David Papot Floors Harlem Eubank Three Times to Claim Shock IBF International Title Victory

There was a genuine upset at London’s Copper Box Arena as David Papot stunned the home crowd by handing Harlem Eubank a second straight defeat. Three knockdowns proved impossible to overcome as the Frenchman boxed his way to the vacant IBF International welterweight title, while the undercard produced a mix of expected wins, close calls and a few surprise results.

Main Event

David Papot improved to 31-1-1 with a unanimous decision victory over Harlem Eubank, who slipped to 22-2-0 after twelve dramatic rounds.

Papot made his intentions clear early by dropping Eubank in the second round. Eubank battled back brilliantly and even scored a knockdown of his own in the seventh, giving the fight a completely different feel. Just when it looked like the momentum had shifted, Papot produced another huge swing.

The Frenchman floored Eubank twice in the tenth round, effectively sealing the contest before cruising home on the judges’ scorecards. It was a composed display from Papot, who handled the occasion superbly and left London with the vacant IBF International welterweight title in what has to go down as a bit of an upset.

Co-Main Event

Kieran Molloy kept his unbeaten record intact, moving to 15-0-0 after stopping Sean Noakes in round eight to capture the vacant IBF European welterweight title.

Molloy made a statement against another unbeaten fighter. Noakes, now 12-1-0, was dropped in the eighth before the referee stepped in to wave it off, giving the Irishman a TKO victory and another important belt.

Other Title Fights

Aaron Prospere claimed the vacant BBBofC English super lightweight title with a unanimous decision over ten rounds against Mikey Sakyi. The victory lifts Prospere to 16-2-0, while Sakyi falls to 14-6-0.

One of the night’s closest title fights saw Jake Henty edge past previously unbeaten Finley James on points over ten rounds to win the vacant BBBofC Southern Area welterweight title. Henty advances to 10-0-0, with James tasting defeat for the first time at 9-1-0.

Undercard

Joel Bartell and Kyran Jones couldn’t be separated after ten rounds, fighting to a split draw. Bartell moves to 10-1-1, while Jones remains unbeaten at 14-0-1.

Codie Smith continued his unbeaten run by outpointing Ryan Griffiths over eight rounds. Smith improves to 10-0-1 with the points victory, while Griffiths drops to 8-3-3.

A narrow majority decision went the way of Kurtis Wiggins, who handed Christian Bozzia his first professional defeat after eight competitive rounds. Wiggins is now 6-0-1, while Bozzia falls to 7-1-0.

Matty Harris handled business against Ben Vickers, taking a points victory over six rounds. Harris climbs to 11-1-0, with Vickers now 3-5-2.

JP O’Meara stayed unbeaten by defeating Cesar Ignacio Paredes on points over six rounds. O’Meara moves to 8-0-0, while Paredes slips to 18-38-1.

Jay Pitman also kept his perfect record intact, earning a six-round points win over Enzo Bahiano Munoz. Pitman improves to 6-0-0, with Munoz falling to 4-16-4.

Jamie Barrett produced the quickest finish of the evening, stopping Stefan Vincent by TKO in the opening round. Barrett is now 2-0-0, while Vincent’s record drops to 2-48-0.

Final Thoughts

Papot’s victory completely changed the narrative of the night. Few expected Eubank to hit the canvas three times, but the Frenchman earned every bit of his biggest career win. Behind him, Molloy strengthened his growing reputation, while several unbeaten prospects continued moving in the right direction on a busy night of boxing in London.

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