Underdog Andre Boryshpoleys defeats Nazri Rahimov, wins vacant Ukraine pro boxing league

What makes an unforgettable fight night? CERTAINLY, the main event and co-main event make 80pc of success. Other national recipes may be different, but when Ukrainian matchmaker and promoter Vlad Eliseev (reads Yeliseyev) holds one of his famous Top Boxing Generation (TBG) fight nights, you can be sure, there will be two big crowds of people making huge waves and noise, each of them vigorously supporting their main event fighter!

This was the case on September 28 in Kyiv Stereo Plaza events hall. In the main event talented underdog Andrey Boryshpolets dared to step into the square ring against Nazri Rahimov from the Kyiv suburb of Brovary, who at the point of signing the contract last summer had some half a dozen belts, including the WBC World Youth Silver champion, the UBO world champion to be concise, while Boryshpolets had none.

CO-MAIN EVENT

One of the amazing things about Vlad Eliseev’s fight nights is the synergy between the main and co-main events. In wartime, when bringing a foreign boxer even for the prestigious belt fight is trouble, Eliseev brought a K-1 hero from neighboring Moldova Ghennadiy Gitlan, an amazing fellow who even managed to learn Ukrainian to speak to the spectators via microphone. Gitlan’s pro record before the co-main event fight with Yanis Kurylenko from Ukraine’s boxing capital of Kharkov, was 3-14. Still, figures can be deceptive like it was in the case with Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannu.

Skilled boxer and brave warrior Yanis Kurylenko ate more leather in the fight with Gitlan, than he did in all his previous 12 pro fights, except maybe, his only loss at the hands of another boxer from Moldova, brilliant southpaw prospect Vasily Chabotari. Yes, now Kurylenko earned a unanimous victory, but Gitlan turned this 6-rounder with a hot Ukrainian prospect in much more than just a warming-up before the main event derby! Drained by the bitter rivalry with Ghennady Gitlan and happily victorious, Kurylenko called for the winner of the Nazri Rahimov vs Andre Boryshpolets fight!

MAIN EVENT

According to Vlad Eliseev, a couple years ago with the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Andre Boryshpolets was in deep depression and that was the time when very few people would bet on him. Saturday night, September 28, Andre was first in the ring, dressed in orange pants and orange shoes, with his alias SHARK typed on his trunks belt front side. Swiftly and quietly, he started the fight in a southpaw stance and shocked Nazri with fast crisp lefts.

Nazri, known for his solid rights, tried to fire back but missed and it took him a while to start also landing something meaningful. Boryshpolets this time was “focused and full of determination, probably, like never before,” according to Eliseev. Nazri looked like he was “waiting for something”. His supporters yelled “land more rights”, but this was much easier to say than to do, as Andre used more and more tricks from up of his sleeve to lure Rahimov into another combination with landing SHARK’s signature left punch. After round 4 (counts published by WBC rule) the fight still was even, but Rahimov was increasingly bleeding, both from the nose and new cuts, and his corner did great job between the rounds to sustain the battle. Both fighters gave their hearts, but Shark Boryshpolets was much scrappier, and landed more in the final rounds. With the final gong Andre supporters yelled Akula-Akula!! (Shark in Ukrainian, Andre’s alias), other spectators still could not believe what they just had seen,  distinguished and hard-hitting Rahimov been sometimes manhandled by his much less known opponent.

Judge Vadym Lavrynets raised the hand of Andre Boryshpolets, who won a majority decision and whose eyes were full of tears… ”I hope, this fight also helps Nazri to become a better champion,” he said in the microphone and everyone in Stereo Plaza knew, it was not a mean joke or trying to pull Rahimov’s leg, that’s what for everybody loves and respects Akula in Kyiv. “It was not my night,” smiled Nazri, trying to soothe his fans’ pain.. The two guys hugged like brothers and the dust had to settle for the fighters and Vlad Eliseev to decide if they fight a rematch this coming winter in Kyiv.