Ukrainian pugilist Stanyslav Kashtanov is still the World Boxing Association (WBA) Super Middleweight Champion after Jaime “Indio” Barboza from Costa Rica failed to take his belt.

It was a great night for boxing for 30,000 fans in the Donbas Arena in the Ukraine, a country that is producing quite a few luminaries of the sweet science such as the heavyweight Klitschko brothers. For Kashtanov, a 29-year old fighter with 31 wins and one loss, the first defense of his title was supposed to be pretty easy. In the end, it took him 10 rounds and considerable effort to ensure that the Costa Rican challenger did not come away victorious.

With British heavyweight legend Lennox Lewis presiding as special guest, the fight started out with four rounds of quality boxing. The defender had the clear height and reach advantage, but Indio applied a smart plan of attack to overcome this difficulty. The first four rounds were even, but by the fifth round the local favorite was encouraged by the crowd to show the visitor from Costa Rica why Ukrainians are respected fighters.

Kashtanov stepped up his attack on Indio, who responded with taunts that tested the crowd’s patience. The boxer from Guapiles, who was born in 1978, has been fighting since 2003. Indio brought a lot of heart to the ring, but by the seventh round the champ had him figured out. A solid kidney punch sent Indio to the canvas, and a cut to his tongue began to bother him. The fight was turning in favor of the defending champ.

By the eighth round, Kashtanov was scoring points with solid punch combos, but he was a bit worried that his opponent from Costa Rica had adopted a Mexican fighting stance of taking punishment with toe-to-toe strong retaliation. They exchanged punches in the exciting eighth and ninth rounds, but after a series of right jabs and an uppercut from Kashtanov, Indio took a knee while the referee gave him an eight-count in the tenth round. He did not stand up and thus the Ukrainian won by knockout; the crowd cheered loudly.

Minutes after the bout, an out-of-breath Kashtanov told ringside reporters:

“I recognize my rival’s honor; he pushed me to give it my very best.”

Indio Barboza explained that his cut tongue was a problem throughout the fight. He expects a quick return to Costa Rica to be with his family and get back to the gym for training. He is the fifth Tico fighter to challenge a world boxing champ.

Source: Zona Boxeo