Saturday night at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, Nevada, WBA World cruiserweight champion Beibut Shumenov (17-2, 11 KOs), from Las Vegas by way of Shymkent, Kazakhstan, got up off the canvas to stop #11 ranked Junior Wright (15-2-1, 12 KOs), from Evanston, Illinois, at 1:04 of the 10th of a scheduled 12-round fight.
With the win, and with the WBA cruiserweight tournament in full swing, Shumenov will face WBA Super World cruiserweight champion Denis Lededev, who successfully defended his title against Victor Emilio Ramirez this weekend in Moscow, Russia, within 120 days.
Wright kept things interesting by dropping Shumenov with a left hook in round five. The champ got to his feet on unsteady legs and was saved by the bell.
Shumenov regained control of the fight by outboxing Wright. He scored two knockdowns in the eighth and finished off his challenger in round 10.
This article was penned by the author who is not related to the WBA and the statements, expressions or opinions referenced herein are that of the author alone and not the WBA.
