Russian WBC heavyweight champion, Oleg Maskayev, defeated Ugandan Peter Okhello in his first title defence fight in Moscow on Sunday. The judges saw it as a one-sided contest with a unanimous decision on points.

Maskayev dominated much of the fight at the Olympic Arena, but failed to land a knockout, despite a series of powerful punches in the last three rounds.

Maskayev said there were good reasons for not flooring his opponent: “The fight was a very good one. It was hard work. The most important thing is to sense victory. It looked well, but there were some difficulties for me.”

Okhello Maskayev thus retains the crown he took from Hasim Rahman in Las Vegas last August.