Ellis wins by way of fluky ankle injury
After four rounds of action, Ronald “Flatline” Ellis (14-1-2, 12 KO’s) defeated Matvey Korobov (28-4-1, 14 KO’s) by way of TKO. Actually, Ellis was lucky that fight even transpired due to him weighing in five pounds over the limit. Despite coming in so disgracefully heavy, Team Korobov agreed to allow the fight to go on. Ellis will also have to give a portion of his purse to Korobov for the transgression. Aside from weight, Korobov had to have his shoulder on his mind during the bout.
In his previous bout, against Chris Eubank Jr, the Russian suffered a damaged rotor cuff. The ailment was so bad that he could not continue the prizefight, resulting in a TKO loss. This was his first fight since acquiring the injury. Rather than undergo surgery however, Korobov opted to mend his shoulder through rehab and exercise. Oddly enough, the Russian was felled by his left ankle in this bout.
FLIMSY ANKLE BLUES
Despite Ellis being younger, heavier and pressing the action, it was Korobov who was the busier, more active fighter. Off the backfoot, the Russian was able to control the opening rounds with his jab and educated movement. During the third round, the action increased as Ellis applied more accurate pressure. Korobov responded to Ellis’ sharp straight right-hands with thudding straight lefts of his own.
Just as the action appeared to be heating up, Korobov expressed having some issues with his ankle. After referee Johnny Callas called the ring doctor over, it was determined that he could no longer continue. The fight had only gone four official rounds at the time of the stoppage. Given how early in the fight the contest ended, there was not much to say about either competitor. Yet, it does not look good for Korobov, who is becoming increasingly fragile in his prizefights. As for Ellis, let us just hope he takes his training and the weigh-in more seriously in his next bout.
By: Bakari Simpson
