Kalajdzic Gets A Scary Last Round Knockout Over Barrera
In a fight featuring one-time light heavyweight title contenders, Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic (28-2, 20KO) scored a devastating knockout victory over Sullivan Barrera (22-5, 14KO).
Hot Rod fought well behind the jab, taking advantage of that long reach. His counterpunching ability was on point as he landed a hard counter-shot that instantly caused the Cuban’s right eye to swell up.
In the third round, he got careless and was hurt twice by overhand rights from Barrera. However, Kalajdzic turned things around by landing a counter-right left combination that sent the Cuban to the canvas.
Realizing his opponent was fading, the Serbian fought more aggressively behind a power jab before landing a wicked left and right hook combination that dropped the 41-year-old in the sixth round.
In the final round, Kalajdzic landed a punishing uppercut left-hook combination that sent Barrera into the ropes. He then landed a series of unanswered shots that sent the Cuban through the ropes, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Kalajdzic is on a five-fight win streak since losing to unified champion Artur Beterbiev in 2019. If the goal is to get back into title contention, he will need to look to challenge someone high within the rankings.
