Radivoje Kalajdzic drops Craig Richards, wins wide unanimous decision in London
Radivoje Kalajdzic beat Craig Richards by unanimous decision after flooring the Londoner in the final seconds of a 10-round light-heavyweight co-main at the Copper Box Arena on September 26.
Radivoje “Hot Rod” Kalajdzic defeated Craig “Spider” Richards by unanimous decision in the 10-round light-heavyweight co-main at Zuffa Boxing 11 at the Copper Box Arena in London on September 26. All three judges returned identical 97-92 cards for Kalajdzic, who added a late knockdown in the closing seconds of the tenth round. Richards rose to his feet after the count and the final bell followed shortly afterwards. The result, reported by Boxing News 24, gave Kalajdzic a clear victory on the scorecards and a late finishing flourish that capped his night.
Kalajdzic unanimous on cards, floors Richards in closing seconds
Radivoje Kalajdzic (31-3, 22 KOs) beat Craig Richards (20-5-1, 13 KOs) by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the 10-round light-heavyweight contest 97-92. The contest served as the co-main event of Zuffa Boxing 11 at London’s Copper Box Arena on September 26. With the rounds already leaning in his favour, Kalajdzic put Richards on the canvas in the dying moments of round ten. Richards beat the count, and the bell rang before another exchange, sparing him further punishment. The knockdown removed any remaining doubt from an otherwise decisive judges’ verdict.
Kalajdzic’s activity and right hand controlled exchanges; Richards pressed throughout
Richards pressed forward and hunted openings, while Kalajdzic countered with quicker hands, higher output, and a sharp right hand that won most exchanges. Rather than yield to Richards’ pressure, Kalajdzic met him and maintained the initiative through much of the contest. Richards mounted a strong late rally in the tenth, throwing everything he had in search of a dramatic finish. A ringside account noted Richards landed a liver shot earlier in the final round, but Kalajdzic closed stronger: a late barrage sent Richards to the canvas and sealed the emphatic final round.
Win builds on Kalajdzic’s recent comeback; Richards was seeking route back to world level
The victory was a meaningful follow-up for Kalajdzic after his dramatic seventh-round comeback knockout of former champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk. Against Richards, he demonstrated he could both build a lead over 10 rounds and still have the power to hurt a durable opponent late. Richards arrived on a three-fight winning run — including a 12th-round knockout of Dan Azeez — and had framed the bout as a route back toward world-title contention. Both men had spoken beforehand about those ambitions. Kalajdzic leaves London with a result that, as Boxing News 24 noted, supports his case at 175 pounds.