Last night was festive at the Lezha stadium, where brothers Robert and Amarildo Bakaj secured boxing championships with their victories.

Robert Bakaj won the “IBO Continental” title after defeating Colombian Riascos. The Albanian boxer achieved three consecutive knockouts in the second round before the referee stopped the match. The “Besëlidhja” Stadium in Lezha was packed with supporters for the Bakaj brothers.

This victory marks Robert’s 12th in his professional boxing career, with all wins coming by knockout. His younger brother, Amarildo Bakaj, claimed the “WBO Youth” title by defeating Ghanaian Jonathan Mbanugu. Amarildo scored a knockout, handing his opponent his first career loss after ten wins. Overcome with emotion, Amarildo shared that he had been waiting for this moment for two years.

“I’ve dreamed of this for a long time. It was very difficult, but as you saw, I kept pushing to control the fight. He was very tall, kept his hands up, and my only chance was to advance, make myself smaller, and make it hard for him to control me. I was very well-trained and in great shape, but in boxing, a single punch can change the fight for either side. I’m emotional because I’ve had two years where things didn’t go well in boxing, and there were times when I thought my career might be over, but God was great,” said Amarildo Bakaj.

/k.s/