Although past his best, 35-year-old Lipinets posed a credible measure of Azim’s progression. He held the IBF world title in 2017, before losing it in his following bout, and beat Briton Robbie Davies Jr last year.
Azim worked smartly behind the snappy jab to find his rhythm early on. “Keep it nice and long,” former world champion Amir Khan instructed from ringside.
He began to outwork and outmanoeuvre his opponent, targeting Lipinets’ body with left and right hooks.
An uppercut staggered Lipinets in the third. Moments later, he was sent crashing to the canvas after lunging in and being caught superbly by Azim.
“It’s not fair, ref,” Lipinets’ deflated trainer shouted from the corner after Azim was deducted a point in the fourth.
Other borderline punches below the midriff were not picked up by the official.
Lipinets, to his credit, kept the complaining to a minimum, even when clearly hurt by an illegal punch in the seventh.
This time, it was much sterner word from the referee, with Azim dangerously and unnecessarily flirting with the possibility of disqualification.
But Azim wisely adhered to trainer Shane McGuigan’s instructions to move away from body shots.
The stylish boxer landed a number of uppercuts with ease in the eighth and ninth in what soon became target practice, before the fight was halted.
