On Friday, February 15, 2019, Rob Brant (25-1, 17 KOs) put on an absolute clinic as he dominated Khasan Baysangurov (17-1, 7 KOs) and stopped him in the 11th round in his home state of Minnesota.
For Brant, it was the first defense of his WBA regular Middleweight title.
Brant got off to a quick start to begin the contest. He put his hand speed on display in the opening round. The second round showed his power as he knocked Baysangurov down with a right hand that clipped him on the side of the head.
Brant scores the knockdown in the 2nd! #BrantKhasan pic.twitter.com/1PDAEyjIGI
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) February 16, 2019
Brant looked much more confident in the ring in comparison to his opponent. He also connected with the more eye-catching shots as well.
Baysangurov began to find a bit of success in the fifth round. Brant began to lunge in and paid the price as Baysangurov began to land a few good shots. That round however was about as much success as Baysangurov had as Brant boxed circles around him.
It seemed as though the champion was on his way to a clear decision victory. To Brant’s credit he wanted to put an exclamation point on his performance.
He did exactly that in the 11th. In what would end up being the final round, Brant let off a combination of punches that had his man badly hurt.
A few more punches followed and the challenger hit the deck. It seemed over, but somehow he managed to get to his feet. Brant wasted little time jumping back on his opponent. A right hand by the champion staggered Baysangurov to the ropes and the referee stepped in to stop the contest.
It was a terrific performance by Brant who fought like a man who wanted to prove he belongs among the elite of the Middleweight division. If he continues to string together performances like this, then he will make a strong case to be ranked higher among his peers.
