Eddie Chambers earned a mandatory title shot at Wladimir Klitschko's WBO heavyweight title with victory over Alexander Dimitrenko.
'Fast Eddie' overcomes big Russian in Hamburg
Eddie Chambers earned a mandatory shot at Wladimir Klitschko's WBO heavyweight title with a majority points victory over Alexander Dimitrenko.
'Fast Eddie' forced his Russian opponent into taking a standing count in the seventh round and scored a second official knockdown in the 10th with a left hook to confirm his superiority.
The American dominated the early rounds against the taller man and by the halfway stage Chambers was well on top with Dimitrenko suffering swelling around the eyes.
He landed a heavy body shot that the Russian complained about but the referee opted for the eight count, and two blows after the bell signalling the end of the seventh rubbed salt into Dimitrenko's wounds.
He came out well at the start of the ninth round with some swift combinations but Chambers survived and it only served to tire the Russian, who was caught by a left hook in the 10th that forced him to touch down with his glove.
The American tried to finish off his opponent but the previously unbeaten Russian managed to evade many of the bigger shots, and held his own for the last six minutes.
However, it was the Chambers who landed a big upper cut in the 12th and it rounded off a convincing victory, with the judges calling it 117-109, 116-111 and a surprising 113-113.
Chambers, now 35-1, entered the fight a stone lighter than when out-pointing Sam Peter over 10 rounds in March, confirming the serious nature of his upcoming challenge for the world title.
However, it is likely the Philadelphia-based fighter will have to wait until next year to take on Klitschko, who faces a mandatory defence of his IBF belt in the meantime.
Click here to read Wayne McCullough's take on Eddie Chambers' win.
