Not only did the WBC invent the bridgerweight division, they have now introduced their interim belt to the weight class. It was won by Polish veteran Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, 66-4-1 (44 KOs), when he stopped compatriot Adam Balski in 10 rounds.
The 42-year-old, who has previously held WBC and IBF belts at cruiserweight, was dropped in the fifth only to return the favor in the eighth before the finish in Round 10. Balski fell to 20-3 (12 KOs) after the defeat to a boxer who has now been a pro for a quarter of a century. The event took place Sunday in Kalisz, Poland.
On Friday, Croatian super middleweight contender Luka Plantic, 12-0 (9 KOs) retained the WBC international title with a 10-round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Argentinian Bruno Damian Acosta, 11-1 (8 KOs). The contest, staged in Zagreb, Croatia, was scored 97-93, 98-92 and 98-93.
In the co-feature, junior middleweight Ermal Hadribeaj, 21-0-1 (8 KOs), stopped German Ilhami Aydemir, 22-3 (13 KOs) at 1-22 of Round 8. Hadribeaj, ranked No. 6 by the WBC, is an Albanian currently based in Miami, FL. Also on the bill were the comebacking super middleweight Ante Bilic, who halted Gregorio Marcano in four, and cruiserweight Marko Callic, who knocked Ermin Avdic in three rounds.