The Murodjon Akhmadaliev-Ryosuke Iwasa stoppage might’ve been controversial but there is no doubt about who was in charge Saturday.
Akhmadaliev, the unified 122-pound titleholder fighting in his home country of Uzbekistan, had outworked Iwasa for four-plus rounds and was landing damaging blows in Round 5 when referee Yuri Koptzev stopped the fight in Tashkent.
Akhmadaliev (9-0, 7 KOs) was making the first defense of the IBF and WBA belts he won by outpointing Dan Roman in his eighth pro fight in January of last year.
The left-handed 2016 Olympic bronze medalist maintained intense pressure on Iwasa (27-4, 17 KOs) from the outset, keeping the former titleholder on the defensive with his stiff jab and clean power punches.
Murodjon Akhmadaliev turned up the pressure in the 5th 🥊
But was the stoppage premature? #AkhmadalievIwasa pic.twitter.com/Afkdd7OsAv
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 3, 2021
The Japanese challenger had some good moments. He, too, jabbed well much of the fight and connected on some eye-catching power shots. However, fighting on his back foot the entire fight, he couldn’t keep pace with the gifted champion.
The beginning of the end came about 15 seconds into Round 5, when Akhmadaliev landed a hard left uppercut that appeared to stun Iwasa. The titleholder followed with a barrage of hard, accurate punches that had the challenger in trouble.
Iwasa seemed to weather the storm but, after a lull, Akhmadaliev unloaded another potent flurry with Iwasa’s back against the ropes. That’s when Koptzev jumped in and ended the fight, prompting a wild celebration among the champion and his handlers.
Was the stoppage premature?
Iwasa was definitely having a bad moment but he didn’t seem to be hurt badly, a factor that made Koptzev’s decision questionable. Iwasa looked stunned when the fight was stopped and then smiled, his way of saying, “You have to be kidding.”
No joke. Iwasa had come up short in his bid to become a major titleholder again and Akhamdaliev’s star burns brighter.
Akhmadaliev equaled Leon Spinks’ feat of becoming a unified champion in eight fights. Now he has a successful defense over a respected challenger. And at 26 he’s just getting started.
Before the fight, he made it clear that he has big plans.
“I will not avoid anybody,” he said. “I want all the belts.”