Oleksander Shytyi wins Ukraine middleeright belt via split decision

On December 9, 2023, Oleksander Shytyi proudly became Ukraine’s middleweight professional boxing champion in the ring at ACCO International, Kiev.

The middleweights Andriy Skakun and Oleksander Shytyi are the people’s champions in Ukraine, and arguably every of the boxing fans in Ukraine, who are millions, was asking to see them fight since both had won very tough fights against their opponents at TBG fight card in Brovary last August.

And, also, that’s the kind of guy Top Boxing Generation promotion head Vlad Eliseev (reads: Vlad Yeliseyev) is, he was ready to face reality: little or no chance to bring top foreign opponents in the war-torn country required to make sure the most desired by the boxing fans opponents should step into the ring.

He also realized, that the 11 fights of the undercard also had to be of great value to the local fans, no nonsense, no stooges!

December 9th the fight night on high roof ACCO International convention center had to start as early as 2.30pm because of the curfew. The ACCO International was booked solid, with many war veterans, some of them disabled, in attendance.

The value of ring generalship

By the time Ukraine Middleweight Championship contenders stepped into the square ring, the public was ready and chanting their heroes’ names, Andriy Skakun and Sasha Shytyi, respectively. The audience was thrilled by the fights of the undercard, which fought such guys like super-welter Ruslan Belinsky (former 2020 Champion of Ukraine) who since the beginning of the war was on the battlefields in the east of Ukraine, Belinsky was shell-shocked, spent time in hospitals, retired, resolved to return in the pro-ranks, trained hard, received a proposition to fight 21 y.o. boxing genius from Moldova Vasile Chebotari, shed 22lbs (10kg), and fought bravely as he promised toe-to-toe in the center of the ring, but lost TKO from the dynamite charged hands of the young southpaw.

In another undercard clash also called “the popular main event”, the local hero, artistic and skillful fighter Andriy “Akula” (The Shark) Boryshpolets collided in a long-expected super-lightweight fight with Danylo Lozan.

Boryshpolets returned from almost 2 years forced by the war layout, since he had stopped in the 6^th round resilient Spanish journeyman Jose Aguilar in Madrid in January 2022.

Lozan, unlike Boryshpolets already fought in 2023 and this was, probably, one of the key reasons why he managed to come in the ring in better shape and to the great surprise of many in attendance stage a “Shark hunt”, although the fight was very even for most of the rounds, stop Boryshpolets with two vicious body punches by round 7.

So, the atmosphere was electrified and Skakun promised Shytyi: you know, I’m the tank, and I’ll roll you over.  To which SHYTYI coined instantly nation popular “For EVERY tank we have grenade!”

All ten rounds Skakun pressured Shytyi, trying to get the best from his ring generalship!

However, as many skillful fighters could explain, ring generalship does not necessarily translate into seizing the strategic initiative and the most efficient punching effects, and Shytyi was extremely consistent in the counter-attacking strategy he had chosen for the fight.

Whenever Skakun would step in into the short range, Shytyi tried his best and often managed to punish his opponent with the flurries of punches! So Skakun moved forward… and kept eating leather. Eventually, this brought Shytyi a much-desired victory, even though via a split decision.  

Yes, this fight was on the Haney vs Prograis date, and many boxing fans went to bed early enough to watch it early morning on Sunday, December 10. The action in ACCO International was over by 10.30 pm because of curfew, but the memories of those 12 fights and the National Middleweight Championship made hundreds in attendance and millions of online viewers proud: We can do it!