Evgeny Chuprakov: record, next fight and profile →
Masayuki Ito overwhelmed Evgeny Chuprakov on Sunday. Japan’s Ito pressured Chuprakov throughout their scheduled 12-round, 130-pound title bout and stopped him in the seventh round at Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. Referee Laurence Cole stopped the action with 43 seconds to go in the seventh round, at the request of Chuprkov’s corner men.
One bright spot that has endeared boxing fans from around the globe are the championship fights that finish up each calendar year from Japan. The popular New Year’s Eve celebrations are shared with the rest of the world with their most talented title holders and hopefuls showcased. This year is no different and on some level more anticipated than year’s past with the level of competition elevated, and more eyes ready to watch as streaming services pick up the action for the West.
Undefeated and number-one ranked WBO Junior Lightweight contender, Evgeny "Happy Gilmore" Chuprakov has been preparing for the biggest fight of his career, when he takes on WBO World Junior Lightweight world champion, Masayuki Ito, this Sunday in Tokyo, Japan.
American fight fans will be treated to a world championship doubleheader edition of Breakfast and Boxing on Sunday, Dec. 30 from the historic Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. In the main event, WBO junior lightweight world champion Masayuki Ito will make his first title defense against the unbeaten Evgeny Chuprakov.
The first big end-of-year card, which will have two world title matches and one interim, was officially announced for December 30 at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, with Fuji TV broadcasting.
IBF #5, WBO #6, WBA #11 ranked cruiserweight Yuri Kashinsky (16-0, 15 KOs) did what he needed to do in stopping overmatched Brazilian Julio Cesar Dos Santos (28-9, 25 KOs) in three rounds of a one-sided contest. Kashinskiy, 32, kept Dos Santos, 40, at the tip of his gloves, controlling the distance and the rate of the fight. He also hurt him to the body, which ultimately led to a fight being stopped inside the distance.
In an upset Friday, cruiserweight/heavyweight journeyman Yuri Bykhovtsev of Belarus added another victim to his hit list. Bykhovtsev spoiled the record of Russian heavyweight Gasan Gimbatov (3-1, 2 KOs) after a timid six-rounder on the Alexander Povetkin-Christian Hammer undercard in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Ekaterinburg, the jewel of Ural, is getting ready for one of its biggest cards in history on December 15. There will be no major title fights – as was the case several years ago when then-WBO middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog competed in the biggest city nearside the virtual border between Europe and Asia. Instead of making a single high-profile attraction, local promotional stalwart German Titov, now partnering his son Alexey, who continues the dynasty, will put up a well-packed show with no less than nine perfectly matched-up fights.
WBO #2 super featherweight Evgueny Chuprakov totally dominated Filipino import Eden Sonsona (36-7-3, 13 KOs) in five rounds to retain his WBO I/C 135lb title. Chuprakov (now 18-0, 10 KOs) dropped Sonsona in round three with a couple of left hands to the head, then in the fourth after what was arguably a kidney punch. Sonsona was pummeled again in the fifth and finally turned his back onto the local hero, forcing referee to call it off at 1:31 of the fifth.
According to a source in RCC Boxing Promotions, which is a relatively new creation of well-known Russian promoter German Titov, its rapidly rising young gun Magomed "The Black Lion" Kurbanov (10-0, 8 KOs) will face a ring legend in his very next fight.