Nigerian boxer, Olanrewwju Durodola, has lost a rematch bout against Dmitry Kudryshov in Russia.
The Russian bomber stopped Durodola within five rounds of high-octane action.
The first fight was a year and a half ago, but the memories of it still hurt one participant, and warmed the heart of another.
In November 2015, a prohibitive favourite in Kudryashov started fast only to be stopped by Durodola in round two, gassing himself out in less than a couple of rounds.
Since then, Kudryashov got two knockout wins, while Durodola was stopped in another frenetic contest by future WBC champion Mairis Briedis, and won three times (all by stoppages) after that.
Kudryashov, who has never heard a final bell in any of his fights, started aggressively while Durodola kept himself on the defensive. Kudryashov’s punches were hard but the Nigerian took them well.
As the opening stanza progressed, Durodola mounted a slight comeback landing some heavy bombs of his own.
In round two, there were many clinches, and Durodola did slightly better inside than the Russian. Kudryashov answered with some heavy body shots but once again Durodola was seemingly immovable.
The third was a major turn in the fight, as Durodola got more aggressive, punishing Kudryashov in closequarters, specifically while coming out of the clinch.
Rocked several times and seemingly gassed, Kudryashov nevertheless found some inner strength not only to last till the bell but to land a thunderous left bomb which saw Durodola’s mouthpiece make a record-breaking flight somewhere to the backseats of the arena.
It looked like Kudryashov might have been done during the third but instead there was an entirely new man in the ring once the bell for round four rang.
Kudryashov was again the master, while Durodola soon found himself on the defensive again.
The Russian’s punches kept landing, and finally a major left hook to the temple dropped the Nigerian with a minute to go. Durodola was still wobbly when the count ended but referee Guadalapue Garcia allowed him to continue. He clinched and covered himself until the bell.
It was enough to give him a break but not enough to prevent more punishment.
Kudryashov continued to drill his opponent in the fifth, finally putting him down on the combination of punches.
Durodola once again made it to the upright position but soon thereafter another left hook wobbled him, and the referee waved the fight off at 2:43 of the fifth.
Kudryashov thus improved his record to 21-1, 21 KOs, and retained his WBC Silver belt. Durodola, ranked #2 by the WBC and #6 by the WBO, drops down to 25-4, 23 KOs.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
