World Boxing Super Series results: Dorticos wrecks Kudryashov in second round

Yunier Dorticos left no question about his World Boxing Super Series quarterfinal fight with Dmitry Kudryashov tonight in San Antonio, knocking out the powerful Russian in the second round to retain his WBA cruiserweight title and move on to the semifinal round of the tournament.

Dorticos (22-0, 21 KO) and Kudryashov (21-2, 21 KO) promised action on paper, and a fight that didn’t go long. These fighters were, as Dennis Green once put it, who we thought they were.

After a decent first round, Dorticos came out gunning for the KO in the second round, and overwhelmed Kudryashov with speed and power. Eventually, he landed a big bomb, and a shocked Kudryashov went down hard, struggled back to his feet, but was counted out by the referee. The fight was rightly stopped.

Dorticos, 31, now moves on to face the winner of the October 21 fight between IBF champion Murat Gassiev and Krzysztof Wlodarczyk.

On the undercard, Keith Tapia dominated a 10-round fight with Lateef Kayode, dropping Kayode at the end of round six, and winning on scores of 99-90, 100-89, and 100-89.

Tapia (18-1, 11 KO) is an alternate in the World Boxing Super Series, so if someone gets hurt (or pulls out of the tournament), he’d be available as a replacement. He looked sharp in this fight, coming off of his loss to Andrew Tabiti in May, but it’s worth noting, too, that Kayode (21-2, 16 KO) hadn’t fought since November 2015, and it showed.

Noniton Donaire won the WBC “silver” title at featherweight, winning a wide decision over Ruben Hernandez (22-3-1, 9 KO) on scores of 97-93, 99-91, and 100-90.

Donaire (38-4, 24 KO) hadn’t fought since last November, when he lost his WBO super bantamweight title to Jessie Magdaleno by decision. That run at 122 came after a stint at 126 in 2013-14, which didn’t go particularly well, and ended with a beatdown loss to Nicholas Walters. Donaire decided after losing to Walters that he wasn’t fit for the featherweight division, but at 34, he just might not have many options other than to fight where he can make weight. He’s past his prime at this point, and it’s hard to see him as a real threat to the top fighters at 126, like Leo Santa Cruz, Carl Frampton, Gary Russell Jr, Abner Mares, and Oscar Valdez, and if he’s going the WBC route, then Russell is the current champion there.