Who won Kurbanov vs Smith?
Magomed Kurbanov beat Liam Smith by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest on Friday 7th May 2021 at KRK “Uralets” in 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 loses and 0 draws, 13 of those wins coming by the way of knock out.
Liam Smith made his way to the ring with a record of 29 wins, 2 loses and 1 draw, with 16 of those wins by knock out.
The stats suggested Kurbanov had a slight advantage in power over Smith, with a 62% knock out percentage over 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 & Liam Smith fought out of an orthodox stance.
Kurbanov was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 11 less fights, and made his debut in 2015, 6 year and 8 months later than Smith, whose first professional fight was in 2008. He had fought 65 less professional rounds, 177 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 remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 2 of his last 5 opponents.
In his last fight before this contest, he had won against Dmitry Mikhaylenko on 7th November 2020 by technical knockout in the 2nd round at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg, Russia.
Previous to that, he had won against Ilya Ochkin on 22nd August 2020 by knockout in the 1st round at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg.
Going into that contest, he had beat Ismail Iliev on 7th March 2020 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at RCC Boxing Academy, Ekaterinburg.
Before that, he had defeated Juan Rodriguez on 13th October 2018 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Ekaterinburg Expo, Ekaterinburg.
He had won against Charles Manyuchi on 19th August 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 20th December 2019 by unanimous decision in their 10 round contest at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Arizona, United States.
Previous to that, he had defeated Mario Alberto Lozano on 24th August 2019 by technical knockout in the 7th round at Centro de Usos Multiples, Sonora, Mexico.
Going into that contest, he had beat Sam Eggington on 30th March 2019 by technical knockout in the 5th round at Echo Arena, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
Before that, he had been beaten by Jaime Munguia on 21st July 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 11th November 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 to 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, meaning he had been fighting on average 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 is expected to begin at 11:00 AM EST / 8:00 AM PST. The Fite.tv PPV UK broadcast of the card is expected to start at 1:00 PM (GTM).
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.