Ukrainian Artem Dalakian, 30, became the new flyweight champion of the World Boxing Association after defeating the U.S. rival, 37-year-old Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria in Inglewood, California, on Feb. 25.
Dalakian won the vacant champion title with the score of 118:109 in the weight division of between 49 and 52 kilograms.
All three judges gave the victory to Dalakian over Viloria, who got his forehead cut after Dalakian hit him with an elbow in the 11th round.
“I’m very proud to be the newest champion from Ukraine,” Dalakian told boxingnews24.com after the fight.
Viloria called Dalakian “a real tough guy” who kept him at a distance throughout the whole fight.
Veteran boxer Viloria has 35 wins, six losses, and 23 knockouts, while Dalakian has 16 wins, 11 knockouts and no losses in his career.
The victory makes Dalakian the third boxer from Ukraine to currently hold a world champion title in professional boxing.
Ukrainian cruiserweight world champion from Crimea Oleksandr Usyk holds the WBO champion title since 2016 and WBC champion title since January 2018. Usyk is also ranked as world’s best-acting cruiserweight by The Ring Magazine.
The Ring also marked the success of another Ukrainian champion Vasyl Lomachenko, current WBO super flyweight boxing champion, calling him the fourth world’s best boxer and “the best fighter of 2017.”
Ukraine’s best-known boxers, brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, dominated the heavyweight boxing for nearly a decade from 2006 to 2015. Both have ended their boxing careers, with Vitali Klitschko retiring in 2013, and his younger brother in 2017.
A video shows the boxing match that brought the WBA champion status to Ukrainian flyweight Artem Dalakian, 30, after he defeated the U.S. rival, 37-year-old Brian “The Hawaiian Punch” Viloria in Inglewood, California, on Feb. 25. (Courtesy of UkraineAtamansPRO)
