Boxing: Kondo loses to Lipinets in bid for vacant IBF title

Japan's Akihiro Kondo failed in his bid to claim the vacant IBF super lightweight title on Saturday, losing to Russia's Sergey Lipinets on a unanimous decision.(Getty)Kondo, the third-ranked challenger making his first attempt at a world title, struggled against Lipinets who used an array of jabs, hooks and uppercuts to good effect at Barclays Center.The 32-year-old Kondo sought to hold his opponent off with aggressive counterpunching, but was unable to keep pace with the top-ranked Russian challenger.The 28-year-old Lipinets, who overcame a nasty cut in the sixth round, took the verdict 11…READ FULL ARTICLE