Down Goes Shimmell! Early KO Sidetracks Title Bid [Video]

Jordan Shimmell's route to the IBF Cruiserweight title was sidetracked last night. Russian Murat Gassiev knocked out the Hudsonville boxer with a brutal left hook at the end of the first round.

The positive spin on this is that Shimmell was actually doing well until he left enough of a gap in his defenses to allow the punch through. Gassiev will now move on to meet the winner of the upcoming Victor Ramirez-Dennis Lebedev bout.

Shimmell probably was winning the round prior to the KO. He was using his jab to keep Gassiev (23-0, 17 KO) at bay and trying to get the big punch in. For about two minutes, he looked like he could actually make a fight out of it. But then came the punch, which was described by various boxing publications as 'brutal', 'vicious', 'frightening' and 'devastating'. Bad Left Hook said Shimmell 'went down as if he got hit by a meteor'.

Shimmell told ESPN after the fight, "I got caught. Gassiev has power. It was a clean shot, and I got hit. It is what it is. He's a really good fighter with power. I'll be back. It was a learning experience." The hit became ESPN's 'Play of the Day'

No shame from the loss, as Gassiev has been lurking outside of the top two in the Crusierweight division, hoping for a title shot. He certainly looks ready for the title bout when it comes down, probably late this year or early next year.