Murad Khalidov scored a stunning seventh round knockout of Sergey Kuzmin in their eagerly-anticipated heavyweight grudge match at BETCITY IBA Pro 10 in Saint Petersburg.

In a bruising, back-and-forth contest that saw both men land heavy blows from the opening bell, it was Dagestani destroyer Khalidov (11-0, 6 KOs) who was the last man standing, becoming the first man to stop the experienced Kuzmin (19-3, 14 KOs) after a brutal onslaught left the local favourite flat on his back in seven.

Following weeks of tense verbal sparring, both men delivered on the significant pre-fight hype, delivering one of the standout battles of the year in-front of a packed crowd at KSK Arena.

A fast start from bare knuckle star Khalidov saw him snap the head of Kuzmin back with a series of well-placed uppercuts, however, Kuzmin would respond with his educated left-jab in an attempt to keep his opponent at bay.

However, Khalidov would continue to march forward, applying pressure to Kuzmin and breaking him down to head and body with thudding combination punching.

As the bout headed towards a tense finale, the Budennovsk bruiser would take the contest out of the judges hands by unleashing a succession of unanswered shots that sent Kuzmin reeling on to the ropes. A crunching left-hook to the head would see Kuzmin crumble to the canvas, with the referee waving the fight off and awarding Khalidov the biggest win of his storied career.

Now unbeaten in eleven, Khalidov wasted little time in calling for a match-up against Uzbek star Bakhodir Jalolov, who also claimed victory on the undercard.

“I want to fight Bakhodir Jalolov next,” said Khalidov after his explosive knockout victory.

“If he doesn’t cling to his ‘0’ like a lifeline, he will accept this fight – and it won’t be easy for him.

“Come on, Bakhodir – accept the fight! I can see you’re a man with character, but there is work to be done and you and I will put on a great fight!”

IBA Pro Director Al Siesta was quick to praise both men for their epic battle, before putting Khalidov’s name in the conversation for a huge heavyweight showdown next.

“We saw tonight the birth of a new star in the heavyweight division,” said Siesta.

“Mura [Khalidov] is known for his exciting style and brutal knockouts and tonight he showed those qualities against a top-level opponent in Sergey Kuzmin. Nobody has ever defeated Kuzmin in such spectacular fashion. It was a statement victory.

“We now know Mura is ready for anyone in the heavyweight division. [Derek] Chisora, [Martin] Bakole or the winner of Makhmudov vs Allen – we are ready. The Dagestani Destroyer is coming for everyone!”

In the chief support of the evening, Vage Sarukhanyan produced a career-best performance to capture the Russian super-lightweight title after a pulsating decision win over Georgii Chelokhsaev.

Armenian-born Sarukhanyan (22-4-2, 4 KOs), who entered the fight as wide as a 6-to-1 betting underdog, boxed intelligently on the back foot; using his lateral movement and sharp counters to stifle the advancing Chelokhsaev (24-3-1, 16 KOs) and pick up the deserved upset victory. 

Elsewhere on the undercard, heavyweight star Bakhodir Jalolov extended his unbeaten professional record with a hard-fought points win over Vitaly Kudukhov after eight fiercely competitive rounds.

Jalolov (16-0, 14 KOs) began the bout on the offensive, controlling the distance behind his southpaw jab and looking for openings to land his signature left-hand. However, Kudukhov (7-4, 3 KOs) stuck gamely to his task, forcing ‘The Big Uzbek’ to stand and trade as the two men went to war down the stretch.

Nevertheless, it was the cleaner punching and superior skill-set of Uzbek star Jalolov that was enough to secure the victory on the judges’ scorecards.

In their heavily-hyped super-welterweight crossover contest, Andrey ‘Wushu Master’ Efimov scored a crushing third round knockout over Kamariddin ‘Kamil Karate’ Khasanov.

Boxing behind a sharp jab in the opening two rounds, Efimov (1-0, 1 KO) would burst into life in the third, trapping Khasanov (0-1) against the ropes and unloading with a violent left-hook, before a straight right hand sent the Tajik fighter face first onto the canvas. Though Khasanov attempted to beat the count, he was spared further punishment by the referee.

Super-lightweight contender Khariton Agrba got back to winning ways with a clinical display to outpoint the rugged Charles Shinima (19-3, 13 KOs) over ten rounds.

Agrba (16-1, 9 KOs) boxed intelligently in booking the win, rebounding from his first career defeat in style and putting his world championship aspirations firmly back on track.

Nikita Kuzmin (1-0 IBA Pro) produced a dominant performance to comprehensively shut-out Nekruz Salimov (1-1 IBA Pro) on the scorecards in their six round IBA Pro middleweight encounter. 

Alexander Zyryanov (1-0 IBA Pro) kicked off his IBA Pro career with a dazzling fourth-round stoppage win over Uzbek prospect Khikmatillo Ulmasov (0-1 IBA Pro) in their four round welterweight contest.

Light-heavyweight talent Cheerav Ashalaev (1-0) impressed in his professional debut, utilising his superior speed and skillset to outpoint Sajad Mehrabi (6-6-2, 4 KOs) over six rounds.

Saint Petersburg super-lightweight prospect Tamerlan Ozdoev (3-0, 1 KO) edged the game Juma Kijo (7-2, 3 KOs) via six round unanimous decision.

Karina Tazabekova (6-0, 1 KO) outpointed Zambia’s Lina Kasweka (9-3, 4 KOs) in their six round super-bantamweight bout.

Super-welterweight debutant Igor Sviridchenkov (1-0, 1 KO) halted Thailand’s Rattawut Thongaram (10-5, 8 KOs) via TKO in two.

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