Blake Wells Beats Ainiwaer Yilixiati by Technical Decision
Blake Wells defeated Ainiwaer Yilixiati by technical unanimous decision after an accidental head clash forced their middleweight title bout to stop in Round 9. The judges had Wells ahead 88–83, 88–84, and 87–84, and the result earned him the vacant IBF Pan Pacific middleweight title, according to FIGHTMAG and The Ring.
A title fight ends early
The scheduled 10-round contest took place on January 16, 2026, at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre as part of the Tszyu–Zerafa card. The bout was halted in the ninth round after an accidental clash of heads opened a cut near Yilixiati’s right eye. With nine rounds completed, the officials went to the scorecards, which unanimously favored Wells. The stoppage therefore resulted in a technical decision rather than a decision after the full 10 rounds.
Wells took the vacant IBF Pan Pacific middleweight belt with the win. Other undercard results included Billy Polkinghorn’s 60–54 unanimous decision over Jomar Paliwen and Max Reeves’ win over Sonny Abid. The event’s main attraction, Nikita Tszyu vs. Michael Zerafa, also ended early after a head clash.
Context and Significance
An accidental head clash stopped the bout in the ninth round, and the judges’ scores made a technical decision possible. Wells was ahead 88–83, 88–84, and 87–84 when the fight was halted, producing a unanimous technical decision and the vacant IBF Pan Pacific middleweight title. The result depends on the scorecards at the stoppage rather than a completed twelve-round contest. Stating that distinction matters because it explains both the method and why Wells received the belt.
This distinction also matters for the title’s status: Wells won the vacant belt because he was leading when the accidental clash made the bout impossible to continue. It was not a completed championship distance and not an outright knockout. The scorecards and the technical-decision ruling together establish why the result counted.
Sources
Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
