WBA/IBA Light Heavyweight Champion Beibut Shumenov (11-1, 7 KOs) successfully defended his world titles for the second time, stopping 3-time world champion William
Joppy in the sixth round, tonight in front of a packed house at the Ice Mansion in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.
Joppy (39-6-2, 30 KOs) replaced WBO titlist Juergen Braehmer, who last Monday night suddenly and unexpectedly pulled out of his scheduled unification showdown against Shumenov, in the main event.
The former Kazakhstan Olympian, now fighting out of Las Vegas, floored Joppy in the fifth round with a powerful right and seconds into the sixth round, he fired a vicious left hook to Joppy’s body that resulted in him taking a knee and being 10-counted out. Shumenov joined fellow world champion Lucian Bute and former superstar Felix Trinidad as the only fighters to ever stop the game, experienced Joppy.
“I’m happy but still want to be the undisputed light heavyweight champion of the world,” Shumenov said after the fight. “That is my goal. I took a little while to get to Joppy because I had prepared four months to fight a southpaw.
“I can go toe-to-toe or move and box. I’m trying to learn everything to be the best, using my power and speed. He’s (head trainer Kevin Barry) the greatest. I listened to my corner. I want to fight the best – the other three world champions. I can’t be considered the best until I’ve beaten the other three champions.”
“Under the circumstances,” Barry noted, “I thought that Beibut’s performance was incredible. It was a fight that I didn’t like because he was fighting a last-minute replacement with a lot of excperience. Mentally and emotionally, I was concerned because he was deflated and he had to get back up in three days. He has a world-class jab. The plan was for him to throw to the body in the first few rounds and then go to the head. Everything worked out well for us.”
The show was presented by Goossen Tutor Promotions and KZ Event Productions, which is owned and operated by the Shumenov brothers, Beibut and Chingis, in Las Vegas.
In the co-feature, Uzbekistan native Ravshan Hudaynazarov (14-0, 12 KOs), rated No. 13 by the WBA, won the WBA FEDALATIN Welterweight title by 10th-round technical knockout due to a deep cut over Jose Luis “Chelin” Cruz’ right eye. A devastating body puncher, the 26-year-old Hudaynazarov dropped Cruz (41-8-2, 33 KOs) with a left hook to the liver late in the opening round, but his Mexican opponent proved to be as tough as advertised. Cruz had fought a draw with Carlos Baldomir and took Shane Mosley the full distance.
On the advice of the ring doctor, the referee stopped the fight in the 10th round, but Hudaynazarov gained invaluable experience having never before fought more than six rounds. He won every round on the three judges’ scorecards through nine in a thoroughly convincing performance.
Former Kazakhstan National Amateur Champion Alexandr Zhuravskiy (11-0, 8 KOs), fighting out of Las Vegas, kept his perfect pro record intact by knocking out Ruben “Modern Day” Galvan in the sixth round to capture the WBA International Super Lightweight Championship. Zhuravskiy methodically broke-down Galvan, who had been stopped only twice in 45 previous fights, flooring him with a left and then immediately jumping on him with a 1-2 combination that ended the fight.
Unbeaten Interim PABA Light Heavyweight Gayrat Shumenov (16-0-1, 10 KOs), rated No. 65 by the WBA, successfully defended that belt and added the WBC International crown to his collection when Tursunboy Absullakimov was unable to answer the bell to start the fifth round.
Hudaynazarov, Zhuravfskiy and Ahmedov are all in the KZ Event Productions stable of fighters.