Muslim Gadzhimagomedov Beats Zhaoxin Zhang In Four Rounds, Wins WBA Bridgeweight Title

Muslim Gadzhimagomedov helped fill the void left by the former's embarrassing list.

The 27-year-old Russian knocked out China's Zhaoxin Zhang in the fourth round in a fight for the vacant WBA bridgeweight title. Gadzhimagomedov bled and isolated Zhang until a stoppage at 2:50 of the fourth round on Friday in Serpukhov, Russia.

Evgeny Tishchenko (12-1, 7 knockouts; 1 No-Contest) previously won the first title last December. A stoppage victory over Leon Harth crowned a new title.

The reign was short lived and ended when Tishchenko hit the bullseye and received a ban.

Gadzhimagomedov (4-0, 3KOs) was a return to glory in a weight class that only a few in the sport accepted. The 2020 Olympic silver medalist delivered a performance worthy of attention, even against a limited opponent.

Zhang (12-3-1, 7 KOs) is a step below the accelerated competition Gadzhimagomedov has faced in his young career. To his credit, he earned the right to be here after Evgeny Romanov was knocked down to the canvas in February.

There was never any threat of Friday's main event going off the rails. Gadzhimagomedov fired multiple shots at the inviting Zhang, who was covered in blood and battered for three rounds.

It was a testament to Zhang's fighting heart that he remained loyal. Gadzhimagomedov unloaded during the fourth round and fired in the middle.

Zhang was stunned and defenseless as Gadzhimagomedov hit the final combination before the referee called the penalty.

Gadzhimagomedov stopped former cruiserweight champion Artur Mann in the eighth round last December. It happened at the same IBA show as Tishchenko-Harth.

With Friday's victory, Gadzhimagomedov has joined Lawrence Okolie in the bridgerweight title division. Okolie (20-1, 15 KOs) became a two-division contender when he knocked out the WBC bridgerweight title from Lukasz Rozanski in the first round in May.

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