Shumenov TKOs foe, gains new challenger

Jean Pascal was ringside Friday at the South Point, and he was in Clubber Lang mode. The former light heavyweight champion wants to get a belt back, and he notified Beibut Shumenov of his intentions to take his WBA title.

After Shumenov retained his championship impressively with a ninth-round technical knockout of Danny Santiago, Pascal climbed into the ring and challenged him. If Pascal wants a piece of him, Shumenov said, he'll be glad to accommodate him.

"Yes, we talked in the ring, and if he wants to fight, we'll fight," Shumenov said. "But he wants to fight me in Canada, and I'm not doing that. He's from Canada. I'm from Kazakhstan. I told him we should fight here in Las Vegas, where true champions fight."

Shumenov (12-1) was never in danger against Santiago (31-5-1). His 5-inch reach advantage kept him far enough away that Santiago couldn't get inside to hurt him.

"I think (Shumenov) is best when he's fighting on the outside," said his trainer, Kevin Barry. "He did the smart thing by not getting lured in by Santiago."

Shumenov might have finished off Santiago much earlier. But he developed a blister on the bottom of his left foot in the third round and said it compromised his power.

"I really couldn't throw my punches because I didn't have the leverage I needed," he said. "But I was still able to do enough to hurt him, and it was just a matter of staying patient."

By the seventh round, Santiago's face was a mess. Both eyes were black and blue, and he was taking a savage beating. Yet he kept coming, even motioning to Shumenov to come at him.

"What can I say? I got short arms and a big head," Santiago said. "I gave it my best shot. But he's a very intelligent fighter, and he knew what he had to do to win. More power to him."

In the ninth round, Shumenov landed blow after blow, scoring with sharp combinations to the head. Finally, referee Tony Weeks decided Santiago had taken enough punishment and stopped the fight 46 seconds into the round.

For Shumenov, a fight with Pascal eventually might happen. But Barry didn't seem to be in a rush to make the fight with the Canadian.

"We had a long, hard five-month camp," Barry said. "We'll take some time off, regroup and figure out what's next for Beibut.

"I like us against Pascal. But I also think there's a time and a place to fight him. We'll see how soon that is."