MARSEILLE, France -- Wladimir Sidorenko of Ukraine kept his
WBA bantamweight title and remained undefeated Friday, knocking out
Jerome Arnould of France in the seventh round.
Sidorenko won every round and floored Arnould in the fifth and
seventh at the Palais des Sports de Marseille. The Frenchman could
not get up from the second knockdown, leaving him with his third
defeat in 18 fights.
"It's OK. I'm only 22 and I was fighting for the world title,"
Arnould told French television. "I'm proud that I managed to hang
in there with him."
Following his fifth title defense, Sidorenko ran his record to
20-0-2, with seven KOs. It was his first fight since drawing with
Panama's Ricardo Cordoba for the second time in March.
Sidorenko pinned Arnould on the ropes in the opening three
rounds and rocked him with a right-left combination on the jaw in
the fourth. Sidorenko dropped Arnould in the fifth round with
another right to the jaw, but the Frenchman got up on the eight
count.
In the sixth, Sidorenko's quick hands became a blur as Arnould
struggled to fend off the flurry. Arnould responded by catching the
Ukrainian with uppercuts, but they left him open to more
punishment.
In the seventh, one right hook from Sidorenko twisted Arnould's
head back. Soon after, he was felled for a second time with the
same punch.