ALBERT Batyrgaziev prevailed after a 12-round firefight with Neri Ariel Cruz Romero in Moscow’s Dynamo Volleyball Arena on Friday night. The 26-year-old Olympic gold medallist had to dig deep and call upon his stamina reserves to outlast his fiery Argentine foe by scores of 115-109, 116-108 and 113-110.
Batyrgaziev has transitioned nicely into the professional game, boxing out of a hunched southpaw style, whipping in the jab followed by hooks from both hands. Those skills have been meshed with an air of vulnerability. All composure went out of the window as this bout turned into a slugfest.
Things worked nicely for the first two rounds before Romero turned up the heat in a torrid third for the home fighter. Batyrgaziev hit the deck twice. First from a cuffing left hook and then a follow-up attack had him stumbling for count number two.
Albert did well to avoid a third knockdown as a stiff right hand sent his legs back out to sea. Batyrgaziev tried to regroup in the fourth, but a point deduction from the referee, for punching while Romero was on the floor, increased the deficit.
Later in the fourth, a rampant Batyrgaziev turned the tables by forcing Romero to the canvas with a relentless two-fisted barrage. The Argentine was tiring and took the respite of a count.
Taking more and more shots as the bout wore on, Romero soaked it all up and kept on swinging for the duration. The Russian boxer was buzzed again in round nine.
Batyrgaziev’s work rate and engine were mightily impressive. If he can stay on his feet and improve his defence, he can cause problems for the best fighters.
Retaining his WBA Interim super-featherweight title, after the bout, Batyrgaziev, now 12-0 (8 KOs), called out the full champion Lamont Roach who was last seen giving Gervonta Davis all he could handle. Albert also fancies a crack at ‘Tank’ himself.
Romero lost for the first time, dropping to 18-1 (10 KOs). At 36 this might’ve been his first and last tilt at the top. The man who had never left the Americas earned himself another payday after this display.
