Briedis Stops Suda in Five Rounds at Olympic Hall
By Alexey Sukachev
It was meant to be an unforgettable night and a moment of joy for Latvian boxing, when it had been announced that Olympic Hall in Lijepaja would host the first world title fight (albeit a minor one) on the Latvian soil. A proposed solemnity turned into a sad memorial during the national three-day mourning after an accident, when over fifty men were killed in a Riga supermarket roof collapse yesterday, making it the biggest tragedy in the history of independent Latvia.
Fighting under these extra circumstances, Latvian biggest star Mairis Briedis didn't disappoint his countrymen, earning a vacant IBA cruiserweight title with the fifth-round stoppage of usually durable Czech veteran Lubos Suda (30-8-1, 22 KOs), 37.
Briedis, 28, a former kickboxer, is not only the most beloved local boxer but also a superstar of Bigger's Better Boxing tourneys (which are Prizeifghter analogues), taking part in four regular competitions and winning three of them. Hence there was some specifics as Briedis has gone past the third round only twice in his career. That wasn't the case tonight. The Latvian started slow, and so did Suda. The shorter Czech was forced to move forward, while Briedis moved around him with jabs and multiple (albeit light) combinations. Briedis didn't show a sound technique, getting tagged every time he stopped his movements. However, Suda's power and punch rate weren't enough to keep Briedis off him. The Czech also tried to steal the last minutes of the rounds but it didn't work his way properly, although he looked better in round three.
In round four Briedis punches got more and more telling. Suda was often pressed hard to hide beyond his tight guard. In the fifth, the Latvian finally hurt Suda and forced him in retreat with several body punches. Then, after the right hand, Suda took a knee. He got up and signalized he was ready to go on but was soon dropped on one knee for the second time. Star referee Steve Smoger allowed the fight to continue but not for long. Suda retired in his corner immediately after the fifth.
Briedis official record now reads as 11-0, with 9 KOs. His unofficial (not confirmed by BoxRec for various unspecified reasons) is 22-1, with 16 KOs, which puts him in position for a bigger, more important fight in the nearest future.
