To almost no one's surprise, WBO super middleweight champion Robert Stieglitz (45-3) easily handled challenger Yuzo Kiyota on Saturday night at Energie Verbund-Arena in Dresden, Sachsen, Germany.
Stieglitz was never seriously tested and won by unanimous technical decision. After he battered the Japanese challenger for 10 rounds, a cut caused the referee to stop the fight and leave the decision to the scorecards.
Thankfully, the judges saw the same fight everyone else did and scored it 100-89, 99-90 and 99-90, all for the champion.
Kiyota was hurt at least three times during the bout. He showed toughness to take the punishment he did for 10 rounds with almost no reprieve. The cut over the challenger's eye was nasty, and because he was having no success in the ring, there was no reason to continue the beating.
Kiyota was so frustrated that at one point he threw Stieglitz to the canvas during a clinch. He was also penalized a point in the fifth round for hitting after the break.
While Stieglitz dominated the fight, some may wonder why he didn't stop Kiyota. He hit the challenger with some very hard shots but couldn't finish him.
Kiyota had only been stopped once prior to Saturday's loss. It is possible Stieglitz extended this bout once he saw that the competition level was so low.
In essence, this fight was nothing more than a glorified sparring session.
Stieglitz can now move on to face bigger and better opponents at 168 pounds or even consider challenges at light heavyweight. Up to this point, Stieglitz has only faced one notable fighter in his career: Arthur Abraham.
Abraham handed Stieglitz his first loss in four years on Aug. 2012. However, Stieglitz quickly and decisively evened the score by stopping Abraham in the fourth round in March 2013.
At only 32 years old, Stieglitz has time to make a mark at super middleweight or light heavyweight, but the competition he faces moving forward will be miles ahead of what he saw on Saturday night.
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