By Alexey Sukachev, February, 12, 2007
Cruiserweight Ali Ismailov (7-1-1, 6 KOs) became the first (and, probably, the last) Azerbaijani to capture WBO Latino cruiserweight title on Saturday at Casino Conty in St. Petersburg, Russia. The 32-year-old former amateur star and two-time Olympian Ismailov destroyed Brazilian veteran Luciano Torres (52-10, 35 KOs) in two short but brutal rounds. The Latin fighter, 41, was never in the game, showing poor skills and physical condition, as well. The first round saw Ismailov methodically work his foe's body with the wicked left and right hooks. To his credit, Torres showed extreme durability and was able to finish the terrible first round on his own wobbling legs. The second session, however, proved to be the last one for brave Brazilian as he went down badly following another Ali combo and failed to beat the count.
With the win Ismailov, whose only loss was to well-known Russian cruiser Vadim Tokarev, will move up possibly into the top 15 of the WBO rankings. The Azerbaijani wants a rematch with Tokarev, although the shot at European belt or one of the minor regional titles seems to be the most realistic scenario. Torres, on the other hand, was taken to the hospital with two possibly broken two ribs suffered during the Ali's fierce assault.
In the main support bout, fan-friendly Russian middleweight Gennady Martirosyan (6-1, 2 KOs) was decked twice by surprisingly capable journeyman Ruslan Semyonov (2-13-1, 2 KOs), but somehow finished an eight-rounder with unanimous decision on his resume.
The show was promoted by Alexander Yagupov's 'Coliseum' promotional group in association with Spanish 'Tundra Barcelo'.
Other results:
Daniil Peretyatko (7-7, 3 KOs) UD 6 Valery Makeev (1-21, 1 KO)
Sherzod Nazarov (2-0, 1 KO) TKO 1 Anatoli Lubansky (0-5)
Ilchin Nagiev (2-0, 1 KO) UD 4 Gadzhi Gadzhiev (0-1)
Vitaly Polischuk (3-0, 2 KOs) KO 2 Vladimir Rumiantsev (0-1)
- Войдите или зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы добавлять комментарии