Dennis Bakhtov gains revenge over Mathew Ellis

Dennis Bakhtov gains revenge over Mathew Ellis

03.03 - British Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Champion Tony Oakey captured the vacant World Boxing Union (WBU) 175-pound title with a 12-round unanimous decision over former International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Konstantin Shvets Saturday on "ShoBox: The New Generation." In the co-feature, World Boxing Council (WBC) International Heavyweight Champion Dennis Bakhtov defended his crown for the first time by scoring a fifth-round TKO in a rematch over Mathew Ellis.

SHOWTIME aired the Frank Warren-promoted fight card at 5 p.m. ET/PTfrom York Hall, Bethnal Green, in London, England.

Oakey (15-0, 4 KOs), of Portsmouth, England, Argentina, dominated from the opening round to defeat Shvets, a late substitute, and remain undefeated. Fighting at York Hall for the seventh time, Oakey scored consistently from the outside to win by the scores 118-110, 116-112 and 120-108. The 26-year-old won the British Commonwealth light heavyweight title on May 8, 2001, with a 10th-round TKO over Hastings Rasani in Barnsley, England. In his sole title defense, Oakey earned a 12-round decision over Chris Davies on Oct. 20, 2001. The Portsmouth, England native has campaigned solely out of England since turning pro in September 1998.

Shvets (15-2-1, 10 KOs), of Kiev, Ukraine, had won 14 consecutive bouts, including nine by knockout, after starting his career 1-1-1. The 26-year-old won the IBF International light heavyweight championship by registering a third-round TKO over Alexander Obozov on Sept. 4, 1999, in Odessa, Ukraine. Shvets made his fifth United Kingdom appearance, and fourth in his last six starts.

Bakhtov (11-2, 8 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Russia, overcame a slow start to gain revenge over Ellis and win his seventh consecutive bout. The WBC International Heavyweight titleholder attacked his opponent from the opening of the fifth round with punishing combinations, and forced referee Bob Logist to stop the contest at 1:58 of the round. Bakhtov captured the crown on April 13, 2001, by scoring an eighth-round TKO over Alexander Vasiliev in Moscow, Russia.

Ellis (17-2-2, 9 KOs), of Blackpool, England, scored with a dominating left jab in the first two rounds, and nearly had Bakhtov out on his feet at the end of the third, before the champion rallied. In their first match on Sept. 26, 2000, Ellis registered a four-round decision over Bakhtov. Ellis, who saw his 12-fight winning streak come to an end, had been unbeaten in his previous 14 efforts (13-0-1). He dropped his only previous fight on March 1, 1997.

Shobox - The New Generation Presents: Tony Oakey vs Konstantin Shvets / Dennis Bakhtov vs Mathew Ellis

28.02 -“ShoBox: The New Generation,” returns to the United Kingdom on Saturday, March 2, at 5 p.m. ET/PT with an exciting doubleheader from York Hall, Bethnal Green, in London, England. In the main event, British Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Champion Tony Oakey will take on former International Boxing Federation (IBF) International light heavyweight titleholder Konstantin Shvets for the vacant World Boxing Union (WBU) 175-pound crown. In the co-feature of the Frank Warren-promoted card, World Boxing Council (WBC) International Heavyweight Champion Dennis Bakhtov will defend his crown for the first time when he takes on Matthew Ellis. The telecast is the 12th in a series of “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts.

Oakey (14-0, 4 KOs), of Portsmouth, England, captured the British Commonwealth light heavyweight title on May 8, 2001, by scoring a 10th-round TKO over Hastings Rasani in Barnsley, England. In his sole title defense, Oakey won a 12-round decision over Chris Davies on Oct. 20, 2001. Referee Dave Parris scored the bout 116-114. The Portsmouth native, who has fought all 14 of his pro fights in England, turned pro at age 22 in September 1998. After defeating his first two opponents by TKO, Oakey won his next nine fights by decision.

Shvets (15-1-1, 10 KOs), of Kiev, Ukraine (photo left) won the IBF International light heavyweight championship by registering a third-round TKO over Alexander Obozov on Sept. 4, 1999, in Odessa, Ukraine. After starting out 1-1-1, Shvets has captured 14 consecutive bouts, including nine by knockout. The native Ukranian, who will make his fifth United Kingdom appearance, and fourth in his last six starts, earned a six-round decision over Temur Maklakov in his last bout on June 16, 2001.

Bakhtov (10-2, 7 KOs), of St. Petersburg, Russia, captured the WBC International heavyweight crown on April 13, 2001, by scoring an eighth-round TKO over Alexander Vasiliev in Moscow, Russia. After turning pro in 1999 and going 4-2 during his first two years, Bakhtov has won his last six bouts, including five via knockout. In his last contest, Bakhtov stopped Vitaly Strelkov in the second round on Dec. 20, 2001, in St. Petersburg.

Ellis (17-1-1, 9 KOs), of Blackpool, England, turned pro at age 21 on Feb. 3, 1996, by registering a first-round KO over Laurent Rouze in Liverpool, England. Since dropping his only bout on March 1, 1997, Ellis has gone unbeaten in his last 14 bouts (13-0-1). The only blemish was a six-round draw with Albert Call on Sept. 26, 1997. A winner of 12 consecutive bouts, Ellis will make his 12-round debut on March 2 when he fights in his native England for the 17th time in 20 bouts.

“ShoBox: The New Generation” features up-and-coming prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight for a chance at a world title. The best of the new generation of hungry, young boxers will have an opportunity to showcase their talent and heart as they battle each other in competitive fights in front of an international television audience. “ShoBox: The New Generation” is pure, basic boxing, reminiscent of the golden days of the sport.

SHOWTIME televises “ShoBox: The New Generation” at 5 p.m. ET/PT on Saturdays approximately every other week. The telecast repeats the next day at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and the following Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME TOO.

Nick Charles of “ShoBox: The New Generation” will call the action from ringside, with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producers of the telecast are Jay Larkin and Gordon Hall, with Richard Gaughan producing.

Dennis Bakhtov: Bio / Ring Record --- Konstantin Shvets: Bio / Ring Record