Sergei Kharitonov walks out with a bear, stops former Mike Tyson nemesis in pro boxing debut

As a man with 50 combined MMA and kickboxing bouts to his name, Sergei Kharitonov is no stranger to the ring, and he successfully parlayed that combat sports experience into a winning performance on his professional boxing debut Friday night in Russia.

Forty-year-old Bellator heavyweight Kharitonov took on Danny Williams, who knocked out Mike Tyson in the fourth round back in 2004, in Khimki. On a remarkable night, the big Russian made a grand entrance, then scored a second-round TKO victory after a strange-looking stoppage in their heavyweight contest.

Kharitonov dropped 47-year-old Williams hard in the first round with a clubbing left hook, then finished the British heavyweight in the second round after some heavy shots from close quarters sent Williams staggering backward.

But even more notable than Kharitonov’s victory in the ring was his journey to get to the squared circle as he was accompanied down the ramp by a live bear, prompting the commentators to react in disbelief after initially assuming the trained animal was actually a man in a costume.

It’s not clear whether the presence of a bear intimidated 82-fight veteran Williams, but Kharitonov’s punch power certainly did enough to stun the Brit as the big Russian claimed a big win on his boxing debut.

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