By Alexey Sukachev
In a classic encounter between a bull and a matador, and the matador is basically the favorite. The pattern was just the same for a light heavyweight contest between French veteran Mehdi Amar, a matador, and younger Spanish import Adasat Rodriguez, the bull, for the vacant EBU-EU light heavyweight title at Salle du Mouson in Auch, France. And the matador came out as the winner with a unanimous decision over twelve close rounds.
Amar, 33, is a very unstable fighter. The last year, in May, he first drew with 17-28-3 Gabriel LeCrosnier, then was also held to a draw two weeks later - now again 20-1 world-rated Montenegrin Mevludin Cokovic (also known as Konni Konrad). His only stoppage loss came against future world title challenger Nadjib Mohammedi due to an injury. Rodriguez, 28 and Spanish national champion, was stopped twice in his career.
Shorter but physically stronger Rodriguez rushed in from round one. Amar wasn't in hurry to retreat, preferring to step backwards as much as needed, peppering the Spaniard with his left jab. Rodriguez wasn't one to be stopped in his tracks but he felt uncomfortable, and even in close quarters he was unable to land solidly but did damage anyway. Amar was especially effective in the opening rounds, using a blemish in Adasat's defense. Rodriguez was holding his right hand dangerously low while throwing his left hook. He paid a price in the second round, when Amar, suddenly turning into southpaw stance, penetrated his weak guard with a left bomb. Rodriguez sustained this punch but felt consequences for another round and a half.
It was in the midst of the fight, when Amar showed signs of fatigue. The Spanish boxer took initiative to score some damage in the sixth, then bullied Amar in the seventh but in the eighth Mehdi came back with his jab once again, limiting Rodriguez to ineffective aggression. The ending rounds were close but it was Adasat who pushed the action and it was him who failed to land one meaningful punch for a turnaround.
No scores were announced, but the decision was unanimous. BoxingScene saw it 116-112 - for the Frenchman, who improves to 31-4-2, with 16 KOs. Rodriguez drops down to 10-4-2, 6 KOs.
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Former European title challenger Guillaume Frenois (37-1, 8 KOs), whose only loss came with a close but clear-cut decision to tough Italian Deivis Boschiero, continued his comeback with the third-round stoppage of overmatched Georgian Alika Vakhtangashvili (19-9-1, 7 KOs).
Southpaw Frenois, 31, dropped the Georgian in the first round, then dominated the second one, and finally put his opponent down three times in round three to end matters with ten or twenty seconds remaining. Frenois crucial advantage was his right hook to the body, which was damaging Vakhtangashvili's body time and again and was a reason for at least two of the last three knockdowns. Frenois got his third win this year, and it wasn't surprising it came by way of kayo - the Georgian was stopped in all nine of his losses.
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French bantamweight Omar Lamiri, who was last seen in the ring this February in a technical decision loss to Lee Haskins for the European championship, got back on track with a win over Spaniard Saul Tejada (6-5-2, 1 KOs). Lamiri is now 14-2, with 5 KOs.