By Alexey Sukachev
Ukraine - In a featured bout of the night, WBO #13 light heavyweight Umar Salamov (13-0, 11 KOs) continued his rise in ranks with an overwhelming destruction of Czech journeyman Tomas Adamek in what was the first defense of his WBO European 175lb title.
Despite grave tensions between Ukraine and Russia, K2 Promotions has a steady and fruitful connection with a Chechen school of boxing. His most prominent offspring is a former WBO light middleweight champion Zaurbek Baysangurov, followed by his cousin Khussein and Khasan. 20-year old rangy and powerful Salamov is another of that Chechen breed.
The Kiev-based Chechen with Russian citizenship has never had any problems with aging and slowing namesake of a two-time two-division titlist from neighboring Poland. Adamek, 34, was absorbing big shots from round one. In the second he was floored with an overhand right. He continued to get pummeled in the third, and the end came midst into the fourth, after Salamov landed a big right hand followed by a picturesque blow to the solar plexus. Tomas "Jumbo" Adamek (now 23-11-2, 9 KOs) went down for a full count.
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IBF #13 cruiserweight Yago Kiladze (24-1, 16 KOs) stayed busy with an easy eight-round decision over durable but limited Pole Lukasz Rusiewicz (19-20, 10 KOs). Boxing outside and using his potent jab Kiladze was never in danger of being hurt and dealt his share of punishment, which was easily sustained by the Pole. Rusiewicz was stopped just twice in his career and never clearly knocked out, lasted the distance but lost every minute of every round.
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Former world title challenger and light heavyweight hopeful Ismayl Sillakh (22-2, 17 KOs) fought for the first time in more than eighteen months since his crushing defeat to light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev and only for the second time on his native soil. Looking sharp and quick, competing now at the cruiserweight limit Sillakh easily pounded out a unanimous decision over tough Latvian competitor Arturs Kulikauskis in a scheduled eight-rounder.
Despite his toughness and ruggedness Kulikauskis was not match for the lightning-speed Ukrainian. Nor he possessed a power to hurt a presumably fragile 30-year old local hero. Sillakh dropped the Latvian with a major right hook coupled with a left hook at the end of the sixth and punched him at will for a remainder of the fight but Klikauskis somehow managed to hear the final bell on his feet. Kulikauskis was a good test for Sillakh, as he is known as an upset artist with wins over former two-time world title challenger Yuri Barashyan (also from Ukraine) and ex-WBA interim 200lb champion Youri Kalenga as well as a close loss to former world champion Dmitry Sartison. He is now 16-25-5, 8 KOs.
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Light welterweight prospect Mishiko Beselia (11-0, 8 KOs) scored a stoppage win over dangerous Uzbek Mahsud Jumaev (10-9-1, 6 KOs) with ten seconds remaining in the eighth and final round. There were no knockdowns.
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Cruiserweight Sergey Radchenko (3-0) barely cruised past another Uzbek Murod Azimov (6-4-1, 3 KOs). Both fighters engaged in very viscous confrontation and later war of attrition. Radchenko was slightly better though Azimov came back strong in the closing seconds of the eighth and final round. Scores were: 79-75 (x2) - for Radchenko, and 76-76.
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Welterweight power hitter Ilya Primak (9-1, 7 KOs) showed strength in the third-round stoppage of previously undefeated Uzbek import Mansur Abdumamamtov (6-1, 1 KO). The Uzbek fighter was down with a right hook to the whiskers at the end of round two. Then he was dropped again with a major right hook to the spleen section, and finally got staggered and punished at the ropes, when the referee intervened to confirm a one-sided TKO for Primak, whose only loss was on points in Netherlands.