Ustinov wins in Belarus

Alexander Ustinov
Alexander Ustinov

Boxing matches are allowed in Belarus. Admittedly, they were not banned, because the country's President Alexander Lukashenko was not very worried about the coronavirus pandemic and advised his citizens to fight the virus with vodka. Therefore, in Belarus, boxing, like football, is not prohibited and today, on July 26, in Minsk, Alexander Ustinov (36-4, 26 KOs) scored a TKO victory over Tornike Purichamiashvili (9-14, 6 KOs).

The 43-year-old giant of Minsk did not look very resourceful in the ring, but it must be admitted that there was a boxer in front of him with far from the most serious technical skills. While Ustinov weighed more or less the same before the fight as before his previous fights (126.5 kg), his Georgian rival has recovered sharply in recent months and showed 155 kg. Georgian refused to continue before the start of the third round.

In recent years, Ustinov has had to fight several strong opponents. Prior to that, for many years he calmly fought, performing at the evenings of K2 Promotions in Ukraine. In 2012, he was checked by Kubrat Pulev, who stopped him in the 11th round of the fight for the title of European champion. With a height of 202 cm, Ustinov is still a welcome opponent for many contenders at the heavyweight crown. Over the past three years, Ustinov has met, among others, Michael Hunter, Manuel Charr and Joe Joyce.