Yuniel Dorticos was knocked out in an amazing cruiserweight barnburner.
Tomorrow night, the Cuban will challenge Gilberto Ramirez for the WBO and WBA cruiserweight world titles at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, USA.
The bout promises to deliver in abundance, with Dorticos renowned for his entertaining contests.
Back in the semi-final of the World Boxing Super Series, he went head-to-head with a fellow heavy hitter and created something special.
WOW: Why Oleksandr Usyk will stop Daniel Dubois again, according to a boxing legend
Yuniel Dorticos got knocked out by Murat Gassiev
On February 3, 2018, Yuniel Dorticos went to war with Murat Gassiev inside the Bolshoy Ice Dome in Sochi, Russia.
The fight started at a high pace, with ‘The KO Doctor’ finding a home for his jab, while the Russian targeted the body.
By the mid-rounds, the pair were trading bombs, with Gassiev slowly but surely coming into the ascendancy.
In rounds ten and eleven, Dorticos was in serious trouble after eating heavy shots, but somehow stayed on his feet.
Sensing the finish, Gassiev unleashed a monstrous left hook in the twelfth that sent his rival tumbling towards the canvas.
Bravely, Dorticos beat the count, but was quickly on the floor again when another big shot detonated on his chin.
In a testament to his ferocious fighting heart, the warrior made it to his feet once again, but when a massive right put him through the ropes, the referee called a halt to the action.
The sublime performance drastically increased Gassiev’s stock, but in the final of the competition, he was left bamboozled by one of the greatest of all time.
Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Marco Huck in his quarter-final before edging past Mairis Breidis in the semi-final, produced an absolute clinic, dominating ‘Iron’ en route to claiming a unanimous decision victory to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion.
Daniel Dubois vs Oleksandr Usyk winner set for new challenge
In the years since taking over the cruiserweight division, Oleksandr Usyk has beaten all comers at heavyweight.
Now, he’s scheduled to rematch Daniel Dubois on July 19 at Wembley Stadium in London, UK.
And should the icon emerge victorious, then he could have a new challenge on the horizon.
Now, the IBF has ordered two fighters to face off to fight the Usyk vs Dubois winner.