17.02.07 -By Fritz Drexel: On Friday night, the exciting flyweight Susianna Kentikian (15-0, 12 KO’s) – who originally came from Jerevan, Armenia and fights out of Hamburg, Germany – stopped Carolina Alvarez in the 9th round to win the WBA Flyweight title at in Cologne, Germany. Kentikian, 19-years old, used her superior speed advantage to control the bout and punish Alvarez, from Venezuela, with fast combinations..
In the 1st round, Kentikian started off fast, moving quickly in on Alvarez and ripping off solid shots to the head, then moving away as Alvarez attempted to respond with return fire. Though only 5’1,” Kentikian showed remarkable punching power for her small size, as her punches landed with a loud smack every time she connected, which was often in this round. Alvarez charged after Kentikian, throwing repeated left-right arm punches, looking almost robotic in style, most of which Kentikian was able to duck under and make them miss.
Kentikian’s superior hand speed was clearly evident in rounds two through six, during which time she landed multiple combinations to Alvarez’s head, causing her face to redden and swell badly as the rounds progressed. Kentikian easily won all of the first six rounds of the fight, with Alvarez having no idea how to solve Kentikian’s air tight defense. Each time Alvarez would make a charge, Kentikian would quickly back up and cover up, while landing counter shots that her Alvarez.
In round seven, Kentikian was turning the fight into a route, stalking Alvarez and blasting her with lightning fast combinations that bloodied her nose and forcing her up against the ropes for many of the exchanges. In between rounds, the referee warned Alvarez that he would stop the fight unless she started fighting back.
Perhaps energized by the referee’s warning, Alvarez came out strong in the 8th round, backing Kentikian up and landing well with left hooks and straight right hands. Towards the end of the round, Alvarez caught Kentikian with a big right hand shot that snapped her back. However, Kentikian took the blow well, and spun Alvarez around to the ropes where she attacked her with combinations.
In the 9th round, Kentikian, looking deadly determined as the round started, immediately backed Alvarez up to the ropes and landing a vicious four-punch combination to the head of Alvarez, who was defenseless to stop them. Seeing that Alvarez was in distress, the referee jumped in and halted the bout.