EastsideBoxing.com
Feb 20 2010
Leva Kirakosyan Hammers A Brave Scott Lawton To Defeat Inside Three-Rounds
by James Slater –
Last night in Staffordshire, UK, Armenian-born Russian Leva Kirakosyan
proved way too powerful for local man Scott Lawton, as he crushed him
inside three one-sided rounds of action. Fighting for the vacant
European super-featherweight title, Kirakosyan’s withering power got
the job done in exciting fashion. The 36-year-old former European boss
at 130-pounds dropped Lawton in the opening round, forced the referee
to give the 33-year-old a standing count in the 2nd-round, and then
stopped him at 21-seconds of the 3rd..
Kirakosyan is now 32-5(22). Lawton, the former English champion up at
lightweight is now 27-6-1(6).
A very tough fight on paper for Lawton, many experts felt he’d
eventually succumb to the visitor’s punching power. As it turned out,
this thinking was absolutely spot on; and it didn’t take long for the
fight to turn into a nightmare for Lawton. Much the taller man, Lawton
attempted to box and move and pump out his jab, as the man with one
thing on his mind came forward. With less than a minute gone, a hard
right hand to the head dropped Lawton, and already things looked very
bad for him. Showing real heart by attempting to fight back as he was
backed up and hit to body and head with both hands, the 33-year-old
made it through to the bell.
The second round saw things go from bad to worse for Lawton. Boxing
okay in the first part of the round, if on the retreat throughout,
Lawton was caught with a succession of left hands to the head in the
closing half minute of the session. A final, brutal left to the head
had him sagging on the ropes and the referee, Soren Saugmann,
surprisingly decided to issue a standing count. The came the bell and
a wobbly Lawton went back to his stool.
The ending came quickly in the 3rd, as proven finisher Kirakosyan
wasted no time at all. Trapping Lawton on the ropes once again, the
shorter, older man let go with both hands. Covering up as best he
could, Lawton was there for the taking. Then, as the hometown fighter
tried to let go with a shot of his own, Kirakosyan blasted his head
back with a massive right hand. Lawton didn’t go down, instead
slumping once more along the ropes – and the ref had no alternative
but to dive in.
Lawton looked massively crestfallen by the defeat, while Kirakosyan
celebrated, knowing how his top-level career had been somewhat
resurrected. Retirement may be the best option for Lawton, while it
will be most interesting to see who the now two-time European champ
fights next. With his raw power, Kirakosyan could well win a few more
paydays yet.
Article posted on 20.02.2010
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