Perfect timing: Umar Dzambekov shows all his might in KO victory
Feb 15, 2026 • 10:23 PM ET
Photo by Zuffa BoxingLAS VEGAS – This is what’s called picking your spot.
In his Zuffa Boxing debut, Austria’s Umar Dzambekov unleashed a hellacious right-handed uppercut to deliver a vicious second-round knockout of Ahmed Elbiali.
“I work on the shots, and when I see a chance, I go for it,” Dzambekov, 14-0 (10KOs), said in the ring after Sunday’s co-main event at the Apex.
Elbiali, 24-2, was down for a few minutes after absorbing the blow and crashing down to strike the back of his head on the canvas.
Dzambekov, 28, was only one fight removed from a less-dominant June showing against former super-middleweight title contender Roamer Alexis Angulo on a 360 Promotions card at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, California.
He returned with a second-round knockout victory there in October.
And when the exposure was maximized Sunday on Paramount+, Dzambekov was at his best.
“I’m almost there,” he said.
The expectation is he’ll be pointed next at Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic, who knocked out former light-heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk on the February 1 Zuffa Boxing card.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
