Dewaele dethroned in magnificent Lumpinee Stadium main event
Sajad Mehrabi became Iran’s first Asian boxing champion on Sunday afternoon (April 30) with a resounding third-round stoppage of Emmeric Dewaele in Bangkok.
Though he had more than 100 fights to his credit across a variety of combat sports, Mehrabi was boxing professionally for only the fifth time – yet he made a mockery of any predictions that this chance had come too soon, as he left the historic Lumpinee Stadium with the WBC Asia light-heavyweight belt in his possession.
The prize came courtesy of a crunching finish, with brutal body shots bringing an end to the undefeated record of Dewaele.
Thailand-based Frenchman Dewaele entered this bout with significant momentum, boasting not only an unblemished ledger but also four belts to his name. His bid to add a fifth, however, was met with defeat as Mehrabi emerged victorious from a thrilling firefight.
Both men bristled with confidence and conducted most of the action in close quarters. The difference, slight though it was, was that Mehrabi proved that bit more versatile, boasting an ability to box off both the ropes and the front foot.
He also proved the more powerful – or perhaps the more resilient, for Dewaele packed a significant punch himself, as evidenced by his 100% KO record coming in. Either way, it was a devastating body attack from the Iranian that brought about the finish, with the referee waving off the intense action after a second knockdown.
It was a star-making performance from the new champion, who has already blazed a trail across the globe, having fought in five countries in his six pro starts. Whether he stays in Thailand to face what is sure to be an array of exciting challenges, or continues on his world tour to seek out new opponents and territories to conquer, remains to be seen – but it will be fascinating to follow him either way.
Upset as bareknuckle champ Peloumpi loses gloved debut
The chief support sprang a major surprise as the highly anticipated pro boxing debut of BKFC strawweight women’s champion Fani Peloumpi was met with defeat.
Peloumpi, from Greece, entered this fight with a huge reputation carved from stellar performances in some of the world’s biggest promotions, most notably her stunning bareknuckle title win over the legendary Souris Manfredi last year.
She is also a ONE Championship alumni and a veteran of dozens of muay Thai matches – yet none of that could translate into victory under the Lumpinee lights.
To be fair, Peloumpi was given a tough assignment for her maiden voyage into the Sweet Science. While traditionally big-name debutants can expect a soft touch for their first time out, the ‘Warrior Princess’ was met with fierce resistance and no little skill from her Thai opponent, Kullanat Aonok.
Peloumpi exhibited blazing hand speed and lovely backfoot boxing, but two of the judges felt Kullanat’s stronger counters and forward motion merited greater reward. The split decision went the local’s way by margins of 39-37 and 39-28, to one vote of 39-37 for Peloumpi.
While Peloumpi retains plenty of options in other sports, it will be interesting to see if she attempts to regroup in boxing, for she showed plenty of potential even in defeat.
Unbeaten prospects impress again, and debutants go to war
Two outstanding prospects from the fast-rising gym/promotion The Box Thailand extended their unbeaten records on the undercard.
Knockout artist Oussama Ahmiti of Morocco went to 4-0, but in doing so had to negotiate the full route in an entertaining test of his abilities and composure against enthusiastic veteran Natthawut Masamin.
The Thai proved tricky and durable, soaking up the younger man’s harder blows and showboating, when he wasn’t firing back with dangerous counters.
In the end, super-welterweight Ahmiti’s unrelenting aggression and impressive two-handed attack earned him the judges’ approval by unanimous votes of 40-36 and 39-37 twice. It was a good learning experience and a fine result against a former national champion.
Twenty-year-old Frenchman Giuliano Fantone, meanwhile, stepped up to six-round class for the first time, but needed less than half the allotted time to dispense with another Thai, Anan Pongkhet.
A 5ft 9in super-featherweight, Fantone’s lean physique belied his power, and whipping left uppercuts and right hooks knocked the fight out of Anan, who was stopped in the third after a second knockdown.
A wild, back-and-forth brawl opened the show, with debutants Serhii Kuzmin and Broward Jones going at it in a light-heavyweight four-rounder.
Ukraine’s Kuzmin survived an opening-round onslaught from his American foe, who was moving over to boxing after building a reputation in kung fu. Jones scored a knockdown in the opening 30 seconds and looked on course for an impressive early win, but Kuzmin not only survived, he was getting on top by the end of the round.
The tables fully turned in the second as Kuzmin poured on offence of his own, and Jones couldn’t match him, going down twice before being rescued by the referee. It was a stunning reversal by Kuzmin, especially as he had stepped in as a replacement at just a day’s notice.
Other results: Nurmukhammad Adamkhonov (Uzbekistan) w ud 4 Kittikul Dechapan (Thailand), super-featherweight; Hudai Ferzan Cicek (Turkey) w sd 4 Konstantin Rudenko (Russia)
LINKS
Evolution Fight Series: Dewaele v Mehrabi event page
Full broadcast
BoxRec event page
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