15.09.07 – By Fritz Drexel: WBO Inter-Continental cruiserweight boxing champion Alexander Alexeev (12-0, 11 KOs) annihilated his American challenger Darrin Humphrey (24-6, 11 KOs), stopping him in the fourth round on Saturday night at the Stadthalle, Rostock, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Alexeev, 26, knocked Humphrey down three separate times, once in the 2nd, 3rd and fourth rounds. After the final knockdown in the fourth rounds, the referee Noel Monnet stepped in and halted the bout at 1:45 of the round..
Alexeev, ranked #13 in the WBO, controlled the fight throughout, landing multiple combinations on his overmatched American opponent.
Alexeev, formerly from Russia and now living in Hamburg, Germany, fought smoothly in the first round, as he landed an assortment of hooks, uppercuts and jabs to the face of Humphrey. Alexeev kept steady pressure on Humprey for the entire round never letting him get a break from the onslaught. At the end of the round, Humprey’s face was red from Alexeev’s many punches.
In the 2nd round, the southpaw Alexeev continued with his methodical attacks on Humphrey, landing powerful right-left combinations to the head, and hooks to the midsection. Humphrey fought back bravely, mainly throwing jabs and trying to stay on the constant move to prevent Alexeev from cornering him. However, Alexeev caught Humphrey with with huge uppercut that staggered him, and then dropped him with a right hand. Humphrey, howewver, was able to get up from the knockdown, though he took a pounding for the remainder of the round with Alexeev showing him with hooks to the head. In between rounds, Humphrey was treated for a small cut that had opened above his right eyebrow.
Humphrey began to look badly fatigued in round three, and appeared to have injured his right wrist which he shook back and forth for most of the round. By now, he had almost completely stopped punching back at Alexeev and was taking serious punishment. Near the end of the round, Alexeev knocked Humphrey down after connected with three repeated left hooks to the head. Again, Humphrey was able to make it to his feet as the round ended.
In the fourth round, Alexeev ripped into a badly battered Humphrey with unanswered hooks from the start of the round. It was a short time later when Alexeev landed two right hooks followed by a left hook to the head and a left uppercut that sent Humphrey to the canvas for the final time. Upon Humphrey getting up from the knockdown, the fight was stopped when Humphrey’s corner threw in the towel at 1:45 of the fourth round. All in all, it was a one-sided beating with Alexeev schooling a badly out-gunned Humphrey every step of the way.
Alexeev is a former standout amateur boxer from Russia and is currently being trained by Fritz Sdunek, the former trainer of Wladimir Klitschko.