Gvozdyk Gets Bizarre TKO vs. Ngumbu

If one were to ask someone a prediction of how Oleksandr Gvozdyk vs. Doudou Ngumbu would go, a KO/TKO win for the defending WBC champion would be reasonable. But the fashion how the fight actually ended was anything but.

Gvozdyk scored a fifth-round TKO of Ngumbu to retain the WBC Light Heavyweight Title after Ngumbu suffered a non-contact leg injury while moving around the ring. The fight took place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gvozdyk got off on the right foot by getting on the attack and working behind his jab in the first round, but Ngumbu fought back for a closer next couple of rounds, touching up the champion quite a bit. Gvozdyk started to gain momentum back over the fourth round, forcing Ngumbu into retreat. Ngumbu got back on defense and began to taunt the champion.

But in the fifth round, while backing up around the ring, Ngumbu experienced a cramp in his leg. The referee originally gave the challenger time to recover and check on the injury, which goes against boxing’s rulebook. After about a minute, however, the correct ruling was made and the referee called the fight off, giving the defending champion a TKO win.

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