Bakhram Murtazaliev built on his emerging reputation by claiming Jermell Charlo’s old IBF super welterweight title.
The undefeated Russian, based in the United States, stopped Jack Culcay in Germany to win his first championship. The red belt had been vacant since the IBF stripped Charlo for not following through on mandatory duties.
Despite an expected Culcay decision, the away fighter was up on two scorecards at the Stadthalle in Falkensee when he took out Culcay in the eleventh round. The pair slugged it out in the center of the ring, with Culcay clearly feeling the face at the end. Once Murtazaliev caught Culcay flush towards the end of the round, the German slumped to the floor. He got up on the count of nine, but referee Timo Habighorst had seen enough with ten seconds left of the round.
The 31-year-old, now 22-0 following his 16th stoppage, is now a significant player in the 154-pound division.
It’s been a slow and steady rise for Murtazaliev, who turned pro in 2014. Fights with Terence Crawford, Errol Spence Jr., and even recently crowned unified ruler Sebastian Fundora are in the offing for the new titleholder.
Uisma Lima retired Haro Matevosyan in ten rounds to push to 12-1 in the co-feature. In winning a ranking title with the IBF at 154, Lima is also in contention for a future shot at Murtazaliev.
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