Egidijus Kavaliauskas Wins the European Welterweight Title

Fighting in front of a hometown crowd, Egidijus “Mean Machine” Kavaliauskas, now 25-3-1 (19KOs), earned a split decision against Spain’s Samuel “La Esencia” Molina, 32-4-1 (15KOs) at the Zalgiris Arena in Kuanas, Lithuania.

Pavel Hynek and Uwe Lorch sided with Kavliauskas, scoring it 115-113 each. Antonio Migliore went 115-114 the other way.

The Lithuanian, now thirty-seven and coming off a tight decision loss to Souleymane Cissokho in Equatorial Guinea, was looking to keep his world title contention hopes alive, namely with the WBC. That he did.

In a skillful set-to of competing styles, boxer-puncher versus boxer-mover, the more aggressive and damaging puncher earned the nod.

Kavaliauskas’ judicious, jackhammer-like jab was the most stable punch in either man’s arsenal. It landed regularly and kept Molina at range for most of the twelve rounds.

Molina attempted to jab and counter jab all night, with sporadic success. Kavaliauskas, however, had a better feel for distance and parried with greater precision. The left-hand fencing started early, too, and the earliest rounds were likely nipped by Kavaliauskas’ edge in sharpness.

Power punches appeared nearly even in number landed throughout, although the power disparity was evident from the get-go. The “Mean Machine’s” shots had the typical thudding, brunt force that he’s become renowned for. Especially in the wake of Terence Crawford’s insinuation that Kavaliauskas hit harder than Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

In the first, for instance, Kavaliauskas landed a hard, looping right hand around the guard that moved Molina. He coupled that with a mean-looking left hook that punctuated a three-punch combination.

Likewise, Molina unsheathed his own left hook early. It’s a speedy punch and a useful weapon, but he slaps with it at times. And it’s no doubt a contributor in his inability to stop foes. Despite this, Molina opened two cuts, around each eye, before the start of the fifth.

The fourth round was a nip-and-tuck affair. Kavaliauskas landed several numbing body shots, left and right included. Molina repaid kindly with a few of his own, but his best shot was a right hook counter.

Kavaliauskas seemed to take rounds five and six. Here his jabbing was most precise, snapping Molina’s head in places. A mixture of right hands, which Molina has frequently been susceptible to, complimented Kavaliauskas’ work.

Spirited in defense, Molina utilized quick feet, fluid head movement, and punches in bunches to nab most, if not all rounds seven to ten. His problem altogether, however, was consistency. He was lightning in a pan at times. He could shift swiftly out of range or he could drop low to discourage Kavaliauskas’ offense. Molina also made things uncomfortable on the inside from time to time, but he lapses frequently. He seems to prefer being closer than necessary to an opponent and has bouts of inactivity that make fights harder than need be. I suspect it’s a culprit in a record littered with close decisions.

Round ten was razor close. Molina ripped off a body combination early but took a few hard jabs and stinging right hands to the head.

The following segment was similarly close. It saw Molina land a nice left hook to Kavaliauskas’ body and a smattering of other shots. Kavaliauskas responded with a lovely array of jabs, a left-right combination upstairs, a left hook downstairs, and an uppercut that lifted Molina’s head.

Round twelve followed the pattern of the previous two. This time, though, it culminated in Molina pinning Kavaliauskas against the ropes with about eighteen seconds left and barraging him with a repeated right hand to the body, left hook to the head, combination. They continued to exchange until the bell separated them.

Resulting from the decision is a #7 ranking from the World Boxing Council and the EBU welterweight belt.

Given the state of welterweight, with Barrios, Crocker, and Romero as titleholders, the “Mean Machine” shouldn’t consider his hopes dashed. If anything, he should stay busy and, if the opportunity presents itself, lobby for a rematch against Cissokho. A win would immediately put him at, or near the top, of the WBC heap.