Puerto Rico’s Subriel Matias (17-1, 17 KOs) delivered another power-punching display, breaking down previously-unbeaten Batyr Jukembayev (18-1, 14 KOs) until Jukembayev’s corner stopped the bout after eight riveting rounds.
Matias establishes himself as one of the best in a stacked super lightweight division, but this latest win wasn’t easy. Kazakhstan’s Jukembayev came out strong, landing a right hook-right uppercut combination upstairs from his southpaw stance that got Matias’ attention in the first.
Jukembayev pushed the pace in the second. Matias began letting his hands go in the third, throwing in combination to the head and body. Both combatants were now fully warmed up, setting the stage for a fourth that could be a candidate for “Round of the Year.”
It began when a hard left hook staggered Jukembayev and drove him to the canvas. Matias sought to close the show but Jukembayev held on, cleared his head and started landing his own shots. With a minute left in the stanza, Jukembayev stunned Matias with a left cross. Instead of clinching, Matias fought fire with fire, bringing the crowd out of their seats with toe-to-toe action until the bell sounded.
Matias never stopped coming forward. Following a one-sided sixth, Jukembayev returned to his corner with both eyes swelling shut. The back and forth ensued in the seventh as Jukembayev buzzed Matias with two right hooks toward the end of the round.
Matias returned to the driver’s seat in the eighth, pounding away at Jukembayev with both fists. In total, he out-landed Jukembayev by 100 punches (234/608 to 134 /409) and was more accurate (38.5% to 32.8%). The accumulation of blows was enough to convince Jukembayev’s corner to request the bout be stopped.