It’s a shame Russian slugger Fedor Chudinov is not a bigger name than he is. As consistently entertaining as he is, Chudinov giving fans plenty of action each time he steps into the ring, the 33 year old from Bratsk would very possibly be a big star if he was a high-profile US fighter. Last night, against South Africa’s Ryno Liebenberg, Chudinov gave us another slugfest.
The two men locked horns and basically pounded away in the fight that was held in Saint Petersburg, with neither man willing to budge, change tactics, or take a backwards step. It really was a gruelling affair, with plenty of leather thrown from both sides and both warriors were served by a great chin, incredible stamina and a fierce will to win. It was an even fight for around eight rounds, before Chudinov, the younger man by four years, came on strong in the final third of the war.
Cutting Liebenberg below the eye, Chudinov then finally had the satisfaction of putting his man on the floor, this in the ninth round when a series of left hands dropped the older man. Liebenberg showed great heart in getting back up and fighting through the remainder of the session and then seeing out the last three rounds. These two punched it out right to the final bell.
Both men gave their all last night and the crowd certainly appreciated it. Chudinov is now 24-2-1(16) and he retained his WBA Gold super-middleweight belt with last night’s tough win. Liebenberg falls to 21-8-1(14). Chudinov has of course been around for some time, with him winning the WBA 168 pound title with a win over Felix Sturm back in 2015. Chudinov has been a pro since 2009. Judging by last night’s effort, Chudinov has quite a bit left to offer. It will be interesting to see where he goes next.
Last night’s cracker was a good, honest fight, one with no frills, but plenty of thrills. A fight well worth checking out on YouTube.