QUEBEC CITY, Canada – Former amateur standout Imam Khataev (6-0, 6 KOs) beat up late replacement Michal Ludwiczak (17-13-1, 9 KOs) on Saturday, scoring a second-round knockout in the Videotron Center in Quebec. City, Canada.
Khataev, who won bronze at the 2020 Olympics, won his third fight since signing with Montreal-based Eye of The Tiger, picking up the vacant NABF title in the process. From the opening bell it was clear that the physically imposing Khataev had too much for Ludwiczak, pushing him back and regularly landing hard blows that reddened the ribs of the visiting fighters.
To his credit, Ludwiczak did not go down in the first round, but it seemed only a matter of time and that came when the attack continued into the second round and finally, after going down once, the follow-up was too much and referee Alain Villeneuve jumped in. he came in and mercifully stopped the proceedings at 2:17 of the round.
In junior lightweight action, Leila Beaudoin (11-1, 1 KO) got her revenge by defeating Elizabeth Chavez (4-6-3, 1 KO) in an eight-round unanimous decision.
The two had met last May in Mexico, where Chavez won an eight-round decision. This time Beaudoin was determined not to let the same thing happen again and she stayed focused on her game plan, boxing off the back foot and racking up points as she went. She didn’t get her way, but she did enough to take the decision 78-74 × 2 and 77-75.
Popular local hero Wilkens Mathieu (6-0, 3 KOs) pleased his fellow Quebec City fans who came out to support him against José Arias (3-2, 1 KOs) with a four-round unanimous decision.
Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank
The Mexican showed off by raising his hand in a similar way to what Billy Joe Saunders did against David Lemieux when Mathieu threw a wild punch. This angered Mathieu, who went after him. In one of those exchanges he went down and was counted out, although it looked more like a push in Round 2.
Mathieu pressed the action during the third, but was unable to make a dent in the older man, who at 39 was almost twice his age. Mathieu had his fans cheering loudly when he landed a flurry of punches early in the fourth round and then drilled him with a left hook against the ropes. In the end, Mathieu had to settle for winning on points, winning 40-35 on all three scorecards.
Aggressive light heavyweight Mehmet Unal (8-0, 7 KOs) wasted little time defeating Dragan Lepei (22-7-2, 10 KOs) at 0:57 of the first round.
The 31-year-old Turkish-born Montreal resident hurt Lepei with a three-punch combination that began with a left hook to the body, a right hook followed by a right to the body. That made the Romanian back away, Unal jumped on him and landed two more blows that knocked Lepei down. Referee Martín Bosque reached the count of 10 with Lepei on one knee.
Rising welterweight Christopher Guerrero (10-0, 5 KOs) gained valuable experience by winning an eight-round unanimous decision over Sergio Herrera (7-4, 4 KOs).
Early on, Guerrero dominated behind the jab before visibly hurting the Mexican import with a body shot at the bell late in the fifth round.
The 22-year-old had Herrera pin him late in the seventh. However, even though Herrera was tired, he was able to watch the fight and last the distance. All three judges scored the fight 79-73 and 78-74×2 for Guerrero, who had won his last five fights inside the distance.
Moreno Fendero (3-0, 2 KOs), 2023 World Championship bronze medalist, continued his progression as a professional with a first-round knockout over Víctor Hugo Flores (7-3, 3 KOs). Fendero knocked Flores down several times before being stopped on his feet.
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