ASTANA – Kazakh professional boxer Beibut Shumenov defeated American B.J. Flores to become an interim world champion under the WBA. The fight, held in Las Vegas, lasted 12 rounds. Shumenov claimed the title by unanimous decision, scoring 116:112 on all three judges’ cards, said the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Photo credit: vesti.kz
The Kazakh boxer believed he earned his victory in the fight, reported sports.kz, Kazakhstan’s sports portal.
“He’s a strong guy but always lunges, whilst I score points. I am still learning and felt comfortable in the first cruiserweight title fight,” reported the sports portal referencing Shumenov’s interview with Boxing Scene. “Boxing is art and I used my skills to win. I followed instructions and believe I won the fight.”
The 31-year-old Kazakh boxer has earned 16 wins in his professional career (including 10 knockouts) and endured two defeats compared to the 36-year-old Flores, who has 31 victories (20 knockouts), two defeats and one draw, according to Tengrinews. His fight with the American boxer was postponed due to a shoulder injury he sustained a month ago, reported the news agency.
The Kazakh boxer entered the top 10 ranking of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) in May and holds sixth place in the updated IBF rating, according to the news agency. Shumenov made his debut in the first cruiserweight title fight by beating American Bobby Thomas Jr. ahead of schedule in December and said he would be happy to hold a fight in Kazakhstan in 2015.
According to sports.kz, Shumenov’s main goal is Russian boxer Denis Lebedev, who intends to hold a fight in October or November. The Kazakh boxer said he wants to fight with all the best fighters of his weight class, too.The victory has made Shumenov a mandatory contender for the WBA championship belt that Lebedev owns as well, said sports.kz.
