Andrey Pulyaev has stated that Azamat Murzakanov's cardio preparation was the reason for his defeat against Paulo Costa. Pulyaev expressed disappointment that Murzakanov lost on his birthday and admitted he himself is not a cardio machine. The commentator also raised questions about how well Costa recovered between the second and third rounds. Pulyaev noted that Costa appeared very tired but came out looking fresh for the third round. His analysis suggests conditioning was a decisive factor in the light heavyweight bout outcome.
