In the main event of the evening in Kazan Alexei Papin (12-1, 11 KOs) stopped Ruslan Fayfer (25-2, 16 KOs) in the sixth round.
The fight went as an interesting and tight battle. Papin landed heavier shots, while Fayfer worked with lighter number, and, probably, was leading on points until the moment in the sixth round, when an unexpected outcome came. In one of the exchanges, Papin landed his right hook and visibly hurt Fayfer. A moment later, Papin added another right hook and sent Fayfer to the floor. Ruslan was able to get up, at the request of the referee he took a few steps forward, but still remained hurt and the referee decided to stop the fight.
Thus, Papin received the status of the official WBC contender for the new world champion Ilunga Makabu (27-2, 24 KOs).
“I’m coming for you, you have my belt,” Papin turned to the champion after the fight.
