David Avanesyan defeated Kerman Lejarraga to win European title
David Avanesyan (24-3-1) inflicted the first loss on the perfect record of Spanish hardman Kerman Lejarraga (27-1) to win the European welterweight title in Bilbao on March 30.
The 30-year-old Russian, trained by Carl Greaves in Nottingham, bounced shots off the 'Revolver's' head when backed up in the corner until referee Robin Dolpierre stepped in to stop the contest in the ninth round as the Spaniard slumped to the floor.
The 27-year-old from Bilbao had previously knocked out Britons Bradley Skeete and Frankie Gavin in 2018, but wasn't good enough to better former WBA world champion 'Ava'.
The travelling fighter was tucked up behind a tight guard as Lejarraga's shots landed on gloves and elbows. 'Ava' popped out with right hooks and uppercuts from his peekaboo guard and began to back the champion up when a right hook landed heavily. With the Spaniard trapped in the corner, Avanesyan peppered him with one-twos that rocked his head all over the place before the ref stepped in to save him just 30 seconds into the ninth stanza.
On the same night in Liverpool, Liam Smith dominated Sam Eggington, ending in a fifth-round TKO. Check the results here: http://britishboxingnews.co.uk/blogs/liam-smith-vs-sam-eggington-results