Dramatic night in Monte Carlo: Shabaz Masoud’s title coup, Conah Walker’s sensational knockout and Elif Nur Turhan’s World Championship gala.
Shabaz Masoud is the new EBU super bantamweight champion after a hard-fought points victory over Peter McGrail on Saturday night at the glittering Salle des Etoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Masoud (15-0, 4 knockouts) had to swim in the deep waters to bag the unanimous decision from the judges. The scores were 116-111, 115-112 and 114-113 – a testament to the intense, tactical ring battle the two had fought.
After the final bell, Masoud made his ambitions clear: “I have big plans. The weight is getting tougher and tougher and I have no problem moving up to featherweight for a world championship fight. There is a British world champion there – Nick Ball. That’s the fight I want. I have to go up.” McGrail (12-2, 6 knockouts), on the other hand, has to go back to the drawing board after his second professional defeat.
Shock on the undercard – Walker brutally shocks McCormack
However, Conah Walker caused the biggest stir of the evening when he sensationally stopped the highly-rated Pat McCormack in a British thriller in the twelfth round.
In the final seconds of the duel, McCormack was thrown through the ropes and stood defenceless shortly afterwards, forcing the referee to stop the fight. For McCormack it was the first defeat of his career – for Walker it was a monumental victory that catapulted him straight into the welterweight world title draw.
Turhan crowns herself IBF world champion with a demonstration of power
In the co-main event, the explosive Elif Nur Turhan delivered a demonstration of power and claimed the IBF World Lightweight title with a brutal T.K.O. victory in round five over Beatriz Ferreira.
The unbeaten “Golden Turk” sent the two-time Brazilian Olympic medallist to the floor in the first round and then remained merciless. In round five, she literally beat Ferreira apart in the corner until the referee had to intervene. Promoter Eddie Hearn went on to praise Turhan as “one of the most destructive pound-for-pound fighters in the sport”.