Former three-division world champion Jorge Linares of Venezuela was stopped in the 12th and final round by World Boxing Council silver lightweight champion Zaur Abdullaev of Russia and failed to capture the title on Feb. 19 (20 Japan time) in Russia’s Ekaterinburg.

The technical knockout at the central Russian city’s RCC Boxing Academy came 2 minutes and 28 seconds into the round when the referee stepped in to halt the bout as Abdullaev unleashed a barrage of left-right combinations to Linares by forcing him against the ropes after scoring two knockdowns with devastating left hooks shortly before.

Up until the stoppage, both fought almost evenly as the 36-year-old Linares, ranked sixth in the division, landed sharp left jabs and straight rights to the head and body against Abdullaev, 27. Linares displayed rapid combination blows in the fourth round.

Abdullaev, the WBC’s fourth-ranked contender, began to show his power from around the middle of the fight at close range by landing hard rights, and Linares was forced to backpedal frequently. Abdullaev increased his offense in the eighth and ninth rounds, setting the stage for his final-round onslaught.

With the loss, Linares, who has been fighting out of Tokyo’s Teiken Boxing Gym, now has a record of 47 wins, including 29 knockouts, against seven losses. For his part, Abdullaev improved his record to a 15-1 win-loss tally with nine KOs.

While the fight took the form of Abdullaev’s defense of his silver lightweight crown, the winner is expected to take a crack at undefeated WBC lightweight champion Devin Haney of the United States.