Champion fight of Sergey Khomitsky: the ‘Phantom’ (Left)
UK professional boxer Etches attract no fewer fans to his fights than are seen at an average Premiere League football match. Before entering the ring to face the Belarusian ‘Phantom’, Adam boasted that he would deliver his 16th knock-out.
Initially, the championship fight in Sheffield seemed to be going all the Brit’s way but, in the fourth round, Sergey delivered a tough right stroke, to the shock of local fans and Sky Sports 1 commentators, bringing him victory with a knock-out.
The IBF Intercontinental Belt is truly prestigious, ranked just below the IBF World Belt. The victory, the result of 20 years of hard work, brings our boxer to the top of the middleweight rankings.
Sergey has several times retired from boxing but has always returned, battling almost every top boxer in the middleweight category. The Belarusian has performed brilliantly during ‘home’ fights but has been less fortunate ‘away’, with his rivals’ victories sometimes deemed questionable.
A year ago, the Belarusian created his first sensation, by knocking-out British boxing star Frank Buglioni. Afterwards, he met the world’s ex-champion, German Robert Stieglitz, to whom he suffered defeat after the referee ceased the match, saying that Sergey’s tape had unraveled. A ‘technical knock-out’ was awarded.
Pleasingly, Sergey’s recent fight was a triumph. The death of his father several weeks previously almost prompted him to cancel his trip to the UK but he later changed his mind. He has devoted his victory to his father.
By Igor Grishin
