EKATERINBURG, RUSSIA — WBO middleweight titlist Dmitry Pirog took a competitive unanimous decision in his first defense against Argentinian Javier Francisco Maciel.
Pirog controlled the early rounds by simply outworking a tentative Maciel with good hooks to the body. Maciel focused on trying to land big shots which Pirog was able to slip.
Maciel’s best moments came in rounds seven and eight. The seventh saw Maciel force Pirog to hold three times on the strength of wincing left hooks to the body. Pirog did better in the eighth, but still dropped the stanza due to Maciel’s sustained attacks downstairs.
Pirog took back over in the championship rounds despite losing a point in the 10th for fouling with his shoulder. A few hard counters, particularly the straight right, put Maciel back into a defensive shell and allowed Pirog to close strong. In the last round, Maciel was briefly stunned by a right hook.
Final scorecards read 115-112, 117-112, and 115-111 all for Pirog.
Dmitry Pirog’s record improves to 18-0, with 14 KOs. Javier Francisco Maciel’s record falls to 18-2, 12 KOs.
