Maskaev defends WBC title against Okhello

Maskaev defends WBC title against Okhello

Oleg Maskaev defended his WBC heavyweight crown Sunday with a unanimous decision over Peter Okhello in the first world title fight held in Russia.

Maskaev kept Okhello backpedaling in the early rounds at Olympisky Stadium. Early in the 10th, he put Okhello in the ropes and later in the round battered him to a standstill with short shots to the head.

Maskaev was born in Kazakhstan when it was part of the Soviet Union, but has lived in the United States for a decade and is a U.S. and Russian citizen. President Vladimir Putin granted Maskaev Russian citizenship a day before the bout, reports AP.

The 37-year-old Maskaev (34-5, 26 knockouts) captured the WBC title in August with a 12th-round knockout of Hasim Rahman. Okhello, a 34-year-old Ugandan who lives in Japan, dropped to 18-8 with 16 KOs.