Khabib Allakhverdiev’s Title Seizure
On November 30, 2012, Khabib Allakhverdiev beat Joan Guzmán by an eighth-round technical split decision in Sunrise, Florida, to capture the vacant WBA super-lightweight title.
Khabib Allakhverdiev’s route to the WBA junior-welterweight title ran through an opponent who had never lost as a professional. On November 30, 2012, the Russian met former two-division champion Joan Guzmán for the vacant WBA regular belt in Sunrise, Florida. The fight ended after eight rounds, with a technical split decision giving Allakhverdiev the title while he retained his IBO championship.
A title won on the scorecards
Guzmán’s leg injury brought the contest to an abrupt close. The Dominican could not continue, so the judges’ scores after eight rounds decided the outcome. Two cards favored Allakhverdiev 76–75; the third favored Guzmán by the same score (WBA scorecard report). It was not a knockout or a completed twelve-round decision, but a technical split decision under the rules for a bout stopped before the scheduled distance. That result gave Allakhverdiev the WBA’s regular junior-welterweight championship and added a second major belt to his collection.
One defense before the title changed hands
In July 2013, Allakhverdiev made his first defense in Monte Carlo against former world champion Souleymane M’Baye. He wore M’Baye down and stopped him in the eleventh round, keeping both the WBA and IBO titles. The unbeaten champion’s reign ended the following April in Las Vegas. Jessie Vargas outpointed him over twelve rounds, handing Allakhverdiev his first professional defeat and taking the WBA regular title.
After an 18-month layoff, Allakhverdiev returned in 2015 to challenge Adrien Broner for a vacant WBA belt. Broner stopped him in the final round, and Allakhverdiev did not fight again. His short reign is best remembered for the Guzmán contest: an unusual finish, a scorecard decision and an important championship win that began with neither man willing to give ground. It remains a distinctive chapter in modern boxing.
Defining Fight Results
The Guzmán title fight was decided on the scorecards because an injury ended the contest before its scheduled conclusion. That distinction is essential to Allakhverdiev’s championship history: his victory was neither a knockout nor a standard twelve-round decision. The close judges’ tallies illustrated just how little separated the fighters before the bout was stopped.
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Khabib Allakhverdiev, Boxing, Boxing History, Championship Fights
