On Wednesday night, May 22, on ProBox TV's fight of the night, Batyrzhan Jukembayev stopped Ivan Redkach (24-7-1, 19 KOs) in the fifth round and won the WBA Continental North America super lightweight title.
The main event featured two fighters currently going in different directions. Jukambayev is rising through the ranks and working his way to becoming a title contender, while Redkach is torn between retiring or continuing his career as a goalkeeper.
In a fight of southpaws, Jukembayev began the opening round by changing levels with a jab and landing a right hook. Jukambayev continued to look sharp as he connected with a left to the body followed by a left hand shot to the head early in the second round.
Jukambayev was extremely accurate with his punches, as he ended the second round with a sharp combination. Redkach was taking a lot of shots, but for some reason he couldn't return fire.
It was Jukembayev's practice in the third round as he landed a right hook and a straight left hand several times. With 43 seconds left in the third round, Jukembayev injured Redkach when he connected with a nasty shot to the body.
At the end of the third round, Redkach's trainer told Redkach to show him something or he would stop the fight. In the 4th round Redkach continued to show nothing while Jukembayev continued to come at will.
When the fourth round was over, Redkach's trainer wanted to stop the fight, but Redkach talked him into giving him one more round. In the fifth round, Jukembayev was punishing Redkach with powerful punches, and with 48 seconds left in the fifth round, the referee stepped in and stopped the contest.
The ProBox TV main event was the equivalent of a glorified sparring session, but Batyrzhan Jukembayev got a chance to show off his skills. While his real-life partner Terence “Bud” Crawford sat on the sidelines, Jukembayev showed ring generalship and excellent boxing placement.
Batyrzhan Jukembayev (23-1, 17 KOs) won the WBA Continental North America 140-pound title and as a result, he may move up a bit in the rankings. However, Jukembayev will likely have trouble finding matches against top contenders because he is considered a high-risk, low-reward type of opponent.
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