At the SSE Arena, London, Fedor Chudinov won a Unanimous Decision over Frank Buglioni via scores of 118-106, 116-108, and 117-109. BoxingBase.com had the affair 119-107; but these numbers can’t tell the whole story of what happened here.
Frank Buglioni (17-2-1, 13 KO) surprised a lot of people, including this writer. He didn’t win. He didn’t come close to. But the guy made one hell of a stand in front of Russia’s rock-solid Fedor Chudinov. Respect, Buglioni.
But it was Chudinov’s night, of course, and the champ also deserves a lot of praise. The pressure-fighter piled on very effective pressure throughout, cutting off the ring in a style akin to another man 8 pounds south of Super Middleweight.
No, Chudinov isn’t Gennday’s Golovkin’s heavier brother, but he is one solid fighter with an impressive utility belt. Considering Chudinov (14-0, 10 KO) gave away considerable inches in height and reach, his stiff jab found the target with ease. He was highly comfortable both at range and on the inside, and demonstrated not devastating, but certainly troubling power.
Chudinov proved to be worthy of carrying the WBA crown, and Buglioni’s heart and courage will have likely made him a better fighter.
Hometown favorite, Buglioni, lost by a landslide tonight, but it’s likely he could find himself landing big future fights due to this outstanding effort. He made this thing competitive, getting off his fair share of shots in the opening rounds, and even during exhaustion in the later stages, staggeringly mustering the strength to let rip some notable flurries.
And had it not have been for Buglioni knocking down Chudinov after the bell in the 6th round (we’re pretty sure he was just ‘caught up in the moment’), the scorecards would’ve been even closer.
Now what’s that? Do I hear the recently defeated George Groves, another British Super Middleweight, knocking on Buglioni’s door? That domestic clash would be embraced with open arms on UK shores, surely.
Buglioni vs Chudinov Undercard
On the undercard, Ryan Walsh had his work cut out with the capable, tough Samir Mouneimne, winning a debatable but not too controversial Split Decision. Walsh captured the vacant British Featherweight title in the process, which included a knockdown along the way.
Walsh now improves to 19-1-1, 8 knockouts, while Mouneimne falls to 15-2-1, 4 knockouts.
Bobby Jenkinson came from behind on the cards to score a major upset over Lewis Pettitt in the 11th round. After a crunching left-hook to the jaw dropped Pettitt during an exchange early in the round, the favorite had nowhere to run, leaving the referee no choice but to soon wave off the contest. Now this really was an upset, folks.
Jenkinson now moves to 9-1-1, 2 knockouts, with Pettitt dropping to 17-2, 7 knockouts.
Finally, Dereck Chisora plodded and (telegraph) right-hooked his way to a snooze-fest points decision over Marcelo Nascimento. It-was-dire. Nascimento looked fairly comfortable in the opening rounds, but became increasingly sort-of-out-boxed from the 6th round on. And, er…Chisora eventually won.
Chisora now bumps up to 22-5, 14 knockouts, while Marcelo Nascimento falls to 18-11, 16 knockouts.
Buglioni vs Chudinov Round by Round
Round 1: Chudinov on the jab, doubling it up. All jabs from Chudinov. Left-hook gets in from Buglioni. Combinations get in from both men. Good stuff. Chudinov stalking. Good round for both men. Buglioni pinches it, 10-9
Round 2: Buglioni still holding his own, surprising a few people here. Buglioni keeping his distance, Chudinov stalking. Right-hand from Chudinov. Buglioni one-two. Both men have work cut out. Intriguing stuff. Chudinov chopping away with hooks on the inside. Chudinov looks to be controlling action. Chudinov, 10-9 (19-19)
Round 3: Chudinov jab, one-two. Chudinov winning with the jab. Buglioni firing back. To the body. Chudinov cutting off the ring effectively, applying pressure. They trade, Chudinov chops away inside once more. Buglioni grits his teeth, fights on. Good composure. Chudinov, 10-9 (29-28)
Round 4: Chudinov on the front foot. Where else? Chudinov thudding to the body, upstairs. Buglioni riding storm so far. Buglioni working the body. They trade in close, Chudinov with the more success.
Round 5: Right-hand from Buglioni. Battle of the jabs. Both men economical, good boxing display. Double-jab from Chudinov. Two hooks from Chudinov. Chudinov straight to the body. Chudinov, 10-9 (49-46)
Round 6: Buglioni constantly being pushed back. Heavy, heavy pressure from the Russian. Chudinov landing big single shots. Left-hook. They open up, Buglioni gets tagged by right-hand. They begin trading, big shots flying, Buglioni giving his all, Buglioni knocks down Chudinov after bell, suffers two point deduction. Chudinov, 10-7
Round 7: Buglioni tries to take out Chudinov but is soon under a heavy Chudinov assault. Buglioni fighting his heart out, but Chudinov stalking, looking for his own knockout. Buglioni looking tired now. Chudinov, 10-9 (69-62)
Round 8: Buglioni clips Chudinov, Chudinov fires off a double-jab. Buglioni still fighting, still game. Chudinov can’t miss with the jab. Buglioni fires off an eye-catching assault in the last ten seconds. Chudinov, 10-9 (79-71)
Round 9: Buglioni still fighting on. Gutsy performance, trading with Chudinov inside. Heads together. Buglioni hurt by body shot, gets on his bike, recovers. Fires back. Chudinov marches forward. Pushing his man back. Chudinov, 10-9 (89-80)
Round 10: Overhand right from Chudinov. Chudinov chops away inside, nailed by left-hook as he backs out. Buglioni still firing. Buglioni throwing in the kitchen sink, leaving himself open. Chudinov obliges to trade. Brave stuff from Buglioni. Chudinov, 10-9 (99-89)
Round 11: Buglioni still firing, but Chudinov is the boss, bring the pain. Chudinov should find a stoppage fairly soon here. Buglioni exhausted, but deserves a lot of credit for hanging in there. He’s beginning to get tagged left, right and center. Chudinov looks to be a solid world champion. Chudinov, 10-9 (109-98)
Round 12: Buglioni still fighting, still plugging away. Chudinov jumping on him, pushing his foe back. Will Buglioni see the bell? Chudinov punishing Buglioni. Buglioni’s legs getting rubbery. Chudinov, 10-9 (119-107)
Result: Chudinov wins via Unanimous Decision (118-106, 116-108, 117-109)
Boxing Base Scorecard: 119-107, Chudinov
Give us your take on Buglioni vs Chudinov in the comments, and the rest of the card.
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