Sebastian Sylvester Stops Billy Lyell in Ten Rounds

By Mark Vester

At the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, Sebastian Sylvester (33-3, 16 KOs) retained the IBF middleweight title with a ten round stoppage of Billy Lyell (21-8, 4 KOs). Lyell was a late sub who took the fight after Sylvester's previous opponent Pablo Navascues failed a pre-fight drug test.

Lyell was overtmatched in this one. His claim to fame was an upset win over John Duddy to break his unbeaten record. Sylvester is on another level in terms of skill and ability. The champion picked Lyell apart in the early rounds and picked up the pace once Lyell became tired and couldn't fight him off.

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Saturday | Jan 31, 2026

The end came in the tenth round when Lyell's trainer Jack Loew, who also trains WBO/WBC champion Kelly Pavlik, threw in the towel to prevent his fighter from being seriously hurt.

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com

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In this episode, Paulie Malignaggi and Chris Algieri break down why winning as the underdog in a fight like this is such a big deal — not just for rankings, but for momentum, perception, and long-term stardom.

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