Seventeen-year-old Hungarian Szilveszter Kanalas became one of the youngest boxers in the sports history to win a world title, when he defeated fellow countryman Jozsef Ajtai for the vacant World Boxing Federation (WBF) World Super Flyweight title on Tuesday December 29 at the Gentlemen Fight Club Boxing House in Budapest.
Kanalas started the fast-paced and entertaining, albeit at times messy, encounter best and build an early lead, while Ajtai finished the fight looking fresher and stronger in the last four rounds. But it was not enough for Ajtai, as in the end Kanalas was declared the winner by split decision.
Judge Miklos Dori and Tamas Sasvari scored the fight 115-110 and 114-110 for Kanalas, while Jean-Marcel Nartz had it 113-112 in favor of Ajtai. Kanalas lost points for fouling in round five and twelve, and Ajtai was penalized a point in rounds seven and eight. Referee was Bence Kovacs.
The new WBF World Super Flyweight Champion improved his unbeaten record to 8-0 (6) after handing Hungarian national champion Ajtai, himself a youngster at only eighteen, the second defeat of his career as he drops to 12-2 (7).
Immediately after the fight, which headlined a card that also saw former WBF World Light Heavyweight titlist Tamas Kovacs stay busy with a second round knockout, promoter Zoltan Petranyi talked about a possible rematch between the two teenage rivals sooner rather than later.
