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Sergey Lipinets took full advantage of his last-minute opportunity as he knocked out Omar Figueroa Jr. to capture the WBC Silver Super Lightweight title.
Previously an IBF Junior Welterweight Champion in his own right, Lipinets secured an eighth-round knockout over Figueroa Jr. at the Showtime event. He was standing in for Adrien Broner, who had pulled out of the fight at the start of the week.
In winning the Silver title, Lipinets is now in line for an opportunity at the WBC Super Lightweight title that had previously belonged to Undisputed Champion Josh Taylor.
The fight didn't come to a natural end either, as Omar Figueroa Sr. instructed the referee to stop the bout, hoping to prevent his son from suffering further damage in a round where he had already endured a significant amount of damage.
This is his third straight loss for Figueroa, and retirement may be considered after yet another punishing loss.
Omar Figueroa Jr. vs. Sergey Lipinets full card results
Sergey Lipinets def. Omar Figueroa Jr. via TKO in Round 8 [WBC Silver Super Lightweight Championship]
Sergey Lipinets was fighting his first since April 2021 and dropped Figueroa fairly early in the second round. Figueroa himself was fighting his first since May of last year.
The Kazakh had been planned for the untelevised undercard prior to Adrien Broner pulling out of the bout to address mental health issues. Sergey Lipinets worked the head throughout the contest, which is what led to Figueroa Sr. calling the one-sided bout off during the eighth round.
After knocking Figueroa down early, Sergey Lipinets continued to dominate the fight. Perhaps Figueroa's best output came in the third round, which saw the pair trading blows on the inside. Other than that, it was a tale of when Lipinets was going to make his opponent pay, often testing his rival's jaw with flush and precise shots.
Alberto Puello def. Batyr Akhmedov via Split-Decision (117-111, 117-111, 113-115) [WBA Super Lightweight Championship]
Alberto Puello withstood the constant aggression of Batyr Akhmedov to win a split decision and the vacant WBA 140-pound title. Puello was the second Dominican to win a world title on the card, as Hector Garcia took Roger Gutierrez’s 130-pound belt earlier on.
Puello appeared to have an advantage over Akhmedov for the first few rounds, using quick combinations to build a lead on the cards. However, by round four, Akhmedov picked up his pace and never showed signs of slowing down. He worked the body of Puello, keeping the bout competitive and exciting.
Puello endured and countered accordingly, catching the Uzbek with some flush strikes as he charged forward. It was evident that the strategy had worked, considering two of the three judges gave the fight to Puello by a landslide.
Hector Luis Garcia def. Roger Gutierrez via UD (117-111, 117-111, 118-110) [WBA Super Featherweight Championship]
Brandun Lee def. Will Madera via UD (98-91, 98-91, 98-91)
Lenier Pero def. Joel Caudle via KO in Round 1
Fiodor Czerkaszyn def. Gilbert Venegas Jr. via TKO in Round 4
Francisco Portillo def. Rau’shee Warren via UD
Ismael Barroso def. Fernando David Saucedo via KO in Round 4
Atif Oberlton def. Robert Burwell via UD
Michael Angeletti def. Rafael Morel via KO in Round 1
