Light Heavyweight

Believe it or not, boxing great Roy Jones Jr. is still around knocking out overmatched opponents—albeit thousands of miles away from where his fame was created.  

Jones defeated Hany Atiyo—the Egyptian world champ—in Friday night's WBU cruiserweight title match in Krasnodar, Russia, defending his belt in about as easy a fashion as you could possibly imagine. He sent Atiyo to the canvas early in Round 1, forcing a technical knockout as his opponent was unable to continue.

The winning blow was about as nonchalant a victory as Jones has ever had. Simply taking his time getting into a flow, he threw a jab toward Atiyo's cheek before connecting on a hard body shot to his opponent's right ribs. Atiyo immediately felt the brunt of it, crumbling to the ground.

All Jones could do is walk off like it was nothing. Well, because it pretty much was—he had hardly broken a sweat by the time he lifted the trophy.

He's been out of boxing's mainstream since back-to-back-to-back losses to Danny Green, Bernard Hopkins and Denis Lebedev from 2009-2011. But Friday night marked the fourth straight time he's fought in Eastern Europe and dominated his opponent. 

Fight Ghost summed up the victory for Jones, although indicating a return to his prime might be a bit much:

It is over in round 1 ! Roy Jones destroys the Egyptian world champion with a body shot. Ya’all must forgot! Prime RJJ is BACK.

— Fight Ghost (@Fight_Ghost) September 26, 2014

Not to be confused with the world-class bouts he used to schedule, Jones expected somewhat of a cruise on Friday night. He told ESPN's Dan Rafael that before the fight, after commenting on why fighting in Eastern Europe is so important to him:

They asked me would I come back and do it again and we made a deal. I'm happy to go Russia. I have a lot of fans there and this is another tune-up to keep me active.

I know the guy I'm fighting is supposed to be a strong puncher, but not the most skillful guy. I know he will try to jump on me and try to get me out of there. It's cool though. I know what to expect.

And it literally took seconds into Round 1 before that became quite obvious.

The 45-year-old Jones didn't come out shot out of a cannon, but rather took his time setting the tempo. Although, despite his lax approach that resulted in mostly body shots early, those shots took their toll.

In the first minute of the fight, Jones connected with Atiyo's ribs around the same area that later would cause him to go down. He was noticeably taken back by the blow, making his KO later in the round less surprising than it initially looked.

Still, it's a side of the American that we haven't seen in years. While he does have seven career knockouts in the first round, the last one came in 1997—some 17 years ago. Three of his last four fights in Eastern Europe have gone the full distance.

According to the reaction from Cage Warriors' Brad Wharton, few around the sport had seen such dominance from Jones in years:

2014 and I just watched Roy Jones Jr fold some fool like a lawn chair.

— 𝙱𝚛𝚊𝚍 𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚘𝚗 (@MMABrad48) September 26, 2014

While many of Jones' recent fights have shown spectators that age has taken away from his game, that didn't seem to be the case on Friday. Of course, a first-round knockout can keep folks from seeing a lot of other deficiencies that would crop up in a 12-round fight.

But nobody expects Jones to rediscover his glory days at the age of 45—much less in Europe and in fights that don't generate much public interest around the sport other than the simple fact that he's fighting.

Alas, just the simple fact that he's out there knocking people out decades after starring in the Olympics caught BoxingScene's David Greisman's eye:

People who were born the year that Roy Jones fought in the Olympics are now four years out of college.

— David Greisman (@fightingwords2) September 26, 2014

Since Roy Jones was in Korea, Derek Jeter started high school, graduated, played minor league ball, had a 19-year pro career and retired.

— David Greisman (@fightingwords2) September 26, 2014

There's no telling what is next for Jones. He's obviously been in the twilight of his career for some time, but from his Round 1 knockout to parading around the ring performing his own rap songs, he seems to still have plenty in the tank.

Jones admitted in his interview with Rafael that he's aiming to stay around Eastern Europe and get a shot at world cruiserweight title holder Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, after which he says "then I'm done." But with two deals already in place for his preferred opponent, Jones would have to play the waiting game—not ideal for someone who turns 46 in January.

He can keep dominating opponents who have no business being in the ring with him, and it may help to pad his overall record along with his pocketbooks. But other than a potential future matchup with Wlodarczyk, there's little left for him to chase in what has been an illustrious career.

Bernard Hopkins has no plans to hang up the gloves anytime soon, and it looks like his next title bout is finally set in stone.

According to BoxingNews24.com's Allan Fox, Hopkins will fight the undefeated Sergey Kovalev in a light heavyweight unification matchup on November 8 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It's certainly bewildering that Hopkins is still fighting at such an advanced age—even the legendary Archie Moore got sick of taping up his wrists by the ripe old age of 47.

ESPN's Brian Campbell believes the fight could be the best of 2014:

Hopkins (55-6-2) isn't just fighting to hoard paychecks; he's still beating opponents half his age. He's won his last three bouts, most recently snatching the WBA and IBA light heavyweight titles from Beibut Shumenov, a puncher 18 years his junior. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5vnL3aB_MU

Kovalev (25-0-1) is no slouch and should prove to be a worthy opponent for Hopkins. Kovalev has a penchant for beginning bouts with a violent ferocity. He recently defended his WBO light heavyweight title against Blake Caparello on July 2, winning via TKO in the second round.

His 23 career knockouts prove that match was no aberration and he could be a very dangerous opponent for Hopkins. The Russian power-puncher is confident he will make history. He told RingTV's Lem Satterfield: "But I’m happier that I’m going to be fighting Bernard Hopkins there because that is going to put my name into the history of boxing. Most likely, also, I’m going to be making history in boxing by winning against Bernard Hopkins. That’s going to put me in the top tier."

The obvious route is for Kovalev to attempt to keep Hopkins off-balance and hope that his hand speed is diminishing at a monthly rate at this point, although that's wishful thinking considering the physical condition he's maintained after nearly half a century on this earth.

Hopkins should be able to use his superior reach—75" to Kovalev's 72.5", per BoxRec.com—to keep Kovalev from digging in and out-punching him in close quarters.

Hopkins will have to falter at some point, but he could very easily have four different titles to his name by November 8.

Sergey Kovalev is one scary dude.

Don’t get me wrong. He’s polite to me, and he has never done or said anything to me or anyone I know, or even that I am aware of, that would make me think he’s anything other than a regular, everyday guy.

But I’ve seen Kovalev fight, and anyone who seems to enjoy inflicting that much damage on other human beings—even in a prizefight—deserves a certain level of respect.

Age:	31
Height:	6'0"
Reach:	72 inches
Weight:	175 pounds
Record:	24-0-1
Knockouts:	22
Knockout Percentage:	88 percent

So when I interviewed Kovalev last week for Bleacher Report, I was a bit taken aback when he opened up the conversation by adamantly telling me how hungry he felt.

“I’m hungry,” said Kovalev. “Hungry.”

Fighters often say they’re hungry in reference to big-time fights and stratospheric paydays. But Kovalev was talking about hunger the same way us everyday folk do: He was talking about food.

Being thousands of miles away from him, I couldn’t very well have offered him any. Funny how that goes, though. The very same miles of distance between us that made it impossible for me to offer him food gave me little solace in regard to my personal sense of safety about the matter.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKN50Wh6Jm4

Being of sound mind and comparatively fragile body, I quickly changed the subject to ask Kovalev what he knew about his opponent on Saturday, Blake Caparello.

“I know nothing about my opponent on Saturday.”

Um, OK. But have you seen any of his fights, maybe? Any video of him at all to help you prepare for the fight?

“A couple of rounds. I’ve seen just a couple of rounds of what he’s doing. For me, enough. A couple of rounds.”

Kovalev’s last fight was against the undefeated, but unheralded, Cedric Agnew. When I visited Agnew ahead of the fight at Main Street Boxing Gym in downtown Houston, he told me he’d have a surprise for Kovalev come fight night. He wouldn’t tell me specifically what his strategy would be, but he was supremely confident he’d get the job done.

Kovalev knocked Agnew out in Round 7 with a thunderous body punch. It broke Agnew’s ribs and left him crying in the arms of his handlers in the dressing room.

Caparello has been at least equally confident headed into his fight with Kovalev. According to a recent press release, Caparello feels all the pressure is on Kovalev to perform and thinks the menacing mauler might be looking a bit past him and on to bigger fights down the line.

Kovalev disagrees.

“No, I don’t feel pressure. I feel pressure only for my family. I am responsible for my family.”

Still, in an interview posted on YouTube with Aus-boxing.com, Caparello said he saw flaws in Kovalev and that he had the game plan to defeat him.

Kovalev said he had heard that one before.

“All my opponents know something before the fight, but in the fight the situation is different.”

If you’ve seen Kovalev fight, you know it’s the power he possesses in both hands that sets him apart from other fighters. Kovalev has knocked out 22 of 25 opponents, including his last eight.  

Moreover, Kovalev is the type of fighter who dares you to stand in front of him and trade punches. He wants it. Because he’s betting he can hit you harder and more accurately than you can hit him, and he’s usually right.

Given all that, it’s a bit surprising that his power seems to be such a shock to his foes on fight night. You can see it on their faces the first time one of his thudding blows lands clean. Or even when it doesn’t. When Kovalev hits you, it hurts.

Didn’t they know what they were getting into? Haven’t they seen this guy fight before?

I wondered if Kovalev was surprised by it, too.

“No. I’m not surprised.”

Not given much rope to swing into a follow-up question on the matter, I pivoted to what Caparello said of Kovalev during a recent media conference call. Caparello boasted he wanted to fight Kovalev because he considered him the best light heavyweight in the world.

In 2013, Kovalev told me Adonis Stevenson was the light heavyweight who had the best year, so I wondered if Kovalev thought he or lineal champion, Stevenson, was the best in the division right now.

So I asked him. Do you think you’re the best light heavyweight in the world right now, Sergey?

“Yes.”

One fighter who might disagree with the hungry man of few words is Bernard Hopkins. The ageless Hopkins made waves recently when he told RingTV.com’s Joseph Santoliquito that he was ready to fight Kovalev in November.

But Hopkins has been tied to Showtime over the past few years and seems firmly headed toward a more makeable clash against Stevenson instead.

So it seems reasonable to assume Hopkins was just looking for a little publicity when he broached the subject of Kovalev, or that maybe he was throwing his weight around at the negotiating table.

Kovalev wasn’t interested in discussing the matter.

“I don’t know, and I don’t know who is this ‘Bernard Hopkins’? I know that my next opponent is Blake Caparello.”

Good idea. Let’s stay on topic.

I told Kovalev that Caparello would probably want to take him to the latter rounds. The Australian is a good fighter but doesn’t have the power to stand in the pocket and trade shots with a guy like Kovalev. The most interesting part of Saturday’s fight will be seeing if Kovalev will have to chase Caparello down during the early rounds.

Kovalev didn’t want to discuss what he’d do on fight night.

“Yeah, I will see in the ring what I need to do. I am interested, too. I want to get in the ring and then show everybody what I came to do. I can say that this fight will be much better than last one. It will be more interesting with more action.”

OK. So let’s say Caparello does everything he can to stay away from Kovalev for the whole fight, and it turns into a stinker. Shouldn’t Kovalev worry about keeping his fights against guys like Caparello action-packed and entertaining enough in order to put pressure on the other big-name fighters in the division to face him?

“No, I don’t think or worry about anything. It’s just a fight. I go in the ring, and then there’s fighting.”

Fair point. Kovalev is a guy who likes to fight. You can see it on his face every time he lands a punch. You can see it in his eyes every time an opponent winces in pain. He likes it.

In fact, Kovalev is the best kind of fighter: one who enjoys his work.

“Yeah. I like fight. Yeah.”

But why? Boxing is a terribly difficult way to earn a living. Isn’t it? Why would someone want to put himself through so much in order to earn a living the most violent and dangerous way possible?

“Boxing is already in my life. I have been boxing since I was 11 years old. I can’t do more. It’s only boxing. Yeah, difficult but interesting. I can get good money from boxing for my life and go to retirement a rich man…Not 50 years old, you know?”

Kovalev said he was basically living the American dream and that boxing could provide him an early retirement.

“I came to America to get these opportunities—to fight on HBO against this level of fighter.”

If guys like Hopkins, Stevenson or even 168-pound champion Andre Ward don't want to take the risk of fighting him, Kovalev said it was on them. He wants all those fights and more, and they know it.

“I have a passion, and I am ready for it to take me farther. But it’s not my problem. I have a fight. Next fight, my next fighter, next week on HBO. I’m happy. After it, I hope to again fight somebody. Who it will be? We will see.”

Kovalev reiterated it wasn’t his job to make fights happen. There is a utilitarian aspect of Kovalev’s vocationalism that is frustrating but, at the very same time, strikingly admirable.

“It’s not my job. I’m just a fighter.”

Perhaps it’s the conversationalist in me, but I asked Kovalev how the weather has been over in his adopted home of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Kovalev said it’s been the same as every summer there: hot, humid and wet.

But he said he hadn’t been there very much this summer. Rather, he had traveled to his home country of Russia and California as of late, and he said that he’d be doing so again soon.

“After my next fight, I’ll be again in California for vacation.”

Perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment, but I asked Kovalev what a guy like him did for vacation. His response was garbled coming through the phone line. It sounded something like “eating” or “drinking” was all he wanted—I don’t know, but the two other folks on the call—his manager Egis Klimas and Ellen Haley from Main Events—laughed along with him after he said it, so it must have added some levity to things a bit.

So I laughed, too. Because you don’t ask a man like Sergey Kovalev to repeat himself, no matter how far away he may be from you at the time, especially when he’s hungry.

Kelsey McCarson regularly contributes to Bleacher Report, The Sweet Science and Boxing Channel. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. 

Showtime has a difficult task coming up on Saturday.

Many fight fans would prefer to watch WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (23-1, 20 KO) lock horns with another of his fellow 175-pound titleholders. Instead, Stevenson will be facing little-known contender Andrzej Fonfara at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Will fans tune in to see Stevenson face a man most haven't heard of? Per FightNights.com, Stevenson is a massive favorite in the bout.

The card does feature two other mildly interesting scraps. Stevenson's countryman David Lemieux will take on Fernando Guerrero and Jermell Charlo will face Charlie Ohta. 

Here's the viewing information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1P_ufzy6UE

When: Saturday, May 24 at 9 p.m. ET

Where: Bell Centre in Montreal

TV: Showtime

Live Stream: Livesport.TV (region restricted)

The Book on Stevenson

After establishing momentum for himself with an exciting KO victory over Chad Dawson in June 2013 to capture the title, Stevenson's reputation in the boxing community has taken a hit.

Many believe he's ducking WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. 

Both fighters were originally signed with HBO and seemed headed for an epic collision. Early this year, Stevenson jumped ship and signed with Showtime and with Al Haymon as an advisor/manager.

Because of boxing's cold war between HBO and Showtime, the most anticipated light heavyweight bout in years may never happen.

What were Stevenson's motivations for heading to Showtime? Only he knows for sure, but there's no question this fight won't bring the interest that a scrap with Kovalev—or even one with WBA and IBF champ Bernard Hopkins—would bring.

According to Stevenson's promoter Yvon Michel, who is quoted by Yahoo! Sports Kevin Iole, the promotional team is only expecting between "7,000 and 8,000" fans in the Bell Centre on Saturday night. The venue seats 22,000.

Iole writes:

You can be sure if Stevenson had signed and was facing Kovalev on Saturday at the Bell Centre, there would be far more than 8,000 in the building, Stanley Cup fever or not.

A group of fans would also have been content to see Stevenson match up against ageless wonder Bernard Hopkins.

Instead, he appears to have chosen the path of least resistance and signed to face Fonfara. 

What does Stevenson say about his move to Showtime? In an interview with Anson Wainwright of The Ring Magazine, Stevenson said:

This is only a business move. I owe a lot to HBO for giving me my first real chance when they approved the fight with Dawson and after they gave me two more dates. After I won ‘Fighter of the Year,’ HBO made me a good offer but Showtime came with a better offer.

We'll find out soon if this is bad for business.

The Book on Fonfara

Amidst all the talk about Stevenson trying to take the easy way out, Fonfara is getting disrespected. He's no Kovalev or Hopkins, but that doesn't mean he's not a good fighter.

The 26-year-old Polish boxer-puncher stands 6'2". He has a five-inch reach advantage over Stevenson (77 to 72). Fonfara also has a very good chin. He took some good shots early on against Glen Johnson in July 2012 before winning a unanimous decision.

He also has one-punch KO power. Take a look at this knockout of Samuel Miller immediately after Miller was warned for a blatant punch to the back of the head. It takes place at the 10:25 mark of the video.

No one is paying attention to Fonfara in this fight, and Stevenson has been upset in this type of situation before.

Crafty and powerful veteran Darnell Boone surprisingly knocked Stevenson out in 2010. Could we see history repeat itself?

Prediction

This could be a dangerous bout for Stevenson, especially if he's overconfident. Fonfara can crack and he has a strong beard. He's probably never faced a puncher quite like Stevenson, though.

Critics can say what they want, but when Stevenson hits guys, they go to sleep. In his recent bouts, he's been demonstrating improved boxing skills to go with his power.

Expect to see another stoppage victory for Stevenson and for talks of a unification bout with Hopkins to be kicked into overdrive immediately after.

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Watching Bernard Hopkins lately makes you want to sing old Outkast songs: “Outta this world...are you alien?”

The 49-year-old has ditched the “Executioner” moniker and adopted that more fitting nickname.

What else do you call a man pushing 50, who is not only competing at a high level in the sport, but holding a legitimate world championship?

On Saturday, Hopkins will put his IBF light heavyweight championship on the line in a unification bout with WBA champion Beibut Shumenov.

It’s the main event of an exciting Showtime card that also features WBO middleweight champion “Kid Chocolate” Peter Quillin and newly-crowned IBF titleholder Shawn “Showtime” Porter taking on Paulie “The Magic Man” Malignaggi.

Here’s how you can catch the action:

 

When: Saturday, April 19 at 9:30 p.m.

Where: DC Armory in Washington, D.C,

TV: Showtime

 

The Book on Hopkins

The Alien’s legacy is a snowball of adamantium. It’s indestructible; the longer it rolls, the stronger it gets.

No loss Hopkins can or will face from here on out will change the fact that he’s one of the greatest of all time. Does he happen to fight in one of the weakest weight classes in the sport? Sure, he does. But that only makes what he’s doing slightly less impressive.

Six of Hopkins' last seven opponents have been current world champions. His record in those bouts is 3-1-1 with one no-contest.

What’s his secret? Another age-defying fighter says he knows. George Foreman told Rick Maese of the Washington Post:

I know the secret. He doesn’t have any distractions. There’s a point where there’s so many distractions that you can’t stay in shape. But then all of a sudden, it’s like breaking the sound barrier and you can just do it as long as you want.

Whatever the formula, it works.

With uncanny instincts, defensive wizardry and in-ring guile, Hopkins continues to out-box the best the 175-pound division has to offer.

In his last fight, Hopkins chose to show he could still thump if needed. Facing the little-known, but skilled Karo Murat, Hopkins allowed himself to exchange a bit more than normal. He showed he still had a solid beard and enough punching power to make men nearly 20 years his junior respect him.

Facing Shumenov is a different challenge, though.

The WBA champion is a smart boxer himself. He doesn’t have a wealth of professional experience, but he's still an interesting opponent for the future hall of famer.

 

The Book on Shumenov

Talk about an amazing story.

Shumenov was inadvertently poisoned by an aunt when he was a small child. Doctors initially said he would not survive. Although he pulled through, physicians said that his growth would be stunted, and that he would need to stay away from physical activities.

The powerfully-built Kazakhstani is 6’2”.

Growing up, he and his family were poor. Now he is an attorney and his family is one of the richest in his home country.

If you didn’t know it was true, you’d swear the story is from a movie. Maybe one day it will be.

Shumenov would love for some part of that film to include a win over the legendary Hopkins.

He told Lem Satterfield of The Ring Magazine:

Bernard Hopkins, right now, he is the best light heavyweight champion in the world. He is one of the idols that I have in boxing. But for me, this is a great opportunity to show that I am actually the best light heavyweight champion of the world.

The WBA champion has had just 15 fights, but he is a 30-year-old veteran. In his most recent bout, he successfully defended his title against Tamas Kovacs on Dec. 2013.

He’s never faced a fighter remotely close to Hopkins’ skill level. Not only will he be facing a man with extraordinary skill, but he’s also facing a fighter with almost unmatched experience. Last, but not least of Shumenov’s concerns is the fact that the bout takes place in D.C.

Hopkins was born in Philadelphia and lives in Delaware. There’s no question who the crowd will be rooting for.

Shumenov has proven he can succeed against rough odds in the past, he surely won’t be intimidated by these circumstances.

 

Prediction

It’s easy to like Shumenov’s story, but feel-good stories don’t win fights. Shumenov is a boxer with only moderate power and hand speed that barely rates above average.

This is not a package that figures to give Hopkins major issues.

That’s assuming he’s the same fighter that outfought Murat in his last bout. At 49 years old, you can’t ever assume Hopkins will be in top form in any fight. At his age, you have to look at things on a fight-by-fight basis.

That said, unless there’s a noticeable falloff in ability, prepare to be wowed again by the most amazing 40-something performer in the history of sports.

Hopkins will win by unanimous decision.

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Newly-crowned WBA light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (42-2, 31 KO) has a stiff test on his hands this Saturday in his native Germany.

Braehemer will face former WBO cruiserweight title holder and world-class puncher, Enzo Maccarinelli (38-6, 30 KO).

At 32—an age when many fighters would be moving up in weight— Maccarinelli moved down to make 175 pounds. He is 6-1 since the switch and the only loss was a controversial stoppage defeat to Ovill McKenzie in 2012.

He later avenged the loss with an 11th-round TKO win in 2013.

The fight promises to be a knock-down-drag-out affair. The two men have a combined 61 KOs among them. If you like brawls, this one will probably be to your liking.

Braehmer does have respectable boxing skills, but Maccarinelli has a way of pulling fighters into slugfests.

Here's how you can watch this bout.

When: Saturday, April 5 at 2 p.m. ET

Where: Stadthalle, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

TV: BoxNation

Live Stream: LiveSport

The Book on Braehmer

The German southpaw will have an entire arena behind him on Saturday. He was born and raised just miles away from where the fight will take place.

That might not be as big of an advantage as it usually is.

Because both men have a high KO percentage (Braehmer 70.45, Maccarinelli 68.18), even if the judges are influenced by the crowd, they may not get an opportunity to render their verdict.

Braehmer's main objective is going to be finding a way to negate his opponent's size advantage. At 5'11", he's giving up five inches to Maccarinelli. In an interview with Lem Satterfield of The Ring Magazine, Braehmer acknowledge the size disparity, but came off confident in his abilities:

Size doesn’t matter as the title will stay in Germany. Maccarinelli is a quality operator and a former world champion — a tough task to handle inside the ring. Still, I believe that I know what it takes to beat him.

He'll need to be swift on his toes to keep from having prolonged exchanges with a naturally bigger opponent.

The Book on Maccarinelli

It's often either feast or famine with Maccarinelli. He has captured 30 of his 38 wins by stoppage, but all six of his losses have come by TKO or KO.

Needless to say, he doesn't like to go to the scorecards.

Stamina has been an issue for him in previous fights. But since he trimmed down to 175 pounds, he has shown the ability to perform late and withstand the punches of his opponents better.

Does Braehmer have the power to hurt Maccarinelli? That is likely the key to the entire fight.

There is some question as to whether Maccarinelli can sting Braehmer as well. The latter has never even been down in his career. Bleacher Report's Kevin McRae expounds:

Maccarinelli's best shot in this fight is to try and check Braehmer's chin early and often. The German has never been stopped, or even down, as a professional, but it's not like he's been in there with many lethal punchers.

Add Maccarinelli's huge size advantage to his power, and we could be in for some drama if he's able to connect with a few solid punches.

We can speculate, but we won't know for sure until leather and chin collide.

 

Prediction

Despite what Braehmer says, size can matter quite a bit. In this fight, it will be huge. Expect Maccarinelli to lean on the champion when inside and go to the body to exert his physical dominance.

When fighting on the outside, his sneaky up jab will allow him to win the battle from a distance.

While Braehmer's boxing skills are solid, he doesn't possess a big enough advantage in that category to cancel out his opponent's size and power. 

Maccarinelli will win by eighth-round TKO to win his second world title.

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