A boxing event headlined by a fight featuring junior welterweights Nazri Rahimov and Jorge Moya was temporarily halted when air raid sirens were sounded Saturday night in Kyiv, Ukraine.
“We had a great show, but there was an air alert because Russians attacked Kyiv with ballistic missiles,” said promoter Vlad Eliseev, whose TBG Promotions put on the show. “It was on the undercard, two fights before the co-main event. Everybody was enjoying the show, and suddenly the sirens started. It was in the eighth and final round of the fight.”
Rahimov (14-3, 8 KOs) would go on to score a second-round knockout over Moya (15-5-1, 4 KOs) to claim a minor title at 140 pounds after the event resumed.
Rahimov started the fight confidently, finding a comfortable distance in the first round. In the second, Rahimov came forward, ducking in low to launch a sharp overhand right to the head, sending his opponent to the canvas. Moya rose to his feet, but the referee waved off the fight.
Konstantin Korenev (9-0, 6 KOs) dominated Artur Kamaiev (2-1) in the evening’s bloodiest fight. Korenev dispatched Kamiev in the fourth round in a middleweight bout scheduled for eight.
Ramil Gadzhyiev (15-2-1, 9 KOs) claimed a unanimous decision victory over Oleksandr Antonov (5-3-1) in an eight-round super middleweight bout.
Andrii Sipchenko (1-3-2), a 42-year-old super middleweight, had a night he will never forget, going eight rounds with highly regarded prospect Denys Korenev (12-0-1, 6 KOs) to claim an unexpected draw. The air raid sirens halted announcement of the fight results.
“We had a big problem, because people did not want to go to the shelter because they wanted to know who the winner was,” Eliseev said. “We had to leave the announcement of the result, and we got everyone out of the arena for their own safety.
The promoter said Ukraine’s defense forces dealt quickly with the threat, and spectators were able to return to the arena after about 30 minutes.
“Due to the war right now, there is a curfew in Kyiv from midnight,” Eliseev said. “The unexpected break had me worried that we were not able to finish the show. By law, people and fighters need to get home before midnight. There is no negotiation with that right now; it could have stopped the whole show.”
Danylo Lozan (11-0, 7 KOs), a 21-year-old junior welterweight, scored a first-round knockout against Ruslan Belinskyi (9-4-1). Lozan downed Belinskyi three times before the referee stopped the fight inside the first two minutes.