Earlier today Russian southpaw Elnur Samedov stopped John Lenon in the 11th round of a fight in Chelyabinsk to claim the interim WBA super featherweight title.
Samedov made his first proper breakthrough in the fight in round seven when he clipped Lenon with a short right hook in close followed by a sharp left uppercut. Those two shots had the Colombian on unsteady legs and soon he was spiralling to the canvas, where he was counted.
Wisely, Lenon took the count on one knee, before then rising and preparing himself for the inevitable onslaught to come.
Four rounds later, in the 11th, Samedov again started to break Lenon down, doubling up impressively with his left hand to both body and head. He then repeated the trick with his right hand, sinking a hook into Lenon’s midsection and then his head. With each body shot, one could see the resilience gradually starting to ebb from Lenon.
In the end, it was exhaustion, as well as some well-placed left hands, which led to Lenon collapsing to the canvas and again receiving a count from the referee. This time, unlike in round seven, he was a lot more tired and a lot less certain of rising again for more.
To his credit, however, Lenon did get up. He then stumbled towards the centre of the ring where he was met by a hard Samedov right hook which put Lenon down so heavily a count on this occasion was not required.
The knockout win, secured with just 14 seconds left to run in round 11, now makes Samedov, 22-1 (11 KOs), the official mandatory challenger for James "Jazza" Dickens, the WBA super featherweight champion.
