Richards Wins IBF Title with 12th-Round KO Over Azeez

Craig Richards claimed the vacant IBF International light heavyweight title with a dramatic 12th-round knockout of fellow South Londoner Dan Azeez on Saturday night at Legon Sports Stadium in Accra, Ghana. The referee stopped the scheduled 12-round bout at 2:23 of the final round after Richards floored Azeez with a left hook to the chin, marking a crucial victory for the 35-year-old Richards in a matchup between two fighters seeking to revive their careers.

The fight, which served as the main event of Matchroom Boxing's inaugural card in Africa, pitted former sparring partners against each other in a contest that remained competitive through 11 rounds. No knockdowns occurred earlier, with ringside observers describing the action as close and difficult to score definitively. Richards, leveraging his reach advantage, controlled the early rounds by boxing at range with a long jab and effective head movement. Azeez, more compact in stature, pressed forward aggressively, closing the distance to force exchanges and land combinations.

As the bout progressed into the middle rounds, Richards began to pull ahead, varying his counterpunching to frustrate Azeez's advances. The challenger...