Nikita Tszyu wears down Jack Brubaker in brutal super welterweight fight
Nikita Tszyu peeled himself off the canvas to defeat Jack Brubaker by technical knockout after six rounds on Wednesday night.
Emerging with a badly swollen eye in the third round, it was feared Tszyu would not be able to go the full fight with Brubaker. However, both fighters pushed through the pain barrier.
Tszyu found himself under the pump early as the two landed heavy blows in the opening rounds.
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Living up to his nickname as 'The Butcher', Tszyu's punches caused a great deal of damage to Brubaker's face and left him bloodied. But despite copping several knock-out-worthy blows, Brubaker refused to go down.
In the third round, Tszyu hit the canvas for the first time in his professional career after a vicious head clash knocked him off his feet.
The move was ruled as a knockdown, however replays of the contact showed a clear headbutt.
With Tszyu's eye continuing to swell it was not known how well he would recover. But after getting Brubaker up against the rope in the next round and delivering a flurry of punches, Tszyu stepped up his skills.
Cracks began to show in Brubaker during the fifth round as he wore two big blows right before the bell.
Nikita Tszyu is announced the victor against Jack Brubaker by TKO. No Limit Boxing
With referee Brad Vocale checking in on Brubaker during the break, it was thought he couldn't hold out much long, and after copping another beating in the sixth round, Brubaker's corner eventually threw in the towel to stop the fight.
Speaking afterward, Tszyu described his entry to pay per view fighting as the "perfect test" after being knocked down for the first time in his career.
Nikita Tszyu v Jack Brubaker in pictures: Australian title fighter Liam Wilson's daughter's heart-warming gesture
Nikita Tszyu v Jack Brubaker in pictures: Australian title fighter Liam Wilson's daughter's heart-warming gesture
"For my first pay-per-view, this was the perfect test. I faced adversity, copped a nice little headbutt, and scored my first knockdown," Tszyu told Main Event.
"Jack's a tough fighter, he can take a hit. I was hitting with some pretty hard hits and he was talking back to me the whole time, it was a little annoying, to be honest. He's a tough man."
