivol on the counter. One minute in. Straight right connects. To the body this time.. Bivol continues to land the jab and counter hard whenever Junior comes back. One minute to go. Junior to the body. 1-2s from Bivol. The jabs continue to pile up and he lands a combination before the bell. 10-9 Bivol.
Round two: Bivol goes back to work, lands a sweeping right. Hard hook to the body and another series of combinations upstairs. Junior to the body. Bivol backing him up with jabs and straights, lands a check hook and another wide right. One minute in. Junior to the body, then lands an overhand right. Bivol digs a hook downstairs, then counters when Junior does the same. Bivol's jab is terrific. One minute to go. Bivol continuing to land heavy combinations and he rattles Junior, who clinches. Bivol continues to pursue and puts him down on the ropes with a hard pair of right hands in combination. The Brazilian survives the round. 10-8, 20-17 Bivol.
Round three: Junior comes out throwing, but Bivol's just too much for him right now. He continuesto land quality jabs and back Junior around the ring. Savage combinations from Bivol on the ropes. Junior tries to throw back, eats a left hook. One minute in. Hard body shot from Bivol. Junior's eating a lot of shots and just covering up for the most part. More body shots from Bivol. One minute to go. Junior with a combination, but walks into a stiff left. Bivol piling up shots on the ropes. Junior lands a combination inside. Check hook and 1-2 from Bivol. 10-9, 30-26 Bivol.
Round four: Bivol continuing to walk Junior down and stick him with the jab. 1-2 lands. One minute in. Junior with an overhand and body shot. Combination inside, met by a stiff jab. Bivol backs him to the ropes with punches. Junior drops his left hand to throw a right and Bivol meets him with a nasty right of his own, sending Junior down. The Brazilian makes it up, but it looks like his nose is busted and he clearly doesn't want any more. Clinical by Bivol.
Final result: Bivol def. Junior by TKO
Vizkhan Murzabekov vs. Solomon Bogere
Round one: Bogere sticking out the jab, eats a combo from Vizkhan. Bogere the busier of the two in the center. Body shot by Vizkan. Overhand right connects. Bogere to the body, again after taking a right hand. Combination from Bogere, then to the body. Very busy fight so far. Check hook lands for Bogere after taking one from Murzabekov. Left hook lands. Combination by Vizkhan, Bogere comes back with the jab. Vizkhan to the body before the bell. 10-9 Bogere.
Round two: They're not showing the fight clock for some reason. Bogere staying busy with combinations. Hooks from Murzabekov in return. Bogere forces him back with a nice flurry. Clinch. Bogere's leaving his chin out there. Murzabekov with a left hook, then another as Bogere backs him to the ropes. Check hook from Bogere. Bogere's just so much busier. Both tag the body. Left hook by Murzabekov. Counter uppercut and two hooks seem to rattle Bogere. Bogere gets a reprieve after losing his mouthpiece. Murzabekov leaping in with left hooks to very good effect. Murzabekov switches stances, Bogere backs him off with a combo. Double left hook from Bogere. Another huge leaping hook sends Bogere down near the ropes. It's a hard knockdown, but Bogere survives the round. 10-8 Murzabekov, 19-18 Murzabekov.
Round three: Murzabekov aggressive early and scores another left hook knockdown. Bogere looks stable, beat eats some more shots. Murzabekov flurries and another hook drops Bogere a third time. Murzabekov storming after him and lands a nasty overhand right. Another terrific hook and this one knocks Bogere clean out. Great performance by Murzabekov.
Final result: Murzabekov def. Bogere by knockout