Russian heavyweight fringe contender Artem Suslenkov cruised to 14-0 (9 KOs) in Lausanne, Switzerland, when he stopped Germany's Artur Mann, who was stepping up from cruiserweight, in three rounds.
After a tentative start, the 30-year-old Suslenkov, with seeping blasts to the body, pressured to leave Mann, 23-6 (14 KOs), looking out of his depth by the second round.
Mann never really stood a chance. Heavy hooks dropped him twice in the third round and, though he would gamely rise each time, a sustained Suslenkov savaging forced the referee to stop the fight.
"After training camp there’s always a degree of fatigue," the winner said afterwards. "And once the fight is over, you feel a real sense of relief, a chance to catch your breath a bit. But I stress a bit — there’s still a great deal of work ahead and plenty of fights to come. Mann was dangerous in the first round. I hesitated slightly at the start, but then my coaches in the corner gave me the right advice and things began to improve. Honestly, I didn’t expect to finish the fight that early. We prepared to go the full ten rounds.
"As for what’s next, I’m ready for anyone. I understand that specific challenges matter, but that’s not how I approach it — I’ll fight whoever I’m offered. A bout with Murad Khalidov? I’d rather not. What’s the point of us fighting each other in Russia? But if it has to happen, then we’ll fight.”
On the undercard, rising lightweight Mikhail Grigoryan, 9-0 (2 KOs), outpointed the experienced Jeo Santisima, 26-10 (22 KOs), over 10 rounds
Controlling distance and dictating angles, Grigoryan shone with sharp left hands and uppercuts. Despite a late rally from Santisima, Grigoryan would win on all three scorecards.
