Lionhearts - the first to beat Arlans

skysports.com

British Lionhearts handed out a first defeat of the World Series of Boxing season to Astana Arlans Kazakhstan in London on Thursday.

Hrvoje Sep had given the Arlans an early lead with a points win over Swede Babacar Kamara in the light heavyweight (80-85kg) contest, but the hosts hit back to claim the next four bouts and a 4-1 victory.

First Samuel Maxwell edged Yerzhan Mussafirov in the lightweight (57-61kg) meeting to even things up, then Andrew Selby and Fred Evans secured hard-fought wins before Joseph Joyce sealed matters with a stunning victory over WSB champion Filip Hrgovic at York Hall.

Welsh southpaw Evans, who won silver in the Olympics, needed a split decision to overcome Miras Bairkhanov in the middleweight (68-73kg) bout, while Selby saw off debutant Meirbolat Toitov in the bantamweight (50-54kg) showdown.

Joyce then added the gloss to the result by maintaining his unbeaten record with a superb triumph over Hrgovic, one of the division's top boxers, in the heavyweight (+91kg) finale.