Brighton, UK - Sultan Zaurbek (16-0, 12 KO’s) barely needed to get out of second gear as he coasted to a sixth round stoppage of Sergio Martin Sosa (13-4, 3 KO’s) at super featherweight. 

Sosa weighed in below the super bantamweight limit for an Argentinean title fight last year and was clearly technically and physically outmatched by the Kazakh from the opening bell.

Zaurbek runs everything off a hard and accurate southpaw jab. He was able to dictate the range and pace of the fight and looked dangerous whenever he let his hands go. His southpaw right uppercut a particularly dangerous weapon.

Sosa gambled and let a right hand go early in the second but was immediately countered by a hurtful left to the body and backed up to the ropes. Zaurbek let go a brief flurry but, menacingly, rather than putting him out of his misery, Zaurbek chose to pick him apart. 

As the bell sounded for the third, Sosa was still there, grimly battling away. Lacking the speed, power or skill to cause Zaurbek any trouble, sheer determination kept him going but 27 year old Zaurbek helped his cause by ticking along at a pedestrian pace. 

It looked like Zaurbek had set his mind on ending the sparring session in the fourth. A counter right hook sent Sosa toppling over backwards and the Khazakh’s follow up attack had more spite to it. Sosa survived the fifth but sank to his haunches early in the sixth after taking a right uppercut after a right hook to the body and with the Argentine under a heavy bombardment, the referee saved Sosa just seconds later. 

Zaurbek picked up the WBO Global super featherweight title and will be a tough night’s work for anybody. 

Tom Welland (1-0, 1 KO) made a successful debut by stopping Spanish visitor, Francisco Rodriguez (1-19, 1 KO) , in the final round of their four round featherweight fight.

It is a well worn cliche but ‘Atomic Tom’ really does look made for the professional game. 

The 19 year old was an exciting amateur and made an instant impression in the paid ranks, badly hurting Rodriguez with a straight hand hand as the first round ended. 

Damaged around both eyes, Rodriguez survived a doctors inspection at the start of the third round but it was one way traffic. He stumbled after taking another flush right hand and for a moment it looked like the fight may be close to ending but he bravely found a punch or two to show the referee he was still willing and survived the round. He didn’t make it through the fourth. Welland kept up the pressure, finishing a flurry with a left to the body. Rodriguez dropped to the floor but although he got up at the count of nine, the fight was stopped at 1.01 of the round.

Welland pulled out of exchanges with his chin a little high at times but he remembered to work the body, didn’t get over excited when he had his man hurt and made good use of the uppercut. He is one to watch.