Murat Knocked Out Krzystof Wlodarczyk In Super Series Boxing Showcase

Murat Knocked Out Krzystof Wlodarczyk In Super Series Boxing  Showcase

For the first time since 2015, boxing returned to Newark, New Jersey. Undefeated Russian Murat Gassiev retained his International Boxing Federation cruiserweight world title Saturday with a spectacular third-round knockout of Krzysztof Wlodarczyk.

Gassiev followed a left uppercut to the head with a brutal left hook to the body that put the two-time world champion from Poland down for the count at 1:57 of the third round.

“I had a great chance and I used it,” said Gassiev, who was making his first defense of the title he took in December with a split-decision victory over Russian southpaw Denis Lebedev in Moscow.

The bout was a quarter-final of the World Boxing Super Series tournament, and with the victory Gassiev who improved to 25-0 with 18 knockouts ,set up a semi-final against unbeaten World Boxing Association champion Yunier Dorticos of Cuba. Yunier Dorticos was on hand for the bout, and came into the ring when it was over.

“I really wanted Gassiev to win, because he’s going to taste the power of a real man against me,” Dorticos said. “His opponent tonight was past his time. I’m ready to show him what a champion looks like and give him a challenge he’s never faced before. I want to take his belt. I want to get in the ring and destroy Gassiev.”

George Groves Beats Jamie Cox by Fourth Round Knockout. 

Groves (27-3, 20 KO) started well enough in the opening round, but Cox (24-1, 13 KO) did tag him with a good left hand late in that first frame, and from there, Cox brought the fight to Groves, pressing him constantly and looking to make it a proper tear-up.

Cox had some success, a little wild and sloppy at times, but pretty much constantly in Groves’ grill, making Groves fight hard in return. It was a body shot that ended things in the fourth, a perfectly placed and timed right hand shot to the ribs that dropped the challenger. Referee Steve Gray counted Cox out there.

“He had very good boxing. I can handle his power, but he placed the shot very well,” Cox said after the fight. “I’m an aggressive fighter, and I think George made me over-commit on the aggressiveness.”

Groves will now move on to the World Boxing Super Series semifinal, where he’ll face Chris Eubank Jr (26-1, 20 KO) in what will be a highly anticipated bout in January 2018.

“It was a good fight. He did what he had to do to win. Not too many cuts and bruises, so it looks like it’s on for January,” Eubank said in the ring. “He did what he had to do. He was a little more experienced, timed his shots right, and now we’ve got the super fight for the fans.”

Sulecki and Culcay  Had The Fight Of The Night

Polish junior middleweight contender Maciej Sulecki (26-0, 10 KOs) won a hard-fought battle against former secondary world titleholder Jack Culcay (22-3, 11 KOs) in a title eliminator that moved Sulecki a step closer to a shot at world titleholder Jermell Charlo.

Sulecki, 28, got the nod 98-92, 97-93 and 96-94 to win his third fight in a row since he dropped in weight from middleweight.

Culcay, 32, an Ecuador native fighting out of Germany, had a big seventh round in which he repeatedly hurt Sulecki with right hands and backed him up. They spent the late rounds trading back and forth as the crowd came to life. Sulecki rocked Culcay with a right hand in the 10th round, buckling his knees. But Culcay finished strong, nearly dropping Sulecki with a clean left hand with about 10 seconds left in the fight.

“It was a very tough fight, and I had to be at my best. I didn’t think he’d be quite as tough, but I wanted to fight him, and I got him,” Sulecki said. “The seventh round was the toughest round for me. I got hit with a couple big shots, but I wanted a war. I was never going to let down.