https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YynE8LZDVOk

By Jim Dower: WBA World heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (34-2-1, 21 KOs) had an easy 1st round knockout win over #12 WBA fringe contender Francesco Pianeta (31-2-1, 17 KOs) on Saturday night to retain his World Boxing Association title at the GETEC Arena in Magdeburg, Germany.

Chagaev, 36, knocked the 6’5″ Pianeta down twice in the 1st round with hard left hands to the head. The fight was then halted at 2:57 of the round.

This was a voluntary defense for Chagaev, which explains why he chose a soft opponent like Pianeta rather than #2 WBA Tyson Fury or #3 WBA Lucas Browne. Those would have been much better options for Chagaev to take if he were looking for entertainment value.

For Pianeta, this is the second time he’s fought for a world title in the last two years and the second time he’s been knocked out. In 2013, IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko knocked Pianeta out in the 6th round of a one-sided contest. Why Chagaev picked Pianeta as his opponent rather than a better fighter would suggest that he wanted to make sure that he held onto his title for as long as possible.

Chagaev will not have to defend his title against his WBA mandatory Fres Oquendo within next four months. If Chagaev gets past Oquendo, then he’ll need to defend against Lucas Browne. The Browne will be tough for Chagaev. Oquendo is a beatable guy along the same talent level of Pianeta.

For Pianeta, this is another disappointing performance from him. However, he has luck on his side for him to keep getting world title shots without having to beat anyone good to earn them. Before the Chagaev fight, Pianeta had beaten Ivica Bacurin, Mickael Vieira and Robert Teuber since his loss to Wladimir. Those aren’t quality heavyweights, and certainly not the type of fighters that guys would be facing before getting a world title shot. But those are roughly the same types of fighters that Pianeta fought in order to get a title shot against Wladimir. Pianeta was picked out for the fight with Wladimir despite him having a weak resume. Like Chagaev, Wladimir picked out Pianeta, who can’t punch, in a voluntary defense.

Other boxing results on the card:

Apti Davtaev KO 2 Jakov Gospic
Alexander Dimitrenko TKO 2 Zoltan Csala
Tom Schwarz UD 8 Konstantin Airich