By Michael Liberman: Undefeated cruiserweight prospect Alexander Frenkel (15-0, 11 KOs) destroyed American Cory Phelps (12-4-1, 7 KOs) in 1st round TKO of a scheduled 10-round bout to win the vacant IBF Youth cruiserweight title on Saturday night at the Oberfrankenhalle, Bayreuth, in Bayern, Germany. Going into the fight, there were some people (mostly Americans) who felt that Phelps, 24, had a good chance of defeating Frenkel. However, that notion was pretty much dispelled in the first minute of the fight when Frenkel unleashed a wicked right hand that dropped Phelps as if he’d been shot with a shotgun. Previous to that, Frenkel had done little, mostly stalking Phelps and pawing with his jab.
Phelps was beginning to look a little confident, that is, until Frenkel nailed him with a big right hand. After getting hit, Phelps made it to his feet, listing from back and forth like he was on a ship, and receiving a standing eight count by the referee. Instead of going right after Phelps, upon the action being restarted, Frenkel calmly stalked him around the ring, waiting for the perfect time to land another shot. In the meantime, Phelps threw a half-hearted fight hand, used more to try and fend Frenkel off than to actually hit him. It didn’t work, however, as Frenkel began tagging him with combinations to the head and body. Phelps then backed up against the ropes, which wasn’t a good move because it prevented him from escaping when Frenkel came at him.
With Phelps now standing with his back against the ropes, like a corned animal, Frenkel strode over and tagged with a big left hook, sending Phelps down for the second and final time in the round. Phelps fell to the canvas, with his head resting against the bottom rope. He would hold his head there for many seconds afterwards, as if in great pain from the left hook. When finally pulled to his feet, a badly shaken Phelps could barely stand, looking like he was badly out of it from the huge punch from Frenkel.
In the end, Phelps just wasn’t’ in the same class as Frenkel and didn’t belong in the same ring as him. Frenkel didn’t show much of his skills because of the fight ending so suddenly. However, he looked a lot better than Marco Huck, another cruiserweight that fought on the same card, winning in a less than impressive fashion in comparison to Frenkel’s devastating knockout. Clearly, it’s time that Frenkel be allowed to step it up because he’s not getting much from beating the most C-class fighters he’s being put in with. Already, he looks a lot better than many of the top cruiserweights in the division, particularly Steve Cunningham and Marco Huck.