Latvian boxer Bolotnik wins Golden Contract final, secures further career / Article / LSM.lv

Latvian boxer Ričards Bolotņiks defeated German Sergei Michel with a knockout in the final of the Golden Contract tournament organized by MTK Global in Wakefield on Wednesday, defending the title of WBO European champion in semi-heavyweight.

Bolotnik and Michel’s ten-round rally, which was the penultimate of six fights, ended with a premature victory for the Latvian athlete.

The German was more active in the first round, but the blows rarely reached the goal. In the second round, the Latvian boxer became more active, hitting the hull several times.

At the beginning of the third round, Bolotnik hit a great left hook, but in the continuation of the round he beat the German’s defense several more times with his heavy blows.

The Latvian athlete won the fourth set in one goal, the German miraculously survived without knockouts and reached the end of the round. In the fifth round, after a series of left and right kicks, the German was counted as a knockout.

The sixth round also ended, with Bolotnik aiming at Michelle in the corner and smiling at the opponent’s attempt to hit the Latvian boxer a few times. In addition, the slightly bleeding German right eye began to treat secondarily.

Nothing changed in the future, and the only question was whether the fight would end prematurely.

Michel was close to falling again at the end of the ninth round, but when it seemed that the German would endure until the end of the fight, Bolotnik pushed into the opponent’s corner at the last minute of the fight, got a squat, and more than a second before the match, the opponent’s coach threw a white towel.

The weight of boxers at semi-heavy weight must not exceed 79.4 kilograms. Bolotnik weighed 78.93 kilograms on Tuesday afternoon, while his opponent weighed 79.21 kilograms.

At the end of September, Bolotnik won the British Josia Burton by points in the club “Studio 69”, which was attended by the famous heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury. The victory allowed Bolotnik to protect the World Boxing Organization (WBO) European Champion Belt in semi-heavyweight.

In mid-December last year, Bolotnik won the title of WBO European champion in the semi-heavy weight category. The Latvian boxer defeated the Northern Irishman Steven Vord in the first round of the quarterfinals of this tournament.

During his career, 30-year-old Bolotnik won 17 of 23 fights, seven of which ended in a slaughter.

Meanwhile, 32-year-old Michel, who is called a “Bavarian sniper”, has climbed the ring 12 times during his professional career, winning 11 victories, eight of them – with a knockout.

On September 30, he defeated Britain’s Liam Conroe in the semifinals of the London Hall in London. He sent the opponent three times in a knockout, and the fight was stopped in the fourth round.

Winning the Golden Contract tournament will give the boxer a two-year contract for five fights. There are many well-known boxers under the auspices of MTK Global, including the British super heavyweight Fury.

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