Israel Madrimov (10-0-1, 7 KOs) used his Golovkin-esque punching power to stop Magomed Kurbanov (25-1, 13 KOs) in the fifth round to capture the vacant WBA junior middleweight title on Friday night at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
In only his 11th pro bout, the Uzbek took command, gradually overpowering Magomed Kurbanov to secure a stoppage victory 2:29 into the fifth round.
Madrimov took advantage of his hand speed and power to pick off the previously unbeaten Kurbanov all night with shots and dominate the entire contest.
Dominant Performance Leads to TKO
In the fifth, Madrimov landed a scorching right hook to the head of #2 WBA Kurbanov that caused him to stiffen up and retreat to the ropes for a last stand. Madrimov went for the finish, tagging him with repeated right hands to the head.
Some of the shots hit Kurbanov behind the head as he was cowering under the barrage of shots. With nothing coming back from Kubanov, the referee stepped in and stopped the fight. The official time of the stoppage was at 2:20 of round five.
After the fight, Madrimov said he wanted to capture additional world titles at 154. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, said he wants to match him against WBO champion Tim Tszyu and Terence Crawford.
Madrimov, basking in triumph, stated, “It’s a fantastic sensation. I’ve yearned for this moment.” Now holding the title, he aims to bring it home to Uzbekistan and doesn’t plan to stop until he’s collected all four division belts.
Eddie Hearn, co-promoter of Madrimov, was thrilled, declaring, “This guy’s a beast. He breezed past Kurbanov. Keep an eye on Ismail ‘The Dream’ Madrimov. He’s on a quest for dominance in the 154-pound division.”
Kurbanov’s record moves to 25-1 (13 KOs) following this encounter.
