Batyr Akhmedov’s hard work paid off again.
The former Olympian from Uzbekistan outworked and ultimately stopped Argenis Mendez after eight rounds in a scheduled 12-round 140-pound bout on the Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios card Saturday in Atlanta.
Mendez (25-7-3, 12 KOs) claimed in his corner after Round 8 that he couldn’t continue because of an injury to his right hand.
However, Akhmedov (9-1, 8 KOs) kept pressure on his Dominican opponent from the opening bell and landed consistently, particularly hard punches to the body.
Mendez had his moments, including a number of accurate left hooks to Akhmedov’s head and some body shots. He simply didn’t throw enough punches to give himself a chance to win.
All three judges had Akhmedov winning after eight rounds, 79-73, 79-73 and 77-75.
Akhmedov has now won twice since his disputed unanimous-decision loss to Barrios in September 2019. Mendez, a former junior lightweight titleholder, is now 0-2-2 in his last four fights and hasn’t had his hand raised since 2018.