David Avanesyan destroys hopelessly overmatched Oskari Metz in one round

European welterweight champion David Avanesyan scored a predictable first-round knockout over the unheralded Oskari Metz at the Wembley Arena in London on Saturday.

Avanesyan, who is rated No. 8 by The Ring at 147 pounds, blasted the Finland-based fighter to the canvas midway through the opening stanza and there was no way back. Metz tried desperately to hold and buy time, but his equilibrium was shot and he was helpless. Referee Guiseppe Quartarone bizarrely initiated a standing-count when Avanesyan was midway through his second assault, but mercifully – and thankfully – he called a halt to the slaughter. The official time was 2:00.

“Hopefully, in a month or two, my manager and promoter will call me and say we have a world title fight – I’m ready,” said the winner during his post-fight interview with BT Sport.

The 33-year-old Avanesyan (29-3-1, 17 KOs) is a welterweight boogeyman. His power and class are obvious, but he’s top of the list in terms of high risk-low reward. The goal for manager Neil Marsh and promoter Frank Warren was to push their charge toward mandatory challenger status. However, with governing bodies refusing to sanction world title bouts involving Russian and Belarussian fighters, this is now an even bigger challenge.

Metz, 30, falls to 15-1 (5 KOs) and should not have been in the ring with an opponent of this caliber.

 

Tom Gray is managing editor for Ring Magazine. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

 

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