Alexey Ribchev was in trouble. A second-round left hook from Javier Andino put him down and left him unsteady when he got back up. Most of a twelve-round title fight still lay ahead, against an opponent who had already shown the danger of his left hand.
Ribchev recovered, fought his way back and took a unanimous decision at Sofia’s Winter Palace of Sports on 18 May 2012. He had won the UBO Intercontinental middleweight title. The Alexeev Promotions event, billed as “The Comeback”, had lived up to its name.
The Cobra from Posadas
Crispulo Javier Andino arrived from Posadas, Argentina, with a southpaw stance and a record of 14 wins, three losses and one draw. He had turned professional in December 2008 and had already faced opponents such as Ezequiel Maderna and Pablo Farias. Behind the nickname was a boxer with real experience and a dangerous left hand.
In Sofia, Andino sought his first intercontinental success. For Ribchev, this was the next belt after the UBO International title won in Ruse in 2011. Those ambitions met in a fight that pushed the Bulgarian to the brink very early.
Surviving the early setback
The punch left a cut below Alexey’s right eye. In the next round, he used the clinch to break up attacks and recover.
Then Riba moved forward again with hooks and uppercuts. Getting up was the first step; the real feat was returning to the fight and winning it.
Genov and Ivanova on the professional card
The night brought together other significant Bulgarian names. Spas Genov, the 2006 European amateur silver medallist, beat Serbia’s Mile Nikolic by technical knockout in the third round. Galina Ivanova won her six-round bout against Serbia’s Fleis Djendji on points.
These bouts gave substance to “The Comeback” even before the main event. The professional programme brought together established competitors, different generations and boxers seeking a new beginning. For our team, it was a major promotional night, while Nova Sport’s live coverage brought Ribchev’s fight to viewers beyond the arena.
amateur boxing in the same ring
The separate amateur programme featured the three Bulgarian boxers heading to London 2012: Aleksandar Aleksandrov, Detelin Dalakliev and Tervel Pulev. Aleksandrov beat Serbia’s Milus Baltic, Dalakliev faced Stefan Katsarov and Tervel faced Tsvetan Dimitrov. All three national team boxers won.
The crowd thus saw international professional fights and Olympic preparation on one programme. Ribchev closed the night with its hardest comeback. After the first belt against Juris Boreiko and the defence against Ruben Silva Diaz, he now also had an intercontinental title — earned by falling, getting up and doing much more work until the final bell.
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