Kazakhstan - Daniyar "The Kazakh Thunder Yeleussinov (11-0, 6 KOs) came back to his homeland for the first time as a pro fighter to become the new IBO welterweight champion.
Yeleussinov, 30, scored a painfully one-sided unanimous decision over a too tough-for-his-own-good WBO #15 Argentinean Juan Hernan Leal (15-2, 4 KOs). Scores were: 120-105, 120-105 and 120-106 - for the 2016 Olympic and 2013 world amateur gold medalist.
Yeleussinov had parted ways with the Matchroom Boxing earlier this year, and this was his first outing as a promotional free agent. The entire event at the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan (formerly known as Astana) was promoted by Ziya Aliev of the Boxing Stars Management. Yeleussinov, arguably Kazakhstan's most technically gifted fighter of his generation, is rated #14 by the IBF.
There was a parade of quick stoppages in the undercard of the main event.
In a battle of mammoth heavyweights, 6'9'' Ivan Dychko, 31, stopped former world title challenger Alexander Ustinov, a 45-year-old Russian/Balerussian fighter, when 6'8'' Ustinov (now 36-6-1, 27 KOs) was retired by his corner in the first round after what seemed to be a regular jab to the body.
Dychko (now 11-0, 11 KOs) is a two-time Olympian for Kazakhstan and also 2013 and 2015 world amateur championship silver medalist.
The same ending - the first-round TKO after the jab to the body - occurred in a fight between Kazakh welterweight Zhankosh Turarov (25-0, 18 KOs) and 40-year old Egyptian Abdumonem Said (22-2-1, 11 KOs). Turarov had been out of the ring for two and a half years before this contest.
Yerzhan Zalilov (13-3-2, 7 KOs) acquired a vacant Kazakhstani super bantamweight title with a terrific one-punch knockout of young Iskander Kharsan (9-2, 6 KOs) in the second round. Zalilov, fittingly nicknamed The Rocket, threw a left-sided missile that landed flush on Kharsan, who was down and out immediately.