By Eric Thomas: Former heavyweight 2004 Gold medal winner Odlanier Solis (7-0, 5 KOs) destroyed his badly overmatched opponent Adrian Rajkai (15-7, 4 KOs) in the third round of a scheduled eight-round bout on Friday night at the Palalido, in Milano, Lombardia, Italy. Solis, 27, knocked Rajkai down three times, once in the 2nd round and three times in the 3rd round before the bout was stopped by referee Francesco De Ruvo with Rajkai seemingly out cold after absorbing a big hand from Solis.
Among his 2004 Olympic gold medal, Solis was also the six time Cuban National Champion between 1999-2004 while fighting as an amateur. Perhaps for this reason, as well as his increasing age, Solis needs to consider stepping up the level of his opposition in the near future, for he appears to be gaining little by defeating overmatched fighters like Rajkai, whom he knocked around the ring like a punching bag from the first round until the end in the third round.
Solis, 6’0″, who only four years ago fought at 200 lbs as amateur, has since ballooned up to 247 lbs which he has been attempting to whittle down slowly. Judging by how he looked earlier tonight, Solis still sporting a good-sized gut, appeared to have lost little weight since his first professional fight in 2007 where he came in a whopping 258 lbs on his short 6-foot frame. His conditioning aside, Rajkai had little idea what do with Solis.
When Rajkai would come forward and attempt to press the attack early in the first round, he was met with a firestorm of combinations, getting hit with hooks and uppercuts to the head. When he tried to lay back and defend, Solis was all over him, pounding him with shots to the body and head. In the second round, Solis dropped Rajkai with a big right hand to the head. However, Solis was unable to finish the job after Rajkai made it up, though he tried awfully hard to take him out.
In the third round, Solis tagged Rajkai with huge uppercuts, badly hurting him and knocking him down twice in the round. After the second knockdown, Rajkai failed to get up and was counted out.