Edinburgh boxer John McCallum knocked out in second round of WBO European title fight with Evgeny Tishchenko

Capital boxer John McCallum was knocked out in the second round of his WBO European 200lb title fight with Russian giant Evgeny Tishchenko.

John McCallum took on Evgeny Tishchenko in Ekaterinburg but was knocked out in the second round

McCallum was competing in his first fight outside of the UK at the RCC Boxing Academy in Ekaterinburg and his first since February 2019 when he defeated Casey Blair at the Gilvenbank Hotel in Glenrothes.

Ahead of the bout in Western Siberia, cruiserweight Tishchenko had a 100 per cent record from seven professional bouts and won the heavyweight gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Surrey-based McCallum was hoping to “leave a legacy behind” but faced a stern opponent in the 29-year-old southpaw, and Tishchenko started strongly on home soil, boxing on the outside in the first round before flooring the Scot with a body shot in the second.

The WBO No.7 caught McCallum with a left-handed punch to the midriff in the dying seconds, knocking him to the canvas. He tried to get back to his feet as referee Victor Panin counted to ten and waved it off at 2:07, much to McCallum’s chagrin.

Tishchenko’s victory means he adds the WBO European 200lb title to the WBO I/C belt and is now 8-0 with six knock-outs.