Antonio Silva beats Andrei Arlovski
Andrei Arlovski was supposed being the far better boxer, but Antonio Silva had far better hands on Saturday. All three judges scored the bout for Silva more than Arlovski at the Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery show in St. Louis. It was a rebound win for Silva (14-2), who lost a decision to Fabricio Werdum in November. Arlovski (15-8) has now lost three consecutive fights for that very first time in his career.
With his natural athleticism and function under noted boxing trainer Freddie Roach, Arlovski entered Saturday’s bout with 11 knockout wins to his credit and a reputation as the superior striker. Yet the primary thing he proved tonight is that his chin is far better than many observers believed.
Silva frequently countered Arlovski’s combinations with hooks and straight punches, especially while using correct hand. Arlovski absorbed a number of solid shots for the face, such as some that snapped his head and at least 1 punch that left him bleeding.
Compustrike statistics showed Silva landing 59 of 113 strikes thrown standing, in comparison to 53 of 137 for Arlovski. Grappling also favored Silva, who includes a black belt in jiu-jitsu. Silva took down Arlovski twice and often had his back on the fence to defend takedowns inside the last two rounds.
Arlovski and Silva are the No. 12 and No. 16 heavyweights within the USA TODAY/SB Nation consensus rankings. Both men utilized to hold main belts. Arlovski was a titlist in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Silva was EliteXC’s champion.
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