A lightweight title bout took place in London, in which Ukrainian boxer Denis Berinchik faced the Briton Sam Nocks for the WBO International belt. The fight was part of the main card at the O2 Arena and ended in favor of the home fighter: all three judges scored the victory to Nocks on points, and it was he who was declared the WBO International champion. For Berinchik, who had returned to the ring after a long break, this bout became the 21st of his professional career and brought his second defeat.
Fight progression: the Briton set the pace
In terms of round-by-round initiative, the Briton held the upper hand from the very start. If in the first two three-minute rounds Berinchik could still press the action and answer the attacks, then by the third round Nocks began to step up the pace, landing more frequently on both the body and the face of the Ukrainian. In the fourth round the Briton threw several effective combinations, although Berinchik used his footwork to slip under the punches. Nocks's dominance persisted through the subsequent periods, and while the Ukrainian occasionally managed to break through his opponent's defense with precise doubles, in the decisive moments he lacked the speed and sharpness to turn the fight around.
Judges' scorecards and the verdict
In the seventh round Nocks threw a high volume of body shots, but by the end of the period Berinchik delivered one of his best sequences. The eighth round brought the Ukrainian even more successful combinations — in one episode his double broke through the Briton's defense, but in his attempt to finish off his opponent he himself began to absorb counter-punches. In the ninth round Nocks was visibly tiring, yet he continued to keep the Ukrainian under pressure, and in the tenth Berinchik did not risk going all-in, while the Briton ramped up the intensity. The final judges' scorecards: 100-90, 99-91 and 98-92 in favor of Nocks — a unanimous decision.
Return after injuries
This fight was a painful but telling return for Berinchik. His first career defeat dates back to February 2025, when he lost to Keishawn Davis. After that bout the Ukrainian underwent two operations and did not return to the ring for 18 months. Thus, the title fight with Nocks served as a test of his form after a long recovery, and although in certain rounds Berinchik showed dangerous sequences, in the aggregate it was not enough to win the belt.
Career context
Denis Berinchik began his professional career in 2015 and on his way became the WBO world lightweight champion. The fight with Nocks was another stage in his path back to the top: now the Ukrainian's task is to analyze the reasons for the defeat and choose the next opponent who will help him restore his confidence and ranking after his second career loss.
