Ismail Madrimov waltzed into the ring, eyes set on the shiny WBA super welterweight crown, ready to show the world a thing or two. And boy, did he deliver, sweeping through tosgrab the title in what turned out to be more of a one-sided affair..
There he was, the Uzbek sensation, wrapping up world champion status like it was a casual Tuesday, in just his 11th stroll through the professional fighting game. He took Magomed Kurbanov on a five-round tour, finishing with a flourish at 2:29 in the fifth, leaving no doubts about who was boss.
Madrimov: “I’ve been eyeing this shiny thing for ages,” he might as well have said. “Now, it’s all mine, and I’m taking it back to Uzbekistan. But hey, why stop at one? I’m in for a full set of these belts.”
The fight kicked off with a tempo that wouldn’t have seemed out of place in a lazy Sunday chess match, each man sizing the other up, hesitant to ignite the fireworks. But it didn’t take long for Madrimov to start calling the shots.
Kurbanov, maybe too chill for his own good, kept popping out jabs like he was swatting at flies, while Madrimov, ever the opportunist, waited for his moment to land the heavy artillery. He found his opening in the second, sneaking in a left hook that must have whispered “heads up” as it connected.
As the fight meandered into the fifth, Madrimov, with a sparkle in his eye, decided it was time to dial it up. He landed a right hand with the subtlety of a freight train, and that was just for starters. He turned the heat up, mixing precision with power, while Kurbanov seemed more interested in admiring the craftsmanship of Madrimov’s gloves than throwing his own punches.
By the time Madrimov had Kurbanov doing the tango of defeat, the ref, Steve Gray, had seen enough of this dance. He stepped in, giving Kurbanov a consolatory hug, as Madrimov flipped and flopped in celebration, probably already daydreaming about where to put his new shiny belt.
