Russian boxers often face unfair refereeing during foreign fights, but luck smiles on our compatriots too. The inappropriate behavior of the famous Polish champion Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in a duel with our athlete Pavel Melkomyan ended in the karmic defeat of the Devil.

“I still consider myself a Russian”

Pavel Melkomyan is far from the most popular figure in Russian boxing. The athlete was born in Moscow in 1980 and practiced judo until he was 14 years old. As a teenager, the athlete moved with his parents to Poland, where he exchanged the tatami for a boxing ring. The change in sport clearly benefited Pavel.

Without a serious amateur career behind him, Melkomyan made his debut in professional boxing at the age of 19. Over four years, he fought 13 fights without losing once. Pavel spent most of his fights in Germany, where the headquarters of his promotion company was located. But whenever possible, the boxer was eager to return to his homeland.

—I still consider myself a Russian and a Muscovite. Hamburg is a place to work, nothing more. When I have a short vacation, I’m just eager to go home and chat with friends,” Novye Izvestia quotes the athlete as saying.

In the 14th professional fight, which was scheduled for April 23, 2003, Pavel had the chance to take over the vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight belt. The Russian’s opponent was the formidable Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, who also never knew defeat. The Pole had 20 victories, most by knockout.

But the Devil’s delivered blow did not bother our boxer. Before the fight, he clearly understood how he could win. The advantage in speed and gaps in the opponent’s defense should have played into Melkomyan’s hands.

Photo: © Satoshi Takahashi / Contributor / LightRocket / Gettyimages.ru

“I don’t think I lost this fight”

Already in the first round, Melkomyan was throwing punches and shook Wlodarczyk with a left hook. The Pole fell on the flooring, but quickly got up. The referee counted to eight and allowed the Fiend to continue the fight. Pavel tried to build on his success, but there was too little time left before the break.

The Russian also started the second round more confidently. Hard jabs resulted in a cut above the Pole’s right eyebrow. Nothing extraordinary happened in the third period, with the exception of Krzysztof’s dirty shots in the last seconds. The Pole pointedly hit Melkomyan in the back of the head, and after stopping he also landed an uppercut.

Illegal blows led to Pavel reaching his corner with great difficulty and an uncertain gait. The judge punished the Pole only with a verbal reprimand, but karma overtook the Pole almost at lightning speed. In the fourth round, the athletes fumbled a lot at close range, which is why they periodically collided with their heads. At times, the opponents looked more like two butting sheep than professional boxers. Unfortunately, in one of these episodes, Wlodarczyk broke our athlete’s head.

During the pause, the doctor examined Melkomyan’s bloody face and recommended stopping the fight. Since the athletes completed four of the eight rounds, it was decided to determine the winner by points. A convincing start helped the Russian win. He had an advantage on the cards of all three side referees.

The defeat from Melkomyan was the first in Wlodarczyk’s professional career, but it did not break him. Krzysztof is still performing, having won 62 victories with 4 defeats and one draw. At the same time, he is confident that he did not lose in the battle with Pavel.

“I don’t think I lost this fight.” The German organizers stopped the fight because it was beneficial for them. I was just warming up. Two more rounds, and the fight would have ended early with my overwhelming advantage,” said the Polish athlete in 2013.

Unfortunately, Pavel failed to reach the top of the first heavyweight division. Three years later, he suffered his first defeat, and soon ended his career, losing to his little-known compatriot Valery Volozhenin in his only fight in Russia.

Live broadcasts of boxing fights take place on the Match TV channel, as well as on the websites matchtv.ru and sportbox.ru.