https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGfpH-eGM_o
Argentina’s Cesar Cuenca (48-1, 2ko) did a quit job in Russia tonight and dropped his IBF 140 lb title to Eduard Troyanovsky (23-0, 20ko), much to the chagrin of those light hearted fans who wanted to see the similarly light-hitting Cuenca, equal the 49-0 ledger held by Floyd Mayweather Jr and the legendary, Rocky Marciano.
It wasn’t to be, and after a rather unedifying finish to the fight, a new champion was crowned when Cuenca appeared to quit after the two fighters tangled in the ropes and he tumbled to the canvas in the 6th round, complaining about a cut to his eye and touching it with his glove when he rose to his feet.
From the get go, the visibly smaller Cuenca had struggled to establish himself, unable to get past Troyanovsky’s jab and easily gave away the first two rounds before some smaller success in the third, touching the Russian with combinations, although lacking any power at all to deter him.
Growing ever frustrated, it was an uppercut from the Russian in the 6th that started the tumble, with Cuenca bundled to the mat and one of Troyanovsky’s feet appearing to possibly graze the side of his face in the melee.
When he rose to his feet, a confused Cuenca corner became enraged when their fighter simply appeared to quit, ending the short championship reign that began when he captured the (vacant) IBF 140 lb belt in July against Top Rank’s Chinese contender, Ik Yang, in what was a sizeable upset in Macao.
The 34 year old, Argentina-born fighter has been subject to much ridicule from some online quarters for rising from relative obscurity with his 4% KO ratio at this late stage of his career, to potentially equal the 49-0 unbeaten record of Mayweather and Marciano.
Sadly for many fans, that dream has now died…
Twitter @undilutedpoison