Unbeaten Kazakh southpaw Sultan Zaurbek earned a workmanlike points decision over the comebacking Ronnie ‘The Shark’ Clark in the 10-round super-featherweight main event at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.
Scores were 100-90 (twice) and 99-91 at the MTK Fight Night.
Dundee southpaw Clark (21-5-2, 10 KOs) was returning after a near three-and-a-half year lay-off since taking the unbeaten record of Zelfa Barrett in February 2018. The Scot had lost none of his fighting appetite but was understandably a bit rusty and outboxed by his fresher, well-schooled opponent. Zaurbek moves to 11-0, 7 KOs
In other action, double Olympic bronze medallist Ivan Dychko maintained his 100% KO streak with a one-punch dismissal of 41-year-old veteran Denis Bakhtov (39-19, 26 KOs). The 6ft 9ins Dychko (10-0, 10 KOs) dispatched Bakhtov with a thumping right hand.
The Kazakh heavyweight hope lost Olympic semi-finals to Anthony Joshua and Joe Joyce in 2012 and 2016 respectively, as well as securing two silvers and a bronze in the World Amateur championships.
Former IBF lightweight title challenger Isa Chaniev (15-3, 7 KOs) rose from a first-round knockdown to poleaxe previously unbeaten Kazakh Nurtas Azhbenov (11-1, 4 KOs) in the third. The Russian visitor turned the tables with a fight-ending right hand in round three.
Kazakh super-welterweight talent Tursynbay Kulakhmet (4-0, 3 KOs) dropped Russian import Aleksei Evchenko (19-15-2, 8 KOs) in the opening session before securing a late stoppage in the 10th and final round, shortly after scoring a second knockdown. The Jamie Moore trained southpaw aims to fight for a world title in 2022.
Local welterweight Talgat Shayken (5-0, 3 KOs) was also in the win column, halting Alexander Sharonov (12-6-2, 6 KOs) in the seventh round. Sharonov didn’t want to continue after suffering an apparent jaw injury.
Main image: Sultan Zaurbek, MTK Global.