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SportsTranscript
00:00who will be cornering Albert Badagazeev, Jazza Dickens, I beg your pardon, later on against Albert Badagazeev.
00:10He's had a few trainers, Batsikov. It's been that kind of a career. He was with Danny Vaughan for a while.
00:14He's based out in Dubai, actually. And then Manny Robles, he would travel over to California to train with Robles,
00:20who rated him very, very highly. As our announcer said, he is also a two-time European amateur champion,
00:27but he's looking to really try and make his mark in the professional ring.
00:32Keeping the two going concurrently, which he has done, is possible these days, of course.
00:36A very tempting because of the prize money, but it's difficult, Spencer, because we've seen with someone like Jalolov as well,
00:42the bigger spec, super heavyweight, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and he's done more than he has there as a pro
00:49because you can't give both of them full force. It's not really doable, is it?
00:53And it would be good with someone like Batsikov just to see him get really active and to see what he can do
00:57because he's 32 years old now.
00:59Yep, absolutely. 7-0 as a pro, six of those inside the distance.
01:04And like you say, Andy, it's all about opportunity and being gifted that opportunity.
01:09He's not had that yet. 32 years of age, tried to put the foot on the gas.
01:13But as you say, he does have a wealth of talent.
01:16And very unfortunate as an amateur to come up against the quality that he did, but still achieved a lot.
01:25And he's looking to kick on now.
01:29And a great opportunity against a very experienced opponent.
01:32Decent jab there from Batsikov.
01:34Undongeni right at the very start.
01:35Looked for that long right hand and did manage to land it.
01:38But this is what Batsikov does.
01:39He's got that tight guard.
01:40He drops the elbows in, manages to cover the head and the torso.
01:46He'll dip those knees.
01:47He'll keep that front foot pressure on you and look to work in that kind of tight semicircle around you.
01:56It doesn't look all that explosive, but it's just constant.
01:59That front foot pressure is constant.
02:01Walking his opponent down, making him work all the time.
02:05Physically very strong.
02:07Controls the space well, and as you say, unusually long arms.
02:11He gets to cover the top of his head there and the elbows tucked in as well.
02:15Very difficult guy to break through that defence and counters very well.
02:20And that's all about the timing there.
02:22Keeps those hands well.
02:23See that half a little step back, just looking to counter.
02:26And Nongeni has to be careful with that.
02:30I love those stoppages that he's had.
02:34A good number have come with body punching.
02:36That left hand to the body in particular that we saw there, that brought a smile there from Nongeni.
02:42He's looking nice and composed in there.
02:44As you mentioned, Spence, he is a very experienced fighter.
02:48He's been in with some good, good names.
02:49He won't be intimidated by Batsikov.
02:52Not one bit, but he'll have to find a way to discourage Batsikov to catch him, hit him hard enough on the way in to make him respect the power that he has.
03:01That's the challenge, really, against somebody like this.
03:04Absolutely.
03:05And Nongeni has to be very, very clever, very cautious, and choose when to throw those attacks.
03:11Because Batsikov just stalking forward, making him work, pinning, taking him from corner to corner.
03:18Dangerous to the uppercut there.
03:20Just look at the shot selection, switching the attacks to the body as well.
03:25Nongeni is going to be put under a lot of pressure tonight, that's for sure.
03:30So, closing stages of round one.
03:35Batsikov looking to try and let go with that right, followed by a left, but good defence there from Nongeni.
03:41Blocked the first one, took the second on the shoulder.
03:44And not much in that opening round.
03:45Nongeni throwing plenty, mostly keeping it a little bit longer, a little bit on the outside.
03:50And there is the aforementioned Naomi Campbell next to Terence Crawford.
03:54Terence Crawford could look a bit more excited about seeing that to Naomi Campbell there, to be perfectly honest.
03:59Well, I think he's just playing his cool cards, isn't he?
04:01He's keeping his cards close to his chest.
04:04Yeah, I mean, he's a cool cat, Terence Crawford, isn't he?
04:07He's been brilliant out here, actually.
04:09He's been, yeah, he's been very good.
04:11And talked about the fight coming up with Canelo Alvarez, how he's going to win that.
04:17And meet fire with fire.
04:19Everyone thinks he's going to box away John Boyd's decision.
04:22He's got other ideas about that, but it's something special, something very special.
04:26We don't get him coming around many times in a lifetime, but Terence Crawford is that guy.
04:31He's a guy that I believe would have lived with any welterweight in any era.
04:34I think he is that good.
04:36I've seen, you know, and if anyone's going to do it against Canelo right now, for me, it would be Terence Crawford.
04:43It is a massive, massive ask, but I absolutely do give him a chance.
04:47A two-weight undisputed champion, that's an extraordinary achievement in itself.
04:51But to jump up all the way to super middleweight and take that crown from the Mexican would be astonishing, frankly.
05:00But it's set to be an incredible occasion.
05:03Into the second round here, Batchkov looking to try and let go with that left hand early in the round.
05:09Yep, just looking to create an opening here, Batchkov, as he stalks forward.
05:14Look at that lovely short right hand on the inside there as well.
05:18Yeah, stalks forward, hands held high, but very cute in his movements, just slipping from side to side.
05:23And if he sees an opening, the execution is brilliant.
05:29Just firing that lead left, that long right here on Dongaini, doing the right thing.
05:33Just trying to keep Batchkov off him, keep him at distance.
05:36Batchkov in and out with the front foot, dipped his knees and then whipped that right hand into the body.
05:40That was clever.
05:43Yeah, your right hand here on Dongaini.
05:45He's coping well under this pressure, though.
05:47He looks very comfortable.
05:48Lovely little one-two from him there as well.
05:50There's that left to the body and then hooked up to the head off the back of it from Batchkov.
05:58He's landed a couple of solid shots on Dongaini, who's taken them well enough.
06:03He's not having a bad round, though, Dongaini.
06:06He's letting the shots go.
06:07He's trying to match Batchkov for the shots.
06:12That left hook upstairs just moved on Dongaini a little bit.
06:15Again, he was down to the body, then up to the head.
06:17And that's his signature kind of move, really, and then plants that jab just straight through the guard.
06:22He's just up the tempo a little bit here in the second minute of this second round here, Batchkov.
06:28He really has his physical presence about him, isn't there?
06:31He's sort of controlling that space very well, making Dongaini work very, very hard.
06:39Got a quarter of a shot there, though.
06:40And Dongaini landing a lovely little short left hook over the top.
06:43That will give him hope.
06:46And that's good from Dongaini.
06:47He just stepped off to his left-hand side, landed the left to the body, then fired him with the right.
06:52That's good from Dongaini again.
07:11He was backed up to the ropes.
07:12Batchkov was looking to try and pick a punch and was maybe just slightly labored about it.
07:16And he fired off a two-three punch combination.
07:20Yep, and having a bad round here in Dongaini, he's putting the shots together well.
07:24And just as I say, that Batchkov comes in with a lovely uppercut, switches the attack to the body as well.
07:33Final few seconds of round two.
07:36Batchkov with a right-hand lead and then walks back to his corner, even though the bell hasn't actually gone yet.
07:41He's decided that the round has ended.
07:43I think he's going to any time now.
07:44There we go.
07:46It's an interesting round, that, because Dongaini did some good work in that round.
07:49But Batchkov did up the pace, didn't he?
07:51And he's always looking to make you work harder than you want to work.
07:55And in the mould of some other fighters we've seen from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, down the years,
07:59they just looked to click things up round by round.
08:03Increase the heat in that kitchen and see if you could stay with them.
08:06Yeah, but I think that that was the difference between winning and losing that round there.
08:09The Batchkov just knew when to turn the screw, and he had that little spell, that little moment.
08:14Landed the eye-catching shots.
08:16And Dongaini, he played his part in it there.
08:19He was solid, he coped under the pressure very well.
08:22But the eye-catching stuff coming from Batchkov and maybe just sitting that on my scorecard as well.
08:28Interesting contest this one.
08:31You feel there's still a few twists and turns to come.
08:34But high quality.
08:36So into the third, Zolissani and Dongaini in the black and gold.
08:50Hoffmanis-Batchkov in the white and gold.
08:53They're scheduled for eight.
08:58In a super lightweight division.
08:59Batchkov starting this third round like he started the first two on the front foot.
09:08Stalking forward, trying to make Dongaini work at a pace that he doesn't want to work at.
09:17But Dongaini has had his moments in that second round.
09:20He can try and build on that, although he was caught with a good right hand over the top there, though.
09:24And there's a good response.
09:25He just set his feet and let his own hands go.
09:28And this is a really interesting point in this fight because Batchkov, as we say, is trying to bring that heat.
09:33And Dongaini will have felt it at times.
09:36He's been hit clean a couple of times.
09:37The left hook maybe moved him a bit in that previous round.
09:39But it could be that he's thinking to himself, this is OK, power-wise.
09:44This is not a particularly big problem.
09:46And maybe I now need to try and put a little bit more mustard on my own shot.
09:51You don't want to get into some kind of a trade-up with Batchkov.
09:55But you don't want to let him dictate terms either.
09:57And this is getting interesting.
09:59Well, you say you don't want to get into a sort of trade-up with him.
10:02But Dongaini, sorry, is taking it there.
10:07And he's trying to have a trade-up.
10:09And the body shot, Sandy, I think, have got through here.
10:11He's felt the weight of one of those.
10:12Left hook went under the elbows there.
10:14A right hand came back there from Dongaini.
10:16He was round about the hip.
10:17I think he was just trying to land anything he could to take a bit of steam out of Batchkov.
10:21And just as I was saying it, he did seem to want to try and open up.
10:25A couple of uppercuts have had an effect there.
10:28You can see the legs just loosen slightly.
10:30A long right hand and another right hand lands.
10:33And he's bang in trouble here in Dongaini, the corner.
10:35And looking like they might be about to throw the towel here.
10:38The trainer was just off his seat away to my right hand side.
10:41But he's getting worked over here.
10:43He really is.
10:44I said he was at an interesting stage.
10:46And it's proved to be just so.
10:48And Batchkov, he lays that groundwork.
10:52He did that for the first couple of rounds.
10:54But he's got accurate, spiteful hands.
10:58And if Dongaini can ride this one out and make it through to the end of the round, then he will have done well.
11:03It's going to have taken a lot out of him this round, though.
11:05Yep.
11:06It certainly would have.
11:07The body shots were key there.
11:08From Batchkov, and then Dongaini.
11:11Oh, body shots slams in again.
11:13And to be fair, he's showing character.
11:14He's gritting his teeth, biting down his gum shield here.
11:19And Dongaini, because there was a moment there where I thought he was unraveling.
11:23And he might come to pieces, but he's regrouped a bit.
11:25It absolutely did look like that.
11:29He did well to stay up from those couple of uppercuts.
11:31Every now and again, you just see the kind of rigidity leave a fighter.
11:35And then they get it back together really, really quickly.
11:38The powers of recovery are amazing.
11:40And Dongaini just trying to pile in behind that right hand.
11:43Final few seconds of round three.
11:45And there goes the bell.
11:46And an interesting round to watch that, because just as Batchkov got on top of him,
11:51I was wondering if Dongaini was thinking to himself that he might be able to be slightly more ambitious himself.
11:58But maybe it's a case he just got a little bit greedy then.
12:01And he left a few openings and he paid the price.
12:03Yeah, absolutely.
12:04I mean, look, Dongaini, you know, he's tough.
12:07He's got experience.
12:08He's been around a long, long time.
12:10And he needed that experience there.
12:12He showed a lot of character.
12:13As I say, the body shots were especially effective.
12:17They really went in those body shots.
12:20The left hooks were being slammed in the right hooks as well.
12:24Good round there for Batchkov.
12:26And Dongaini, he regrouped Andy at the end of the round about 30 seconds ago.
12:31Got himself back in there and showed that there's still a lot of fire left in the dog.
12:36Batchkov just up off his stool there.
12:39But the pressure from him is not going to decrease.
12:42I've seen him a lot.
12:42And he's not in the habit of taking rounds off.
12:45So, and Dongaini is going to have to just dig in there, stick in there and see what he can get done.
12:52Looks for a right hand early in the round.
12:56Yeah, well, that's what he needs to do here.
12:58And Dongaini, if he wants to get himself back into this one, he has to gain the respect here for Batchkov.
13:04He needs to land something significant.
13:06He's got to be a little more creative because Batchkov stalking forward, hands held wide, covered.
13:12The torso area well and the head as well.
13:16So, he's got to be creative.
13:17Set some traps.
13:19Try and draw the lead of Batchkov and make him pay.
13:21And from Batchkov's point of view in that previous round, there was good composure from him because he let his hands go, put those punches together.
13:30As you said, it looked like Dongaini might be about to go, but he didn't.
13:35And he didn't go absolutely crazy, Batchkov, and empty the tank looking for the stoppage.
13:39He would have felt himself, maybe he's not quite ready.
13:42Didn't exactly pull off him, but just thought, I don't need to do it this round.
13:45There's plenty of time left yet.
13:46Yeah, you've got to be careful you don't blow a gasket, and that's exactly what he's done there.
13:50He used his experience, Batchkov, because you know your opponent, you feel him unravelling a little bit.
13:56You hear little noises on the inside, the little shots that go in, and that's when you know to put your foot on the gas.
14:03And he clearly never felt that one, and he's sensibly gone back to his boxing.
14:09Because Dongaini is a tough, tough cookie, and you can't give him any sort of opportunity.
14:16That's a decent combination from him, but Batchkov tucking up fairly effectively.
14:21The corner were close to throwing the towel at one point.
14:24One of the seconds was on his feet, just a couple of yards away to my right-hand side with a towel in the hand at one stage off the back of those two uppercuts.
14:31But he came through it in Dongaini, and he's given a good account of himself in round four here so far, just over a minute remaining.
14:37Yep, just trying to take the fight.
14:39There's space away here from Batchkov, and that's what he needs to do.
14:43Batchkov has been predominantly on that front foot, and I think for Dongaini, he needs to now take control of that ring, of that space.
14:54Make sure he doesn't get caught in the process.
14:56That's the thing, isn't it?
14:58We spoke about this in an earlier fight.
15:00He does need to be aggressive.
15:02He does need to earn that respect, to man that respect.
15:05But in doing that, he will leave gaps, and that's what Batchkov wants.
15:09Absolutely.
15:10And the body shot there again just slammed into the ribcage of Ndongaini.
15:15Lovely shot, but he took it well.
15:18There's that ripping kind of left to the stomach there from Batchkov as well, who could maybe make more use of that jab, because there's no real tell on it.
15:29He just plants it straight out.
15:32There's no kind of twitch of the shoulder or elbow.
15:35Getting up towards the halfway stage here, but a good fight, this.
15:38A good fight to watch.
15:39Yep, high quality from both guys, and Dongaini.
15:43Showed us why he's been around so long, why he's been boxing at such a level, because he's a tough kid.
15:50You know, the body shots have been slamming in, he's taken them well.
15:53He unravelled a little bit, pulled himself back in the fight, but he's still in the fight.
15:57The scorecards for me, he's not really telling the story.
16:00I've got Batchkov now running away, a clear leader, but that's because he's been catching the eye-catching stuff.
16:06The body shots have been especially effective, landing them well.
16:10No short uppercuts on the inside as well.
16:12Short selection's been good.
16:14Another round in the bank there from Batchkov.
16:17As Jazza Dickens appears on our screen, we're going to be seeing him very, very shortly.
16:24In with Albert Batogazeev.
16:25It's a very, very good fight, that Batogazeev, undefeated Olympic gold medalist.
16:30The first throw, actually, to win an Olympic gold medal back in Tokyo 2020.
16:36I've seen it from ringside a couple of times against John O'Carroll last year.
16:40He was one of them, and he's got a lot of tools.
16:44But there is something going on with the punch resistance.
16:46He's very offensive, and I think sometimes he walks into shots he doesn't really see.
16:50He's been clipped and touched down.
16:52Not really been knocked down, but touched down three times in a couple of fights I've covered of his.
16:56It's very nearly a fourth time, and it occurred to me that if he walked onto one from a slightly bigger puncher,
17:02then you might go down and you might not get back up.
17:04So there are some vulnerabilities there.
17:07And Dickens coming into that off the back of a massive win, of course, against Zelfa Barrett.
17:12So that's our top of the bill.
17:14We're into the second half of this one, scheduled for ten.
17:17It's round five, in fact, between Hofhanes-Bachukov and Zyoloshani Ndongheni.
17:23Who, again, just looking to work those hands, Ndongheni.
17:25Try and keep it nice and loose so he can punch without taking too much out of himself.
17:30Yep, he knows he's got to do something here.
17:34If he wants to try and win this one, Ndongheni, he will know he's behind on points
17:37and probably at this stage will need something really big, a knockdown at least,
17:42to try and turn this around.
17:44And to his credit, he's letting those hands go.
17:54There's that short right hand from Bachukov.
17:57Just checking the chin there of Ndongheni.
18:00Both guys just selecting to sit in the pocket a little bit here.
18:07Now the man wants to give up ground, although Bachukov is on the front foot
18:11and Ndongheni, I think his idea was to hold ground.
18:16The screw shot just went through the guard there.
18:18Just a nod of appreciation, never a good sign.
18:23Left hand there from Bachukov.
18:24And that screw shot you mentioned, you could just see Bachukov just quicken up his feet
18:28and close in for a split second.
18:30I think he felt like he might have hurt this man slightly.
18:33And then I think I had a look at him and changed his mind.
18:37Good bodywork there from Ndongheni.
18:42Yeah, caught with a big right hand, though, before he successes to the body.
18:47He's a tough guy, though, isn't he, Ndongheni?
18:50The original opponent here for Bachukov was Shojihan Urgachev, who pulled out with, I think, damage to his hand and injury to his hand quite late on.
19:07And Ndongheni, when I saw his name appear on the sheet, I did think that that was a good get because he's a good fighter and he's a game fighter.
19:17He's not going to come here and tuck up and try and get through the rounds, and he absolutely hasn't tried to do that.
19:21No, he's a great example of always keeping yourself in shape because opportunity does come.
19:26And there are too many fighters these days to have a fight and think they're going to have some time off, go and get out of shape, put on a bit of weightiness, focusing too much then on losing the weight as opposed to what they're meant to be doing in their next contest.
19:38But Ndongheni has clearly kept himself in shape for when that phone rings, opportunity, and you've got to take it.
19:45And he's delivered well here, Ndongheni, and the scorecards are not really, you know, in his favour, that's for sure, but he's certainly give it a go.
19:54Bachukov really dominated, not dominated, that's the wrong word, he's winning most of the rounds.
20:01And that's why those clear shots like that, lovely screw-up shot through the defence here, a lot of appreciation from Ndongheni.
20:11But look at the response there, he's a tough, tough cookie, and he really is.
20:18What he's done well is he's just managed to keep those hands moving, he's managed to keep throwing and give Bachukov something to think about, to occupy him.
20:26He hasn't really managed to hit him and stop him in his tracks or hurt him, that doesn't really seem to be in his locker, and if it isn't, then you've got to do what he's doing, you've got to be busy.
20:35But as we've been saying, that means that you take a chance because you might leave yourself open, and when you watch Bachukov, when you see him land, he just gets those leverages and biting points right so often, doesn't he?
20:47And a lot of those punches might not look like the biggest shots you've ever seen, but they're having an effect.
20:51Yeah, absolutely, listen, the ones you don't see are the ones that have the effect, and he's very good at throwing little shots on the inside, whipping the body shots in as well.
21:02Bachukov is a good little fighter, but I'm loving what Ndongheni's doing here because he's keeping himself in that fight, not losing heart, not losing spirit.
21:17Going up and down with a jab, just flicking it up to the head three, four, five times, and then stabbing to the body, does the same thing again there.
21:26And as we've been saying, that's what it's about for him, he's always giving Bachukov something to think about, climbed into a lead left hook and then spun a straight right hand off the back of it, which did land, but it didn't really get a blink from Bachukov.
21:39And that's been the problem for Ndongheni, and there's not an awful lot he can do about it, is that power-wise, he hasn't managed to really register on his opponent yet.
21:48Yep, and you just wind up whether that power actually exists within Ndongheni, I just don't think that he carries that firepower, lovely little short hook on the inside again there from Bachukov.
22:01Ndongheni took that shot well, but this is good action here from both guys.
22:04Straight right hand there, and again from Bachukov, just pops through the guard, but Ndongheni back to the ropes, every time he's felt his back to the ropes, he's looked to try and throw, because he knows that he cannot stay there.
22:17The one time that that did end up happening, he was in an awful lot of trouble.
22:22Yep, he can't get too greedy here, Ndongheni, he's sitting there allowing Bachukov to get off with those shots, but that's where Bachukov wants to be, he wants him in the pocket, he wants him to get greedy.
22:34He's sitting there too long.
22:36He's done well there, Ndongheni, because he's just punched his way off the ropes there, and Bachukov was happy to see him do it, but again, that's what the South African has shown us.
22:47The left hand there, quite high on the head from Bachukov, a slight misstep there from Ndongheni, but I don't think he was really hurt by it, into the final minute of round six.
22:56And since that torrid spell, back in round three, he's not had too many mishaps here, Ndongheni, just doubling up on that right hand again, Bachukov, and barrelling him back into the ropes.
23:13I think he'll look to put it on him here in the final 30 seconds, Ndongheni just a little bit while, Bachukov making a dent here again, I think, and he's still got a bit of time remaining in the round.
23:26Ndongheni needs to try and get off those ropes if he can, just get a little bit tighter, stepped into the open ring here, but again, he's straight back to the ropes.
23:34Final ten seconds.
23:38Yeah, big finish in the round here from Bachukov, good head movement as well, and he just feels he's in the right place at the right time.
23:46Ndongheni trying to punch with him there, and that was not the right thing to do, chin come up in the air, momentum was with Bachukov, and it was a great finish in the round.
23:55Before that, I was thinking, Ndongheni's not doing bad here, he's having a good round, he's landing some good shots.
24:01Just as you're thinking that, last 45 seconds or so to the round, that's what he had to deal with.
24:07Combinations, body shot going in, they've been landing from the beginning of this contest, and then those lovely short combinations to the head.
24:17They're travelling six inches, them shots, and then ones that you don't see, and the accumulation in them as well.
24:22So, trust me, they have an effect, and I think we saw that effect there.
24:26With Ndongheni, he gritted his teeth and stuck in there, but that was not easy for him.
24:33I think accumulation is the key word there, because that's what you're up against against Bachukov.
24:41He is a volume fighter, and just as I was saying, Ndongheni had managed to not just survive, but box a decent fight since that third round,
24:51since that rough passage in the third round, and it hadn't happened really again since.
24:54Right on cue, he managed to find a way through.
24:58It's that kind of critical mass, isn't it?
25:01And maybe as the rounds tick down, that point might arrive earlier in each round.
25:06That will be what Bachukov is hoping.
25:08Ndongheni's got to just keep doing what he's been doing, which is showing a ton of hearts and decent technique,
25:14and good, good work rate, because as soon as his work rate dips, then he's in trouble.
25:19Yeah, absolutely.
25:20Listen, I think he's showing so much character in there, Ndongheni.
25:23He really is. I'm impressed, if I'm honest, because he's been under a lot of firepower.
25:29He's stuck to his games, hasn't got disheartened, and he's still swinging, still hopeful that he can find something from somewhere,
25:39but it's going to have to be a little bit more of that.
25:42Let's see him go through the gears, maybe change the angles.
25:44That was good from Ndongheni, fired off the combination.
25:50Most of it was taken on the gloves from Bachukov, but it's occupying him.
25:55That was a solid hook there.
25:56He says no, but trust me, he would have felt that one go right down to the soles of his boots.
26:02Lovely little shot.
26:05Interesting to see Ben Whittaker on the far side of the ring there.
26:07He won a silver medal in Tokyo.
26:10He was on the same Olympic cycle as Bachukov.
26:13He would have been in and around him at international tournaments an awful lot.
26:17So it's somebody that he'll know well a long way apart in weight divisions, of course.
26:21But you get very familiar with people.
26:23It was interesting watching Bachukov and Julio La Cruz and Erislande Alvarez, the two Cubans, at the weigh-in yesterday.
26:30You box in those international tournaments, you see people from a distance, but you see them a lot.
26:35And so when you see them kind of more out of context, there's that knowing nod between everybody.
26:39Absolutely, that nod.
26:41You know, that gladiatorial respect that they all have between each other.
26:46And I'll tell you what, those body shots are slamming in again there.
26:49And he's feeling the weight of those.
26:50He can't even keep his arms up.
26:52And that will be because he'll be in excruciating pain.
26:56Those left hooks of the body in particular have been really, really effective.
27:00And you can see he's looking for it.
27:03Body shot again when in there.
27:0540 seconds remaining in the round.
27:07And he's in a little bit of trouble here again on Dongani, I think.
27:10He is.
27:11I mean, he's showing incredible heart.
27:13But trust me, he's in trouble.
27:16Smile.
27:17That says it all.
27:18A little bit of blood coming from the bottom lip there of Batchkov.
27:22And that might just encourage Dongani slightly.
27:24Who does land a couple there.
27:26And just when it looked again like he might be about to come apart.
27:29He's just dug in and managed to land a couple.
27:34Gets a hold of Batchkov and makes it through to the end of the round.
27:39And that's what he's managed to do.
27:40There have been times where it's looked like the end might be relatively nigh.
27:46But he's just managed to fire up a combination, turn this man, get hold of him, and just get himself a few seconds.
27:51And if you're in good shape like he is, then that can be enough, can't it?
27:54Mate, that's the experience that he shows, you know, that's why he's 33 and 6.
27:58You know, this is his 40th fight.
28:00He's a 40 fight veteran now.
28:02And you've got to know how to get around the ring and, you know, how to maneuver your way through and not show when you're hurt.
28:08Because trust me, he's been hurt to the body 10 plus times to the body.
28:13I mean, badly hurt to the body.
28:15He's kept his, you know, he's kept his composure, hasn't shown any weakness, held it together.
28:20A couple of times we felt his unraveling.
28:22And then, like you say, like, you know, give him 5, 10 seconds and he's back in the game.
28:27That's a sign of a good, good fighter, a solid fighter.
28:31But Batchkoff is one of those young men coming through.
28:33Well, I say young men, he's 32 years of age now.
28:36One of those men coming through just waiting for that opportunity.
28:40And he needs to deliver on a platform like this to get noticed.
28:44And maybe this could be the start of something very, very good for him.
28:47Batchkoff from me, way, way in front in this contest.
28:50Not really telling this story because Ndongani has boxed very, very well and lands a lovely uppercut there at the beginning of the eighth and final round.
29:00It's just the way boxing's scored, isn't it?
29:03You can win a minute of every round and you'll lose every round.
29:06It's as simple as that.
29:07On that basis, you should win a third of it.
29:09But actually, you get nothing and it's very, very harsh in that sense.
29:15Good right hand there from Ndongani.
29:18Yeah, landed a couple of nice shots here.
29:20And Batchkoff has to be careful.
29:26He doesn't switch off, take the foot off the pedal.
29:31Because Ndongani is one of those fighters that doesn't give up hope, doesn't lose his spirit at all.
29:37And look at him here, trying to push, even in this eighth round and really giving it everything here.
29:43Some impressive stuff here from Ndongani, who's probably having the best spell of the contest so far.
29:48He is this opening minute of round number eight.
29:51He's done some good body work.
29:52He's got his feet nice and close, dug those toes in and unleashed some damaging looking shots.
29:57But there's a solid right hand high on the head from Batchkoff, who maybe is feeling like if he just rides out this first minute from Ndongani,
30:05then how long can he really keep this going for is maybe what he's got in his mind.
30:09And Ndongani's mouth just hanging open a little bit here midway through the round.
30:15I was going to say, look how quickly the body language has changed around.
30:18And now it's in Ndongani's time now to try and weather the storm.
30:22It's been an excellent eighth round, this one, an excellent contest, to be fair.
30:28Batchkoff trying to finish in style, trying to get the job done inside the distance.
30:34He'll recognize, he can see the finish flag now.
30:36So inside, the final minute of the round, Ndongani just switches southpaw.
30:48Anything really just to try and confuse his man to buy a little bit of time.
30:52Again, just sitting in those ropes, working that lead left hand, pulling his weight onto the back foot
30:58and just making that jab of Batchkoff's fall slightly short.
31:02Yeah, good finish to the eighth round here from Batchkoff.
31:10Oh, body shot slams in again. I felt the weight of that one down here.
31:13It was right above us in the commentary position.
31:16And Ndongani shakes his head.
31:19And I think that he'll be thinking right now, where is that bell?
31:23Can't come soon enough. 20 seconds left in this eighth and final round.
31:27And what a fight it's been. What a contest it's been.
31:37Yeah, apologies. Tenth round.
31:39But what a quality it's been up till now.
31:42So there goes the bell and the touch of gloves between the two.
31:50See, that was the confusion there. The boxers themselves thought it was eight.
31:54It was written down as eight on my score sheet, hence why I thought it was eight.
31:58I've got to say, I don't know if that changed mid-fight, that.
32:02It did change mid-fight, but originally it was down as an eight-rounder.
32:05So I can understand the confusion there between these two.
32:07And Ndongani seemed to think it might be over at the end of that eighth round.
32:11But when it was announced at the start of the fight, it was announced as a tenth rounder.
32:15Batshkov didn't seem too confused by that.
32:18And probably some wishful thinking on Ndongani's part, to be honest,
32:21that they could go back to the original agreement and have an eight-rounder
32:24because these last two rounds are going to be tough for him.
32:27Yeah, absolutely. Ndongani, I think he was giving you everything in that eighth round.
32:32You saw he rolled the dice for everything and the kitchen sink in that eighth final round.
32:38And that may have been the one that turned it for him.
32:42I think he truly thought that was the end of the contest there.
32:45And that's going to be difficult for him psychologically to pull himself out of that
32:49because he left a lot in that eighth round there.
32:52So two to go. Batshkov in the white, Ndongani in the black.
32:56It's been a good fight, a good fight to watch.
32:58And Spencer's been saying Ndongani has put plenty into this.
33:01It's not like he hasn't had spells of success because he has.
33:04He's thrown plenty. He's landed some good shots.
33:06But it's just that the weightier, more spiteful, more telling punches
33:11in every round, really, you would probably say, has come from Hofhannes Batshkov.
33:17A couple of times when it's looked like he might be able to put his man down or put him away.
33:23Ndongani has rallied very impressively.
33:26A couple to the body there and then a left hook up to the head.
33:28Yeah, lovely work, wasn't it? Good left hook back there from Ndongani.
33:33But the eye-catching stuff really coming from Batshkov there as he switched the attacks to head and body.
33:40And as I say, he's an experienced guy, Ndongani.
33:45And he's going to need to use all that experience here because when you think the fight's over
33:49and you think it's done and you told us to go another two rounds, that's a psychological thing.
33:55That's difficult to get your head around, but he seems to have got his head around it.
34:00And he's got himself back into this one.
34:02I mean, great little contest, this.
34:10Ndongani unhappy about something there.
34:12I think maybe a little bit of a use of the head or what he saw is that.
34:16He's stabbing left to the body and then he looked for his left and the right came back from Batshkov.
34:21Yep, the left hook seems to do a bit of damage there as well.
34:23Right hand sends the head back.
34:26Very solid left hook again there from Batshkov and another right.
34:30And this time Ndongani does go down as well over a minute remaining in the round.
34:35And the towel comes in from the corner.
34:37The towel comes in from the corner.
34:39The referee hasn't seen it, I don't think, but he got back up on probably about nine and a half
34:43and then the referee waved it over anyway.
34:46That's a good call from the corner to have stopped it at that point
34:49because all that awaited him was another four and a half minutes of the same.
34:52Probably worse because he was feeling the effects.
34:56And as you say, it was originally scheduled for eight.
34:58He was extended to ten.
34:59He's taken it at short notice.
35:01And when you combine all of those things and all the effort he'd already given us,
35:05we were getting to the point where I was thinking to myself as a neutral,
35:09I'd love to see him make it to the final bell,
35:11but only if he could just find a way not to take too much more stick
35:15and then he was on the receiving end.
35:17I'm not going to lie.
35:17When that eighth bell went and I saw them hugging him in the middle of the ring,
35:21I thought I knew what was going through Ndongani's head there.
35:24He's thinking I've done it.
35:25I made it to the end.
35:26I've come in as a substitute.
35:27I've saved the fight.
35:28You know, Batchkov's a world-ranked amateur, you know,
35:32and doing very, very well as a pro.
35:34Maybe the chairman of the Who Needs Him, Who Wants Him club at the moment.
35:38That eighth bell rings and you're told you've got another two.
35:40Trust me, speaking as an ex-fighter, that is soul-destroying, right?
35:46And for him to come out and still deliver and still crack on
35:48and then come apart the way that he did,
35:51I think he was glad the referee reached that count of ten.
35:54Please, what you bring, the beauty and style queen of the world.
35:58And she's amazing, Naomi Campbell.
36:02So Naomi Campbell gracefully slides through the ropes.
36:07And along with the president of the Armenian Boxing Federation,
36:10in fairness, no one's looking at him, are they?
36:26No disrespect to the man, but everybody's looking at Naomi Campbell.
36:29Well, yeah, I mean, let's have it right.
36:34Naomi Campbell's the last person you're going to expect to see here in Istanbul
36:38at this boxing show, but there she is.
36:41I mean, I was blown away.
36:42It was a pinch-of-self moment when we saw her,
36:44when I heard she was here yesterday.
36:46And, yeah, what an addition.
36:50And that was a really entertaining fight.
36:51And Don Gain, he did himself proud there.
36:53Gave a really good account of himself.
36:55And we saw what we normally see from Batchkov.
36:57And that was, again, a good, solid eight and a half rounds
37:01he's got under his belt there.
37:02And he needs to get as active as he can,
37:04because no one's giving someone like him a voluntary.
37:07He's going to have to work his way up the rankings.
37:09Is that fair to say that the IBA,
37:11that's what they're about, giving these opportunities?
37:13One minute and 40 seconds of round number nine.
37:19Your winner by technical knockout,
37:22still undefeated,
37:24and the new WWE Continental
37:29and WWE Pro Intercontinental
37:32Super Lightweight Champion
37:35How it is,
37:36Batchkov!
37:55It's a representative
37:56of the legendary Golden Reef Club
37:59to buy
37:59How it is,
38:00It's not easy to get those belts on fighters
38:13when there's more than one,
38:14because they are
38:15deceptively heavy.
38:18If you've never picked up one of those,
38:19you wouldn't quite believe how heavy they are.
38:21If you see a picture of a fighter who's undisputed
38:24trying to hold four belts at a press conference,
38:27you don't want to leave...
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