Maxi Hughes shocks the favourite yet again
Maxi Hughes (22-5-2, 4KOs) followed up his win over Jono Carroll in August by ruining the unbeaten record of fight favourite Viktor Kotochigov (12-1, 5KOs), dropping the Kazakh prospect on the way to a unanimous points decision in the 10-round lightweight top-of-the-bill in Dubai on Friday.
The 30-year-old, who was twice beaten at British title level, is on an incredible run this year, and the win will elevate him into the top 15 of the WBC after collecting their International title.
Irishman Carroll had been expected to beat him and so had Kotochigov, who had his sights set on moving into contention for a world title shot. Hughes found him an easy target with his left hook, though, as he dropped Kotochigov and rocked him repeatedly thoughout.
Hughes produced a big upset by outpointing Carroll in August and he started well in his next fight in Dubai. The action-packed D4G Promotions card in association with Round 10 Boxing and MTK Global came from the Rotunda at Caesars Bluewaters Dubai, and featured a number of action-packed match-ups.
It was a brilliant performance from Hughes, with the highlight coming in round three, where he dropped Kotochigov with a huge uppercut. The Kazakh was able to recover and make it competitive during the closing stages, but in the end it was Hughes who was awarded the deserved win with scores of 96-93, 97-92, 95-94.
Hovhannes Bachkov bt Samuel Gonzalez PTS8 (80-72, 80-72, 80-72): Armenian superstar Hovhannes Bachkov made a sensational start to life in the paid ranks as he won his professional debut against dangerous opponent Samuel Gonzalez.
Bachkov (1-0) had an illustrious amateur career, winning numerous accolades, and he carried his elite skills into the professional game by dictating proceedings against Gonzalez (22-7, 13 KOs) throughout all eight rounds.
The judges handed Bachkov every single round, giving him an extremely impressive victory on his professional debut, with a very bright future expected.
Faizan Anwar bt JR Mendoza PTS6 (60-53, 60-53, 60-53): Indian sensation Faizan Anwar continued the perfect start to his professional career, with a dominant points victory over the experienced JR Mendoza.
Anwar (5-0, 4 KOs) has been known for his huge knockout power in his career so far, but on this occasion it was a cool, calm and collected performance, as he used his elite boxing skills to get the better of Mendoza (11-20, 5 KOs).
The constant fouling from Mendoza saw him get a point deducted during the closing stages, with Anwar taking the win by unanimous decision after a one-sided display.
Mohamad Salah Abdelghany bt Blane Hyland PTS6 (58-57, 58-56, 58-56): There was a shock in the opening fight of the night, as Mohamad Salah Abdelghany (4-2) defeated Blane Hyland (3-1) to hand the Liverpool fighter the first defeat of his professional career.
It was an action-packed fight, with serious leather being thrown throughout the six rounds, but Abdelghany was able to get the better of the exchanges.
The fight went all six rounds, but in the end it was Abdelghany who got the win, with the three judges handing it to him by unanimous decision. Hyland will have learned a lot from the contest, and will be back in the future.
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