Vitaly Laletin told everyone where this match would live. Then he kept it there for four straight rounds.

His 4-0 win over Alizhan Muratov at East vs West 25 settled the left-arm super-heavyweight title without giving the challenger his favorite position. Muratov brought world-class inside power to Batumi. Vitaly made sure that power never reached a clean hook.

The champion won through hand position first. His size became decisive after his pronation opened Muratov’s wrist and kept the shorter man away from his shoulder.

The Hand Decided the Match

Muratov’s hook needs a closed wrist, firm containment, and enough shoulder commitment to drive sideways. Vitaly’s long fingers attacked that chain at the first link.

Laletin stayed tall through the grip and pulled backward as Muratov tried to close the distance. The footage keeps returning to the same ugly picture for the challenger. His palm turns up, his wrist extends, and his side pressure loses the structure that makes it so nasty.

Vitaly had already said Muratov could not hook him. That sounded like calm fight-week confidence. Four rounds turned it into the technical summary.

Muratov still fired hard. Speed gave him contact, yet contact alone could not close Vitaly’s hand. Once the champion owned the fingers, he could bring side pressure without accepting an inside test.

Size Worked Through Position

The easy reading gives the win to bodyweight and reach. Vitaly had plenty of both. The table showed how those advantages became useful.

His longer forearm let him keep back pressure on Muratov while his hand stayed above the challenger’s knuckles. That height forced Muratov to chase the cup. Vitaly could then roll over the hand and drive toward the pad from a position where Muratov’s biceps were already stretched.

Muratov’s 3-0 demolition of Artyom Morozov had already shown that a bigger body can become irrelevant once Alizhan closes the hook. Vitaly solved the earlier step. He denied the entry.

The pre-event prediction split leaned toward Vitaly’s size and outside control. The result rewards the second part. Size supplied the reach, but hand control decided what that reach could do.

Muratov Needs a Second Route

Muratov remains one of the most dangerous left-arm hook pullers alive. This loss gives his next improvement a clear address. He needs a credible lane when elite pronation keeps his palm open.

That could mean a higher outside attack, stronger finger containment during the slip, or a transition that punishes an opponent for climbing. Any answer has to preserve his wrist long enough for the shoulder to join. More side pressure cannot repair a hand that has already opened.

Vitaly’s own right-arm loss to Devon Larratt showed how a great lane can fail against the wrong defensive problem. He answered on his championship arm with a matchup built for his longest weapon.