Jakarta - Armenian boxer Vartan Arutyunyan won the interim world champion title in the bridger class (101.6 kg) version of the World Boxing Association (WBA) after stopping Georgiy Yunovidov via technical knockout (TKO) in the sixth round.
The fight, which took place at the Tractor Ice Arena, Chelyabinsk, Russia, Saturday, February 14, was fierce from the start. According to the official WBA report, Arutyunyan secured the victory after launching a barrage of hard hooks without stopping which made the referee stop the match for the safety of Yunovidov.
The host boxer Yunovidov opened the match with a disciplined and measured approach. He relied on classic boxing techniques, neat footwork, and distance control to keep the pace of the match in the early rounds.
The strategy made it difficult for Arutyunyan to find a gap to launch a clean attack. However, from the start, Arutyunyan showed strong intentions to take control of the fight. He continued to press forward, cutting the corner of the ring, and forcing Yunovidov to engage in a close-range duel.
The constant pressure slowly disrupted Yunovidov's rhythm and opened the door for Arutyunyan to maximize his punching power. The turning point came in the fifth round when a sharp combination that started with a straight punch and ended with a hard hook knocked Yunovidov to the canvas.
Even though he was able to get up and finish the round, Yunovidov's condition seemed to decline. Entering the sixth round, Arutyunyan increased the intensity of the attack. He pushed his opponent to the ropes, cornered him, then showered him with a combination of hooks and punches without pause.
Yunovidov had trouble dodging or counterattacking. With minimal response and continued to receive clean punches, the referee finally stopped the match to prevent the risk of further injury.
The victory extended Arutyunyan's unbeaten record to 11 wins, including seven of them by KO/TKO. This interim WBA title is his first world title and confirms his position as one of the new forces in the bridgerweight division (224 pounds).
On the other hand, this result is the second defeat in Yunovidov's professional career, who now has a record of 11 wins and two losses. He failed to defend the interim WBA belt he won in July 2025 in his first defense match.
The WBA said the victory paved the way for Arutyunyan to fight for a unification bout against regular champion in the lightweight division, Muslim Gadzhimagomedov, which could potentially determine the map of the division's strength at the world level.
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