Ringside Report: Adam Azim Shines In Dominant Win Over Sergey Lipinets

Ringside Report: Adam Azim Shines In Dominant Win Over Sergey Lipinets

By Matt Elliott

Adam Azim is the new IBO super lightweight champion after a dominant performance that saw him force the stoppage against Sergey Lipinets in round nine of their clash at Wembley Arena. In the post-fight interview, his attention turned to Dalton Smith, claiming he hoped the Sheffield-born fighter had been watching.

Lipinets, a former IBF champion, is in the latter stages of his professional career but was still expected to provide a stern test and on paper was another step up in quality for Azim, who once again rose to the challenge. Under the guidance of trainer Shane McGuigan, Azim is getting better with each fight and after an injury disrupted 2024 saw him spend more time in the gym, he gave the watching crowd an insight into the improvements he has made.

From round one, he sat behind a solid left jab, which kept Lipinets at bay, as it was driven to head and body. The second round followed a similar pattern, and in the third, Azim had Lipinets on the canvas after the Kazakh man threw a right shot, only to be countered with a perfectly timed left hand. He beat the count, but you felt his belief was already fading.

Azim continued to target the body throughout the early rounds, and on occasions, the shots strayed low, drawing a warning from referee Steve Gray. When another punch landed below the belt in round four, a point was inevitably deducted. As the fight moved into round six, the uppercut was beginning to be thrown with greater frequency and it was a shot Azim seemed able to land with ease and pinpoint accuracy, rocking the head of Lipinets and bloodying his nose. In the seventh, Azim strayed into dangerous territory as another low blow led to a further point deduction and a stern warning, with McGuigan imploring his man to move away from the shots, knowing there was a real risk of disqualification if another landed.

In the end, it was the uppercut that proved the difference. In round eight, Azim, now more than happy to sit and trade on the inside, threw it around six or seven times in succession, rocking the head of his opponent who bravely fought on. At the end of the round, Steve Gray approached the corner and appeared to indicate he needed to see more from their man if he was to allow the fight to continue. When the fighters emerged for the start of the ninth, Azim again turned to the uppercut and after two huge shots landed, sending water spraying from the head of Lipinets, Gray stepped in to wave it off. Azim celebrated with McGuigan in the centre of the ring before sending a message to Smith, with talk of a clash between those two refusing to go away.

In the chief support, Callum Simpson made it two victories in three weeks as he stopped Elvis Ahorgah in round five. Simpson, who stepped onto the card at late notice after the fight between Viddal Riley and Isaac Chamberlain was forced to be rescheduled, brought with him a strong band of support, and he repaid them with another victory to set up a return to Oakwell Stadium this summer. Ahorgah, who carries the nickname “Soldier” and dressed for the occasion, was lively in the early rounds, throwing big overhand shots, a couple of which found their mark. Simpson remained composed though, and as his opponent began to slow, he took control, landing some crunching shots in the fourth, before a big right hand, followed by a short left finished Ahorgah off in the fifth, with referee Howard Foster calling a halt to the contest.

Scott Forrest was also fighting for the second time in three weeks, but his fate was different to that of Simpson as he fell to defeat at the hands of Aurel Ignat. After a lively start in round one, Forrest was caught cold by a left hand which forced him backwards and Ignat, sensing blood, jumped on him, wildly throwing shots, landing another huge left in the process and the referee stepped in to call it off.

Elsewhere, there was victory for Jeamie TKV against Michael Webster in a scrappy affair, which didn’t live up to expectations. TKV had the better of the exchanges, and Webster’s corner had seen enough and withdrew their man at the end of round nine. Lucas Roehrig moved to 2-0 as he stopped Misolav Savic in round three. Savic was down twice and suffered a cut to his right ear before the referee decided to step in. There was also a third-round stoppage victory for Joel Kodua, who floored Lloyd Germain twice in round one, before a left hand in the third round was enough to finish the contest.

Alfie Clegg was roared on by strong vocal support as he overcame Sebastian Alejandro Castillo in a one-sided contest, winning 60-54, and Garan Croft also took every round against Dmitri Protkunas in a 40-36 win. Emmany Kalombo made light work of Sergio Garcia Herrera, stopping him with a body shot inside the first round of their scheduled six-rounder. Garcia was already struggling with his left eye when the shot landed, and he fell to his knees and failed to meet the count.

In the opening contest of the night, it was Hassan Azim, brother of Adam, who got things started as he returned to the ring after a twenty-month absence to face Jensen Irving in a four-rounder. The ring rust was evident at times, as Irving landed some decent counter shots, but Azim dominated for long spells and almost forced the stoppage at the end of the third round. In the end, he had to settle for a 40-36 points victory and will be hoping that marks the start of an active 2025 after an injury-plagued period.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer