– IBA.PRO Russia vs World took place in Kaliningrad on 1 May
– The main part of the card featured Russian boxers against representatives of the World Team
– David Surov defeated Kevin Martinez in the main bout, while Aleksei Egorov called out Aleksei Papin after his victory

Kaliningrad hosted IBA.PRO Russia vs World on 1 May, bringing together Battle for the Contract bouts, an IBA Pro contest and a Russia vs World heavyweight team clash.

As part of Battle for the Contract, Imam Kastoev (Russia) was looking for revenge against Sergey Ogannisyan (Russia) after a controversial defeat in the amateurs. Their four-round contest was tense throughout and ended in a draw.

Dmitry Shefer (Russia) and Artemiy Bogdanovich (Russia) produced one of the toughest battles of the night. After four rounds of heavy exchanges, Shefer claimed a confident victory and preserved his unbeaten record.

Two professional debutants, Supkhan Gurbanov (Russia) and Amirshokh Dzhalolov (Russia), also delivered an impressive contest. Both showed speed, technique and a willingness to work at a high pace, but the judges could not separate them, with the bout ending in a draw.

Ndafoluma vs Mkrtchyan: pressure, knockdowns and a stoppage win

In the IBA Pro bout, Lukas Ndafoluma (Namibia) faced Varazdat Mkrtchyan (Russia). Mkrtchyan took control from the opening round, moving forward, breaking through his opponent’s defence and boxing confidently with his hands low.

The second round followed the same pattern, with Mkrtchyan maintaining pressure as Ndafoluma came under increasing difficulty and took a knee. In the third round, Varazdat dropped him with a body shot to the liver.

At the start of the fourth round, Mkrtchyan produced a powerful combination that forced the stoppage. Varazdat secured an emphatic technical knockout victory.

The World Team started with two wins

The first bout of the Russia vs World contest saw Mahammad Abdullayev (Azerbaijan) face Vladislav Vishev (Russia).

Both boxers came in with strong amateur backgrounds, but Abdullayev found his range more quickly in the opening round. Despite giving up size, he applied pressure from the start and landed several heavy shots.

Vishev continued to struggle to control the distance in the second round. Abdullayev kept pressing, worked effectively to the body and went on to secure a clear victory. The World Team moved ahead 1-0.

Khalimjon Mamasoliev (Uzbekistan) then faced Andrey Stotsky (Russia). Mamasoliev pressed from the opening bell, while Stotsky tried to box on the back foot. The first round was close, but the Uzbek boxer’s advantage became clearer as the fight progressed.

In the second round, Mamasoliev landed a sharp double left and hurt his opponent. In the third, he increased the pressure, boxed with more power and accuracy, and Stotsky was unable to change the direction of the fight. The second half of the bout followed the same pattern, with Mamasoliev in control as he delivered the World Team’s second point.

Zemlyakov brought Russia back into the contest

Solomon Adebayo (Nigeria) met Evgeny Zemlyakov (Russia) in the next heavyweight bout. The Russian boxer took the initiative from the first round, pressed forward and dropped his opponent late in the round.

In the second round, Zemlyakov landed a combination after which Adebayo was unable to continue. Russia reduced the deficit in the team contest.

Egorov defeated Coupe and called out Papin

Aleksei Egorov (Russia) faced Seydi Coupe (France). Egorov moved forward in the opening round and worked well to both head and body. In the second, Coupe began to answer more actively and caused the Russian boxer some problems.

The third round was the most even of the contest, while Coupe showed his best qualities in the fourth, defending well and giving Egorov a competitive fight. Even so, Aleksei finished strongly and secured a convincing victory.

Immediately after the bout, Egorov called out fellow Russian boxer Aleksei Papin.

David Surov outboxed Kevin Martinez

The main bout of the night saw Kevin Martinez (Mexico) take on David Surov (Russia).

From the opening minutes, Surov held the advantage in speed and movement. In the second round, he calmly shifted away from Martinez’s dangerous right hand, beat him to the punch and came back with accurate counters.

The Mexican tried to force a hard exchange and turn the bout into a physical fight, but Surov did not allow him to settle at his preferred range. David used his footwork well, boxed effectively on the pull and repeatedly returned with his own attacks.

Surov went on to claim a clear victory on points. Martinez proved durable and tough, but the Russian boxer was sharper, faster and in better control of the bout.

Russia ultimately defeated the World Team 3-2 in the Russia vs World contest. After losing the first two bouts, the Russian team turned the night around, with victories for Evgeny Zemlyakov, Aleksei Egorov and David Surov sealing the overall win in Kaliningrad.