Italian Olympian Guido Vianello registered the most important win of his career by upsetting Arslanbek Mahkmudov via an eighth-round TKO victory on the same evening Christian Mbilli dominated Sergiy Derevyanchenko.
Vianello and Mahkmudov met in the World Series of Boxing nearly 10 years ago, with Vianello retiring in the fourth due to an ear injury. This time, things were different.
From the opening stanza, Vianello quickly landed an array of right hands. The straight right, however, was pivotal, as it caused Makhmudov's left eye to swell by the third round.
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Makhmudov tried to cut off the ring despite his impaired vision, but he was deducted a point in the sixth for punches behind the head. Vianello landed at will from the outside in the seventh. Makhmudov's glove touched the canvas at one point, although it wasn't ruled a knockdown.
At the start of the eighth, the doctor deemed Makhmudov no longer fit to continue.
"I am a contender now. I am ready for the world level, and I proved that tonight," Vianello said.
"I thought I beat Efe Ajagba, and I came into this fight with a lot of confidence. I was in the best shape of my career, and that showed tonight. I dominated him and then knocked him out.
"I just had to stay composed. There was a knockdown that wasn't called, but I knew if I stuck to my strategy, I would get the knockout."
Meanwhile, Mbilli defeated three-time world title challenger Derevyanchenko via a dominant 10-round unanimous decision.
Mbilli, who is ranked in the top three by all major sanctioning organisations, was relentless from the opening stanza, throwing bombs from all angles.
Derevyanchenko tried to box from the outside but hurt his left bicep in the third round, forcing him to fight with just one hand. In the fifth, the 38-year-old Ukrainian fought back with consecutive rights, but Mbilli's youth and power overwhelmed him as he struggled to end the fight on his feet.
Mbilli maintained his unbeaten record with scores of 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92.
Mbilli said: "I had some problems with my left hand, and I was not able to bring it up. I had to throw punches. It was difficult, but I had to do my best.
"He's a warrior. He was in a difficult position, but he fought back. I'm going to go back home and look at the fight again.
"Right now, I'm ready for big fights. I want to be a world champion. I know that to be the best, I have to beat the best. I don't want to say any names, but everybody knows who's number one. I want the fight with No 1."
Derevyanchenko said: "My legs were good. I only had one arm. I needed to move. When I stayed, he punched in combinations.
"He's a good boxer, a strong boxer. But if I had two hands, I think it would be another situation."
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