Eduard Troyanovsky IBF Super Lightweight Champion
Photo by Victor Sokolov
Cesar Cuenca, who couldn’t hammer a nail into a stick of butter, was the IBF 140-pound champion and undefeated at 48-0 in November of last year when he fell to Eduard Troyanovsky and the “Marciano Jinx.”
No different from Paul Spadafora two years prior and Larry Holmes in 1985, Cuenca saw former heavyweight luminary Rocky Marciano’s elusive 49-0 mark elude him.
Troyanovsky lifted the IBF title after tangling up Cuenca in a clinch that led to both fighters spilling over on the ground. Cuenca, of Argentina, complained that he could not see and the bout was called to a halt in Round 6.
It’s easy to believe the defending champion was looking for a way out after repeatedly eating left uppercuts from the challenger. He was too used to facing limited competition and, still, could only muster two knockout wins in nearly 50 fights.
The 35-year-old Troyanovsky is cut from a different cloth. The undefeated Russian (23-0, 20 KOs) is a spindly puncher. But the feather-fisted Cuenca is his best win. He has a long way to go before proving himself a legitimate talent in the rich 140-pound weight class.
At his advanced age, time isn’t on his side.
