Unbeaten junior welterweight contender Khariton Agrba took another step towards a title shot when he defeated Argentina’s Jose “Sanson” Rosa in Samara, Russia, on Monday.

In a clash of unbeaten young guns with a mandatory shot at the WBA belt on the line, it was the Georgia-born Agrba the one who stayed on top of the action since the first bell.

In his first trip abroad, the 24-year-old Rosa, although far more experienced as a pro, was outboxed by the 29-year-old Agrba, who owns a vast resume as an amateur. A cut in Rosa’s nose was a deciding factor in the visitor’s performance, and Agrba capitalized on that to keep Rosa on the defense. Rosa found his rhythm in rounds 3 and 4, but as soon as Agrba stepped up his attack the Argentine fighter had no response for his volume and accuracy.

The scorecards were 99-91 (twice) and 98-92 for Agrba.

With the loss, Rosa (son of a Dominican boxer who resettled in the Argentine province of La Rioja) dropped to 27-1 (20 knockouts) while Agrba improved to 18-0 (9 KO).

Earlier in the night, England’s Michael King defeated Vahkid Abbasov (Rusia) on points in an eight-rounder in the welterweight division, and local credit Jambulat Bizhamov defeated Venezuela’s Keiber González (Venezuela), in another eight-rounder in the middleweight division.

Khariton Agrba (left) trades punches with Jose Sanson Rosa (right) in Russia - Photo courtesy of IBA