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Watch repeats of Ruiz Jr v Joshua 2 at 8am and 2pm on Sunday
Last Updated: 08/12/19 7:07am
Chris Eubank Jr claimed the WBA ‘interim’ middleweight title as Matt Korobov suffered a stoppage defeat after injuring his shoulder in Brooklyn.
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The 30-year-old moved down a division to make his American debut against Korobov, but the fight was cut short following 34 seconds of the second round when Korobov appeared to suffer a dislocation after throwing a punch at the Barclays Center.
After grabbing his shoulder, Korobov walked away from Eubank Jr and signalled he could not continue to referee Steve Willis, with the fight ending in a technical stoppage victory for the Brighton man.
Korobov had previously been halted by Ireland’s Andy Lee in a WBO title fight in 2014, but gave glimpses of his awkward skills in the opening round as the Russian southpaw jolted Eubank Jr’s head back with left hands.
Eubank Jr had hoped victory would set up a showdown with American Jermall Charlo, who defended the WBC middleweight title with a seventh-round stoppage win over Australia-based Irishman Dennis Hogan.
Never thought I’d have a post fight picture like this but it is what it is… I worked my arse off to prepare for this fight, some people may say my win is not deserved but trust me I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to this point in my career so it is. 2020 here we come #NEXTGEN pic.twitter.com/5kY3vM4vbp
— Chris Eubank Jr (@ChrisEubankJr) December 8, 2019
This US debut for Eubank Jr had followed his career-best points victory over James DeGale in February at The O2.
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