Kurbanov vs Smith

Who won Kurbanov vs Smith?

Magomed Kurbanov beat Liam Smith by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Friday, May 7th, 2021, at KRK “Uralets”, Ekaterinburg.

The scorecards were announced as 115-113, 115-113, 117-112 in favor of winner Magomed Kurbanov.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Super Welterweight division, which meant the weight limit was 154 pounds (11 stone or 69.8 kg).

Kurbanov vs Smith stats

Back in May 2021, Magomed Kurbanov stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 21 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 13 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Liam Smith made his way to the ring with a record of 29 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw, with 16 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Kurbanov had a slight advantage in power over Smith, with a 62% knockout percentage compared to Smith's 55%.

Magomed Kurbanov was the younger man by 7 years, at 26 years old.

Kurbanov had a height advantage of 1 inch over Smith. That also extended to a 1-inch reach advantage.

Both Magomed Kurbanov and Liam Smith fought out of an orthodox stance.

Kurbanov was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 11 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2015, 6 years and 8 months later than Smith, whose first professional fight was in 2008. He had fought 54 fewer professional rounds, totaling 188 compared to Smith's 242.

Magomed Kurbanov went into the fight ranked number 5 by the WBA, 5 by the WBO, and 15 by the IBF at super welterweight.

Liam Smith was ranked number 2 by the WBO in the 154lb division.

Kurbanov vs Smith form

Kurbanov had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 2 of them, going the distance 3 times.

In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Dmitry Mikhaylenko on November 7, 2020, by technical knockout in the 2nd round at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Prior to that, he had won against Ilya Ochkin on August 22, 2020, by knockout in the 1st round at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Ismail Iliev on March 7, 2020, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg.

Before that, he had defeated Juan Rodriguez on October 13, 2018, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Ekaterinburg Expo, Ekaterinburg.

He had won against Charles Manyuchi on August 19, 2018, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at DIVS, Ekaterinburg.

Smith had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 2 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Roberto Garcia on December 20, 2019, by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Arizona, United States.

Prior to that, he had defeated Mario Alberto Lozano on August 24, 2019, by technical knockout in the 7th round at Centro de Usos Multiples, Sonora, Mexico.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Sam Eggington on March 30, 2019, by technical knockout in the 5th round at Echo Arena, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Before that, he had been beaten by Jaime Munguia on July 21, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBO World Junior Middleweight championship fight at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Nevada, United States.

He had won against Liam Williams on November 11, 2017, by majority decision in their 12 round contest at Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, United Kingdom.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Magomed Kurbanov had been fighting more than Liam Smith.

Going into this contest, Magomed Kurbanov had last fought 6 months ago, while Liam Smith's last outing had been 1 year, 4 months and 17 days ago.

Kurbanov's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 8 months and 18 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 6 months and 17 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 33 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.6 rounds on average.

Smith's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 5 months and 26 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 8 months and 11 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 46 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.2 rounds on average.

What time did Kurbanov vs Smith start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 7:00 PM UTC at KRK “Uralets”, Ekaterinburg, Russia, which was 3:00 PM EST or 12:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 8:00 PM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Kurbanov vs Smith?

The ESPN+ show began at 11:00 AM EST / 8:00 AM PST. The TrillerTV PPV UK broadcast of the card started at 1:00 PM (BST).

What were the odds on Kurbanov vs Smith?

Magomed Kurbanov was a 1/1 (+100) underdog going into the contest, while Liam Smith made his way into the ring at 4/5 (-130) with oddsmakers.