Nikita Tszyu secured a sixth-round TKO victory over Jack Brubaker in their junior middleweight bout following an early scare.
Tszyu was in trouble early on, as he hit the canvas in the third round following a headbutt between an exchange. However, since it was classed as a legitimate knockdown, Brubaker went in for the finish.
A huge right hand buckled Tszyu’s legs as he held on desperately. However, after having managed to weather the storm, Tszyu composed himself in between rounds.
In the following rounds, Tszyu increased the pressure as he targeted his opponent’s body. Numerous hooks slowed down Brubaker, whose early momentum disappeared.
And it all came to a head in the sixth round. Brubaker was not offering anything in response to Tszyu’s pressure as the fatigue caught up with him.
A huge left and a right-hand combination from Tszyu was enough for the towel to be thrown in. As a result, Tszyu maintained his unbeaten record, which extended to 7-0 with 6 KOs.
Reaction
“It was a very good test to have early in the career. It definitely rattled me. I felt like I was transported to a different point and time. I was like, ‘Whoa, where did that come from?’
“Yeah, it was a good thing to have, a loss of brain cells. The head clash didn’t rattle me. It annoyed me because it was in the third round, and I felt it was a cut with a little bit of liquid coming out.
“I instantly told the ref, ‘Head-butt,’ just in case it gets stopped by the doctor,” Tszyu
Full Results
Nikita Tszyu def. Jack Brubaker via a sixth round TKO
Liam Wilson def. Carlos Alanis via a unanimous decision: 100-89, 100-89 & 98-91
Toese Vousiutu def. by Kiki Toa Leutele via a split decision : 76-75, 76-75 & 73-78
Luke Jackson def. Tyson Lantry via a unanimous decision : 60-54, 60-54 & 59-55
Koen Mazoudier def. by Ben Hussain via a majority decision : 95-95, 96-94 & 96-94
Ralph Etienne def. Amaeze Enyi via a second round TKO