By the second round, Knyba was still managing to land, but Kabayel adjusted, starting to get a better read on the distance. He began landing short, accurate shots, and the pressure he had been building started to bear fruit. His right hand found the mark more often, and he began to push Knyba back with the power in his shots. The volume of body work Kabayel was throwing began to take a toll on the challenger.
Turning the Tide in Round 3
By the third round, Kabayel had found his rhythm. A lead left hook connected early, followed by an uppercut from Knyba. Kabayel responded, digging into Knyba’s body and landing a solid right hand. Then, a sharp one-two combination clearly hurt Knyba. The challenger, now also cut, looked visibly staggered and unable to mount an effective response. Kabayel continued with a clean right over the top, and another right hand nearly sent Knyba to the canvas. With 45 seconds remaining, Knyba was in trouble and struggling to stay afloat.
Despite the pressure Kabayel had put on him, the stoppage was controversial. Knyba wasn’t fully out of the fight, and some felt the referee’s intervention was premature. Still, it’s hard to ignore the momentum Kabayel had built. He had found his range and was landing at will by the time the referee called an end to the fight.
Kabayel’s Resilience and the Questionable End
Kabayel, after a difficult start, demonstrated strong resilience, adjusting to Knyba’s early dominance and capitalizing on the opening left by his opponent’s fatigue. While the stoppage may have been early, Kabayel’s cleaner, more precise shots in the third round were a clear indication that Knyba was on the back foot. However, whether or not the referee should have allowed Knyba to continue remains a point of contention.
