Filipino puncher crushes Russian

Filipino bantamweight Vincent Astrolabio wore down Russian rival Nikolai Potapov with sheer strength en route to a sixth-round knockout Saturday night (Sunday in Manila) in their International Boxing Federation title elimination clash in Las Vegas.

The win put Astrolabio in a position to fight for the crown if defending champion Naoya Inoue decides to vacate to campaign in a heavier division.

If that happens, Astrolabio will face Emmanuel Rodriguez of Puerto Rico for the 118-lb plum.

Referee Robert Hoyle only credited Astrolabio with just one knockdown in the first round although slo-mo replay showed Potapov went down from a legitimate blow in his first trip to the floor.

Astrolabio scored another knockdown in the fifth round after landing a thunderous one-two that forced the Brooklym-based Potapov to take a knee.

The end came when Astrolabio scored at close range and compelled his badly hurt foe to take a knee and unable to beat the third man's mandatory count.

The victory raised Astrolabio's record to 18-3 with 13 knockouts while the loss dropped Potapov's mark to 23-3-1 with 11 knockouts.

The winner spent almost a month in Las Vegas to work on his conditioning and the sacrifices under renowned fitness specialist Memeo Heredia obviously worked wonders as Astrolabio mowed down Potapov with ease.