22:56
AZIM SENDS WARNING TO SMITH
Buoyed by his statement performance, Azim directed his emotions toward domestic rival Dalton Smith.
In his post-fight interview he said, “You better be watching, because you ain’t that good mate,” before poking fun at Smith’s last opponent, Walid Ouizza.
“[The fight is] still marinating but, when I do fight him, I’ll teach him a lesson,” Azim added.
At this point, the only fight to make is Smith vs Azim… surely?
22:44
AZIM HALTS LIPINETS
A hellacious eighth-round onslaught from Azim saw Lipinets somehow remain on his feet, but the durable Kazakh ultimately had little left in the tank by the ninth round, where an explosive Azim produced one final flurry to secure his emphatic victory.
From the midway point of their contest, Azim gradually started to break his man down – and has now claimed the IBO title with the best win of his career.
22:34
ANOTHER LOW BLOW
Referee Steve Gray has now deducted two points from Azim after the 22-year-old caught Lipinets with another low blow in the seventh round.
Nevertheless, Azim continues to assert his dominance, maintaining a high punch output without putting his opponent in any real trouble.
22:31
UPPERCUTS GALORE
Azim continues to jolt Lipinets’ head back with his spearing uppercuts, finding a home for the eye-catching shot with his impressive footwork.
Lipinets, though, has seemingly familiarised himself with Azim’s power through six rounds, showing no signs of faltering under the intensity of his faster opponent’s attacks.
22:22
AZIM DOCKED A POINT
Azim was deducted a point in the fourth round after landing a low blow, giving Lipinets a brief window of breathing space.
Referee Steve Gray had issued several warnings before the incident, though some will still argue that his decision was a touch hasty.
22:18
LEFT HOOK DROPS LIPINETS
Azim floored Lipinets in the third round with an accurate left hook, shifting his feet out of range before connecting with the well-timed counter.
Before that, Lipinets appeared to be running low on creativity, with Azim now dominating the fight at long range.
22:12
AZIM LOOKS RAZOR SHARP
A cagey opening round saw Lipinets aim to assert his pressure on the front foot, but Azim kept firing his sharp jab while also utilising his lateral movement.
‘The Assassin’ then landed several lightning uppercuts in the second round, none of which having much of an effect on his sturdy opponent.
22:00
THE STAGE IS SET
Adam Azim looks to extend his scintillating unbeaten run against former world champion Sergey Lipinets, as the pair are now just moments away from colliding for the vacant IBO super-lightweight title.
Up to this point, the explosive puncher has barely put a foot wrong, with many tipping him for world championship greatness.
Can the Shane McGuigan-trained prospect produce another awe-inspiring performance?
21:44
SIMPSON CALLS OUT CANELO AND PACHECO
Simpson expressed his desire to drastically step up the level of his opposition!
Following his comfortable victory over Ahorgah, the Brit said:“I got caught with a few daft shots, especially in the first two rounds, but that was just me being daft. All credit to ‘The Soldier.’”
Simpson then confirmed that a date has been agreed for him to headline a show at Oakwell Stadium – home of Barnsley Football Club – in the summer.
The 28-year-old mentioned fellow Yorkshireman Liam Cameron as a potential opponent, before teasing fights with Canelo Alvarez and Diego Pacheco.
21:36
SIMPSON CLOSES THE SHOW
Simpson halts a confident but defensively reckless Ahorgah in the fifth round after landing a monstrous overhand right.
While Ahorgah initially remained on his feet after feeling the full force of Simpson’s shot, he was then drilled to the canvas following a vicious combination from the Brit.
21:29
AHORGAH IS GLEAMING WITH CONFIDENCE
As Simpson continues to land his thudding right hands down the pipe, Ahorgah manages to get through with some spiteful shots of his own.
And after connecting with each of his looping hooks, the flamboyant Ghanaian reminds Simpson of his ambition with audacious displays of showboating.
As the fourth round comes to a close, however, the Brit nonetheless appears to be in control.
21:19
SIMPSON STARTS FAST
The opening round saw a blistering start from Simpson, leaving Ahorgah with virtually no breathing space to set up his attacks.
‘Soldier’ did come on strong towards the end of the three minutes, though, showing no signs of distress after absorbing Simpson’s flurries.
21:07
WILL AHORGAH WALK THE WALK?
After talking heaps of smack in the build-up, Elvis Ahorgah now has the opportunity to produce the statement performance he has been promising us all week.
Popular Yorkshireman Callum Simpson, meanwhile, will put his Commonwealth super-middleweight strap on the line just three weeks after defending it against Steed Woodhall.
If Ahorgah is, indeed, a man of his word, this should be an unforgettable co-main event.
20:57
IGNAT – REMEMBER THE NAME!
After his dramatic first-round stoppage victory over Forrest, Ignat revealed that he was preparing for a fight in April but, sure enough, he took this opportunity tonight with both hands.
Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom said: “Both of them had three weeks’ notice, and we knew it wasn’t going to go the distance.”
Ignat, meanwhile, said through a translator that he may even still be fighting in April. Unbelievable!
20:46
HUGE UPSET!
Ignat has just caused a monumental upset, stopping Forrest in the first round!!!
Forrest got off to an encouraging start, marching his rangy opponent down, but Ignat landed a glancing hook before following it up with a fierce combination.
With Forrest pinned up against the corner, the referee waved it off in a stunning ending!
20:40
FORREST IS KEEPING ACTIVE
Unbeaten cruiserweight Scott Forrest will now enter his eighth professional outing against Aurel Ignat, just three weeks removed from his second-round stoppage victory over Deevorn Miller.
Ignat, too, boasts an unblemished record, but is yet to face anyone close to the level of his opponent.
20:32
TKV HAS PLENTY TO WORK ON
After producing a less than average performance, TKV gave a very honest assessment of his victory over Webster.
“I didn’t expect that to happen,” he said in his post-fight interview. “I was trying to get in, he was trying to get in, and I guess I smothered my work.
“I was too eager to get too close. I messed up last time and did it again, so need to fix that up.”
20:28
CORNER STOPPAGE
TKV and coach Barry Smith celebrate a deserved victory after Webster’s corner pulls him out at the end of a punishing ninth round.
Webster didn’t appear to be in any real trouble, but a sustained attack from his marginally more skilful opponent ultimately proved too much.
20:20
NO SWEET SCIENCE ON DISPLAY HERE
It is fair to say that neither slugger will emerge from this clash with anything to write home about.
Rather, both TKV and Webster have treated fans to an uninspiring display of fatigue and technical limitations through eight rounds, keeping the lid on the Wembley Arena firmly in screwed on.
20:07
WEBSTER COMES BACK FIRING
Entering the fifth round, Webster is now fighting with a bit more purpose, catching TKV with several sneaky shots in their long range exchanges.
But still, the contest is yet to deliver a spell of excitement, with TKV seemingly happy to keep pumping out his jab.
19:58
SCRAPPY THROUGH TWO ROUNDS
While TKV looks to establish his jab, Webster continues to tie his opponent up on the inside.
Perhaps not the dynamite action we were hoping for, but there’s still plenty of time for this one to catch fire!
19:48
HEAVYWEIGHT ACTION UP NEXT
An all-British heavyweight clash between Jeamie TKV and Michael Webster is about to commence.
Dubbed a ‘winner-stays-on’ matchup, the stakes are indeed high for this intriguing addition to the card.
19:45
CAROLINE DUBOIS ANNOUNCES OPPONENT
WBC world lightweight titlist Caroline Dubois has just announced her opponent for March 7 on the undercard of Natasha Jonas vs Lauren Price.
‘Sweet Caroline’ will take on Bo Mi Re Shin, who most notably lost a split decision against Delfine Persoon back in 2023.
19:39
ROEHRIG HAILS GROVES
“It was hard to stick him with the jab,” Roehrig said in his post-fight interview, immediately after producing an emphatic finish.
“That’s why we went down to the body to set up the shots later on.”
When asked about his trainer, Groves, Roehrig kept it short but sweet.
“He’s my idol; my role model,” the 21-year-old said.
19:31
EXPLOSIVE FINISH FROM ROEHRIG!
Roehrig secures his second third-round stoppage as a pro, flooring Savic three times after landing a series of devastating right hands.
The talented cruiserweight mixed it up nicely to the head and body, refusing to allow his opponent any time to settle.
19:26
PUNISHING JAB FROM ROEHRIG
A strong jab from Roehrig kept his opponent at bay in a dominant opening round.
Bellows of “sharp jab” can be heard from trainer Groves, who must be delighted with his protégé’s blistering start.
19:15
MAIN CARD STARTS NOW
The televised portion of tonight’s card is now upon us, with cruiserweight prospect Lucas Roehrig entering his second professional outing against Milosav Savic.
After halting Joel McIntyre in a scintillating debut, will Roehrig – a fighter trained and managed by George Groves – produce another statement performance?
Adam Azim faces former world champion Sergey Lipinets for the IBO title in Wembley Arena tonight.
Where can you watch Adam Azim vs. Sergey Lipinets?
Adam Azim vs Sergey Lipinets will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and on Peacock in the US.
Official weights for the Azim-Lipinets clash
12 x 3 mins – IBO Super Lightweight title (vacant)
ADAM AZIM – 10st 5oz / 63.6kg
SERGEY LIPINETS – 10st 1lb / 63.9kg
12 x 3 mins – Commonwealth Super Middleweight title
CALLUM SIMPSON – 12st / 76.2kg
ELVIS AHORGAH – 11st 12lbs 5oz / 75.4kg
8 x 3 mins – Cruiserweight
SCOTT FORREST – 14st 5lbs / 91.1kg
AUREL IGNAT – 14st 2lbs / 89.8kg
10 x 3 mins – Heavyweight
JEAMIE TSHIKEVA – 18st 9lbs / 118.3kg
MICHAEL WEBSTER – 18st 5lbs 3oz / 116.6kg
6 x 3 mins – Cruiserweight
LUCAS ROEHRIG – 14st 1lb 5oz / 89.5kg
MILOSAV SAVIC – 13st 12lbs / 87.9kg
8 x 3 mins – Welterweight
JOEL KODUA – 10st 8lbs 5oz / 67.2kg
LLOYD GERMAIN – 10st 8lbs 3oz / 67.2kg
6 x 3 mins – Super Flyweight
ALFIE CLEGG – 8st 2lbs / 51.7kg
SEBASTIAN ALEJANDRO CASTILLO – 8st 5lbs 5oz / 53.2kg
6 x 3 mins – Super Middleweight
TAYLOR BEVAN – 169lbs 5oz / 76.7kg
SZYMON KAJDA – 166lbs 2oz / 75.3kg
4 x 3 mins – Super Welterweight
GARAN CROFT – 11st 1lb 5oz / 70.4kg
DMITRI PROKUNAS – 11st 2lbs 5oz / 70.9kg
4 x 3 mins – Middleweight
HASSAN AZIM – 11st 11lbs / 74.8kg
JENSEN IRVING – 11st 9lbs / 73.9kg
6 x 3 mins – Super Welterweight
EMMANY KALOMBO – 10st 13lbs 5oz / 69.5kg
SERGIO GARCIA HERRERA – 11st 5oz / 69.9kg
