Russian fighter Bakhram Murtazaliev has become a world champion following a razor-tight match against German challenger, Jack Culcay, that culminated in him winning by knockout. The two headlined in Culcay’s home country of Germany on April 6th at the Stadthalle in Falkensee, Brandenburg.
Following Jermell Charlo’s (35-2-1, 19 KO’s) abdication of his IBF super welterweight/junior middleweight title last year, the IBF title was up for grabs with IBF mandatory challenger Bakhram Murtazaliev (22-0, 16 KO’s) having been ordered to face the #2-IBF ranked Jack Culcay (33-5, 14 KO’s) for the vacant belt.
The two finally clashed last Saturday in what turned out to be a thrilling competitive match that saw the two arguably head towards a split-decision―whether through a draw or a victory for either fighter. Both fighters sustained quite heavy damage during a bout that was scheduled for twelve rounds, but it was Murtazaliev who came out on top after several rounds of brawls left Culcay unable to respond following a right hand from the Russian.
The super welterweight title bout will best be remembered for the two fighters opting to slug it out rather than relying on their boxing ability to net a win, making for what appeared to be an extremely close fight. Though both challengers seemed adept at fighting up close, Murtazaliev seemed to be the heavier and bigger man on the night, and took full advantage of his bigger size in the latter stage of the fight as the stamina of both fighters wore down.
Though many of the rounds appeared to be “swing rounds”, the eleventh round proved decisive for Bakhram Murtazaliev as Jack Culcay’s ability to stay focused waned as tiredness kicked in. With just ten seconds left on the clock, the eleventh round saw Murtazaleiv pounce on Culcay after a well-timed left hand dazed the German. Following up with a set of combinations, Murtazaliev eventually landed a wide right hook that dropped Culcay and left him unresponsive to the point the Russian was announced the winner by knockout (KO).
It was quite a dramatic end to a close-sided bout, and a deserving finish for Bakhram Murtazaliev as he netted his first-ever world title in his first world title fight, becoming the IBF 154 lbs champion in the process.
Murtazaliev has now the fourth and last champion to be crowned following the relinquishment of at least three titles [WBC, WBO and IBF] that were previously held by Jermell Charlo. The WBC and WBO champion was only recently determined after Sebastian Fundora (21-1-1, 13 KO’s) defeated Tim Tszyu (24-1, 17 KO’s) on March 30th to become the unified super welterweight champion.
The holder of the WBA belt had also been decided earlier in March following Uzbekistan native Israil Madrimov’s (10-0, 7 KO’s) knockout win over Russian challenger Magomed Kurbanov (25-1, 13 KO’s) with the WBA belt having been vacant for their bout.
Last Saturday’s result has finally recalibrated the division following the inability by former undisputed 154 lbs champion Jermell Charlo to defend all four of his world titles after he decided to face undisputed super middleweight Canelo Alvarez (60-2-2, 39 KO’s) for his 168 lbs titles, which culminated in an underwhelming loss for Charlo.
Despite Murtazaliev’s victory, his road to remain a world champion will not be an easy one with three other champions being available to dethrone him, if not a viable contender. American contender Erickson Lubin (26-2, 18 KO’s) is now a prospective next challenger for the IBF title given his #3 ranking [with Murtazaliev and Culcay having respectively settled at the #1 and #2 positions]. Though the IBF rankings will be subject to obvious changes following the April 6th bout between Murtazaliev and Calcay, it is likely that Lubin will now become the #1 154 lbs contender.
Whether a challenger or champion is next, it is quite certain that Murtazaliev will be up against serious competition in the near future as he starts his reign as a world champion, which might work against him or compel the Russian to turn the 154 lbs division upside down depending on how his next fight goes.
