ANDREY FEDOSOV floored Magomedrasul Majidov to pull off a brutal knockout upset that exploded the favourite’s ankle.
Having not fought for two-and-a-half years, the Russian was expected to be comfortably brushed aside on the undercard of Liam Williams versus Demetrius Andrade.
And yet, in only the first round, 34-year-old Majidov hit the deck after his opponent connected with a cool right-hander.
Fedosov’s blow had buckled his ankle, making it incredibly difficult for him to stand as the referee allowed the fight to continue.
The highly-rated Azerbaijani clambered back to his feet but was on the canvas again within seconds after another barrage.
Majidov, who downed Anthony Joshua at the 2011 Worlds, held his ankle and made clear his night was done.
Medics rushed on to attend to the stricken fighter, whose swollen ankle had ballooned drastically by the time he was carried out of the ring.
Trainer John David Jackson confirmed post-fight that the joint was broken.
It was Majidov’s first pro defeat in his fourth fight having KO’d Tom Little on the undercard of Joshua’s win over Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019.
Fedosov, 35, has now won his last eight fights, a run stretching over seven years thanks to his period of inactivity.
Fans were left crediting both fighters, including Majidov for fighting on after first crumbling.
Twitter user Callum wrote: “What a warrior. Heavy punch that hit him in first place but still wants to fights on with snapped ankle. Speedy recovery Maj.”
Bernie added: “Even gets up after breaking his ankle!”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
