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The much-awaited clash between Israil Madrimov and Michel Soro ended disappointingly when a clash of heads saw the fight end in a technical draw.
The pair were facing one another in a long-anticipated rematch of their December 2021 battle. Following the clash of heads in the O2 Arena, London, the WBA junior middleweight eliminator bout was stopped after just three rounds.
Madrimov enjoyed the advantage through the first two rounds, but mere moments into the third, the accidental contact cut Soro near the left eye and caused blood to pour on to the canvas. After meeting with the ringside doctor, referee Steve Gray stopped the bout.
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The Uzbek, Madrimov, started off controlling the battle with his jab. He set the distance and aimed most of his power punches towards Soro's body. Soro maintained a high guard while he found his feet.
The fight kicked into action during Round 2 when Madrimov rattled Soro with a flush right. Soro appeared to be showing damage from the shot as he was forced to endure several more power shots.
Their fight appeared to be a classic in the making until the stoppage, putting an uncharacteristically sour note on their rematch.
The first fight between the two suffered a similarly controversial ending. After a competitive battle, Madrimov broke through and hurt the Frenchman enough to score a TKO victory. However, Israil Madrimov continued his attack after the bell and set the stage for the rematch.
This fight was a WBA eliminator, so it’s likely that a third fight will be ordered.
Israil Madrimov and Michael Soro fought on the undercard of Dereck Chisora's victory over Kubrat Pulev
Israil Madrimov and Michel Soro's clash came on the undercard of another rematch, Kubrat Pulev vs. Dereck Chisora 2.
Chisora went into battle seeking to revenge his 2016 loss against the Bulgarian, whose only two losses were to world champions Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua.
The Briton got his vengeance after an explosive heavyweight clash for the WBA international title, scoring a split decision victory after twelve rounds. This was his first win after three consecutive defeats to Joseph Parker (twice) and Oleksandr Usky, all three of which also ended in decision.
