Daniyar Yeleussinov returned to action after a long hiatus, and hopes to find success in a new weight class.

Yeleussinov dropped Joe Noynay twice, winning by knockout after round five Saturday night at Almaty Arena in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Yeleussinov improved to 12-0, 7 knockouts. 

The southpaw Yeleussinov was sharp from the opening bell. With about 30 seconds left in the first round, a left to the body dropped Noynay to one knee. Noynay was able to beat the count, and make it out of the round. 

Less than a minute left in round four, a barrage of punches, including left hands to the head and body, dropped Noynay to the canvas. Noynay remained on both knees, but did beat the count administered by referee Martin Pawlak. 

Noynay continued to be game, but was overmatched by Yeleussinov’s punching accuracy and speed. Yeleussinov was the aggressor and walked Noynay down, battering him for most of the fight. After the end of round five, Noynay’s corner made the smart move to keep Noynay from receiving more punishment and not allowing him to answer the bell for round six.

Saturday’s win over Noynay marked Yeleussinov’s first fight since a one-sided win over Juan Hernan Leal in December 2021, which took place in Astana, Kazakhstan. Yeleussinov won a minor world welterweight title belt. 

The 33-year-old is originally from Kayindy, Kazakhstan and currently lives in Miami, Florida.

Chris Glover, who has been collaborating with Yeleussinov and his team, stated Yeleussinov will likely return to action and will campaign at 154 pounds. 

Yeleussinov was an amateur standout, winning the 2016 Olympic gold medal. Yeleussinov signed with Matchroom Boxing and made his pro debut in April 2018, fighting a total of 10 times under the Matchroom banner. Yeleussinov would defeat the likes of Reshard Hicks, Alan Sanchez, and former unified lightweight titleholder Julius Indongo, all by knockout. 

Noynay, who resides in Paranaque City in the Philippines, falls to 23-5-2, 11 KOs. Noynay previously fought on May 16, losing by knockout to once-beaten Jin Sasaki.

The 29-year-old has split two fights with junior lightweight contender Liam Wilson and former world junior lightweight titleholder Kenichi Ogawa. 

Francisco A. Salazar has written for The Ring since October 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper. He can be reached at [email protected]

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