Uncrowned Staff Sat, October 31, 2026 at 4:28 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Bek Nurmaganbet delivered an early candidate for Knockout of the Year on Saturday, flattening Marcos Vazquez in the first round of their bout on the Saul "Canelo" Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli undercard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Kazakh super middleweight needed less than a round to twice knock down Vazquez (21-4-1, 10 KOs) — first with a scorching left hand off a two-punch combination, then again shortly after Vazquez beat the 10-count. The finishing sequence was a thing of beauty and brutality, as Nurmaganbet (17-0, 15 KOs) sent Vazquez slamming backward onto the canvas with another monster left off a two-piece combination against the ropes.
The performance immediately thrusts Nurmaganbet into the conversation for boxing's best knockouts of 2026, providing a spectacular highlight before Saturday's biggest fights had even begun.
Nurmaganbet entered this weekend's contest as an unbeaten prospect to watch, with 14 of his 16 prior professional wins having been by knockout. With the thunderous message he delivered against Vazquez, the 28-year-old continues to fast gain a reputation as one of the super middleweight division's most dangerous up-and-coming punchers.
Nurmaganbet's previous outing came in July, when he stopped Artysh Lopsan in the fifth round.
In the main event of Saturday's controversial event at Kingdom Arena, former two-time undisputed champion "Canelo" seeks to reclaim the WBC super middleweight championship from unbeaten titleholder Mbilli. In doing so, Alvarez returns to the ring for the first time since his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford , while Mbilli enters the main event looking to secure the biggest victory of his career.
The card has come under heavy scrutiny for carrying forward in Riyadh as the region continues to face heavy missile and drone strikes over the past several weeks .
For full coverage of Canelo vs. Mbilli, including live results, play-by-play and highlights of Saturday's entire main card, check out Uncrowned's fight night hub.
Source: Sports
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