Miroslav Kapuler outboxed 20-fight veteran Yevheniy Kondratenko in Zvenyhorodka, Ukraine this afternoon. The southpaw junior middleweight looked quite impressive throughout the bout.
Kapuler wore light blue trunks with white trim. A gold Star of David adorned the left side of his trunks, and the beltline displayed his initials "MI" (for Miroslav Ishchenko, his birthname) in gold. He wore knee-high white socks and used black gloves to land a left to the body and then a left to the head stunning Kondratenko mere seconds into the fight.
Kondratenko attempted to fight back early, but Kapuler dissuaded him of any notion of returning fire with a series of lead lefts from the outside sprinkled throughout the opening round and a sustained combination with 45 seconds left in the first that spun Yevheniy around. For the rest of the fight Kondratenko remained in survival mode.
Kapuler spent much of the rest of the affair dancing and landing lead lefts from the outside. He showed off his fancy footwork and his educated jab. Miroslav has several jabs. He has a range-finding jab, which is essential for a taller fighter. The six-footer also has a power jab. He has a show-jab that distracts the opponent from his best punch, the straight left. He can also double up the jab and land that straight left behind it.
Late in the third round Kapuler unleashed an overhand left from distance. Upon absorbing the blow, Kondratenko froze. Miroslav waited, perhaps a beat too long, to jump on his wounded foe. Kondratenko managed to withstand Kapuler's barrage as the bell saved the journeyman.
At this point in his career, Kapuler is a bit too cautious when his man is hurt. Against Alexander Benidze in April, Miroslav also failed to capitalize when his opponent was all but finished. In today's bout, Kapuler didn't press the fight in the fourth even after Kondratenko was shaken up at the end of the third. Instead, he relied on his classy boxing to carry him to victory. But in fairness to Kapuler, both Benidze and Kondratenko are far more experienced than the usual pushovers many prospects are fed early in their careers. Miroslav swept the cards with one judge scoring the bout 40-35 and the other two seeing it 40-36.
Kapuler is a 24 year old with a lot of skills and ability. He can go far in the sport if he's so inclined. His jab and left hand are excellent. After landing some of his shots, he shifts to a different angle and lands some more. His right hook isn't bad by any means, but he throws it a bit wide. A tall southpaw in possession of a short counter right hook to the temple is a very dangerous fighter. Nevertheless, Kapuler is a speedy and flashy boxer who is now 3-0 with one KO. Kondratenko falls to 5-16 with 3 KOs.
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