Kudryashov Avenges Lone Loss; Stops Durodola in Fifth

By Derek Bonnett

At Sports Palace in Rostov-na- Donu, Russia, big punching Dmitry Kudryashov met Olanrewaju Durodola in a rematch of their 2015 fight of the year. The two round war, which saw Kudryashov losing his unbeaten record by stoppage promised fireworks in the rematch and the two big punching cruiserweights delivered another great war.

Round one saw the Nigerian Durodola, 36, jabbing his way in to land hooks with knockout intentions at the opening bell. Like the first fight, Durodola was seeking to drag the Russian into a fast paced fight outside of his comfort zone. Kudryashov was patient for about a minute before he began loading up on his shots, particularly with the left hook and uppercut. Durodola took the round, but was rocked back on his heels early in the second. Kudryashov, 31, continued his assault from the left side, doubling and tripling his power shots from the torso to head of his opponent. Durodola sounded off with some wild right hooks and returned the favor to his rival, knocking him back on his heels. Game plans were out the window and this fight was going to be won in the trenches by the fighter able to take more punishment while landing his own power. Kudryashov nipped the second round on SecondsOut’s unofficial card. Kudryashov looked to be baiting Durodola with steady work from the left, hoping to catch him with a mighty right. However, in round three, the Russian looked tired, hurt, and already concerned with the pace of the contest. Durodola outboxed and outpunched Kudryashov until the final seconds when he was stung at the end of the round. Kudryashov was allowed to throw and landed several punches after the bell before the referee intervened. The Russian would also land numerous low blows without any reprimand. Kudryashov took the momentum from those final seconds into the fourth. He dropped Durodola with an accumulation of punches punctuated with left and right hooks. The Nigerian rose, but was clearly a different fighter. The end came in the fifth. Kudryashov landed an uppercut that would have ended most bouts, but Durodola persevered. The Nigerian was decked again with a left hook and landed on the seat of his trunks. He rose and fought back gamely, but was rocked into the ropes with a big left hook. The referee stepped in immediately. The finish may have had some haste to it, but Durodola was looking the part of a beaten man.

Kudryashov improved his resume to 21-1-0 (21). He promised to travel the world to take on the best going forward. Durodola fell to 25-4-0 (23).