Troyanovsky stops Cuenca, retains light welter belts

AP

MOSCOW — Eduard Troyanovsky stayed unbeaten to retain his IBF and IBO light welterweight belts Friday in a rematch against former champion Cesar Rene Cuenca.

The Russian sent Cuenca to the canvas twice before the Argentine’s corner ended the fight in the seventh after their fighter took punishment against the ropes.

Troyanovsky, nicknamed “The Eagle,” used his superior reach to control the fight in front of a small but passionate home crowd in the Russian capital. “It’s our shared victory,” Troyanovsky said. “We’re all champions together.”

Following a quiet opening two rounds, Troyanovsky forced Cuenca against the ropes in the third, which ended with his opponent bleeding from the mouth.

A hard right sent Cuenca tumbling backward to the floor in the fourth, but he easily beat the count, though with a bloodied face.

After Cuenca recovered in the fifth, a big uppercut from Troyanovsky brought the second knockdown late in the sixth, and a lengthy timeout to replace a mouthguard ended the round, bringing Cuenca a reprieve.

That rest did him little good, however, and after some strong body shots in the seventh, Cuenca slipped while near the ropes and his corner ended the fight following a short discussion with the referee.

Troyanovsky moves to a 24-0 record with 21 career wins by knockout, while Cuenca is 48-2 with two no contests.

Troyanovsky won the belts from Cuenca in November in controversial circumstances surrounding a sixth-round technical knockout. Cuenca’s team claimed the referee had overlooked apparent contact between Cuenca’s head and Troyanovsky’s knee.