Zhang knocks out Romanov in WBA eliminator  – World Boxing Association

Zhaoxin Zhang delivered a spectacular knockout to Evgeny Romanov on Saturday to take the World Boxing Association (WBA) Bridgerweight eliminator in Yekaterinburg, Russia. 

The Chinese ended the bout in only 2 rounds after a combination that sent the Russian to the canvas and left him in bad condition, so the referee did not allow him to continue despite he got up. 

But the fight was not easy for Zhang, who was punished from the first bell and looked vulnerable in the beginning of the fight. The Asian had been knocked down by Romanov but he overcame that knockdown and several cuts to his face to fight back and pull off the upset with a dramatic victory. 

Zhang now becomes the mandatory challenger in the category, in which Russian Evgeny Tishchenko is the current world champion. With the victory, the Chinese fighter reached 12 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw and 7 knockouts, while Romanov left his record at 19 wins and 1 loss, with 12 wins by knockout.