DUESSELDORF, Germany -- Ruslan Chagaev wore down Matt
Skelton over 12 rounds Saturday night, winning a unanimous decision
to retain his WBA heavyweight championship.
Chagaev (24-0, 17 KOs), an Uzbek fighter making his first title
defense, weathered Skelton's strong start and gradually took
control from the fourth round with a strong left hand. He posted a
one-sided win over Skelton (21-2), the 40-year-old British
Commonwealth champion who took up boxing less than six years ago
after a career as a kickboxer.
Skelton tired after three strong rounds and was reduced to tying
up Chagaev, who caught him with combinations when he had room.
"This wasn't really fighting," Chagaev said. "You have to
have some distance to fight."
Two judges scored the fight 117-111, and the third favored
Chagaev 117-110. Skelton failed to become the fifth British fighter
to earn a major heavyweight title.
"I know what the odds were against me," Skelton said. "I
wanted it so much. Unfortunately I didn't make the pinnacle of the
mountain."
Chagaev, a two-time amateur champion, was 24 pounds lighter than
Skelton, but already had proved he could beat bigger men. He won
the WBA title in April by beating 7-foot Russian Nikolai Valuev,
the biggest and heaviest champion in boxing history.
"To unify all four titles, that will be my wish," Chagaev
said. "I don't care who I fight next, that's up to my
management."