SOULEYMANE Cissokho has cemented his WBC mandatory status with a somewhat contentious unanimous decision victory over Egidijus Kavaliauskas.
The pair squared off yesterday evening in front of a pro-French crowd at the Centre de Conference de Sipopo in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
And despite suffering two knockdowns, the heavily-supported Cissokho, 17-0 (9 KOs), nonetheless earned himself scorecards of 114-112, 115-111 and 116-110 while also extending his unblemished record.
But perhaps more importantly, the 33-year-old is now next in line for the winner of Mario Barrios and Manny Pacquiao’s controversial WBC world welterweight title clash, mooted for July 19.
Against Kavaliauskas, 24-2-1 (19 KOs) Cissokho got off to a typically measured start, utilising his lateral movement – while remaining active behind a prolific jab – to negate his opponent’s aggression.
That was until the first knockdown arrived, however, as an overhand right from Kavaliauskas, followed by a sharp left hook, ultimately forced Cissokho to climb off the canvas in only the second round.
Regardless, the Frenchman continued to dance around the ring through the next three minutes, almost as if to prove that the brief scare had no effect on him whatsoever.
As a result, Kavaliauskas soon found it tremendously difficult to pin his elusive target down, and yet, whenever he did connect, the power was firmly in his favour.
His thudding shots on the inside were few and far between, though, as Cissokho – knowing the danger attached to each exchange – opted to keep himself out of harm’s way, for the most part, at least.
But again, Kavaliauskas came marching forward in the fifth round and found a left uppercut from out of nowhere, causing his opponent to tumble through the ropes.
Yet somehow, Cissokho managed to avoid falling onto the rock-hard surface beneath him and, as he climbed back into the ring, was able to beat the referee’s count.
At this point, Kavaliauskas’ feet began to look far more dynamic, with each angle creating an opening for his spiteful bombs.
The Lithuanian then maintained his pressurising style in the middle rounds, crafting a compelling case to suggest he had done enough to build a slight lead on the judges’ scorecards.
With the pounding noise created by each shot, too, it could be argued that the sturdy operator produced the more effective work.
But still, the three ringside judges thought otherwise, as despite suffering two 8-10 rounds, Cissokho’s defensive prowess down the stretch ultimately cemented his career-best victory.
