History is written as Arisnoidys Despaigne becomes the first Cuban boxer to compete in AIBA Pro Boxing on Friday night, June 20
History will be made on Friday night in Kemerovo, Russia, as a Cuban boxer will make his debut in AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) for the very first time during the Welterweight (69 kg) Cycle I Round 1 stage.
Fans will be able to watch the action live and free at 20:00 (GMT +6) on www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV.
When 32-year-old AIBA World Championships silver medalist Arisnoidys Despaigne (CUB) makes his debut against Dimitros Tsagrakos (GRE), he will become the first Cuban fighter to compete in APB, and this news has been greeted with much interest across the boxing world.
With the full endorsement of the Cuban Government, a partnership was made earlier this year confirming that the International Boxing Association (AIBA) has become the exclusive partner for all Cuban boxers from the Cuban Boxing Federation whenever they compete in international boxing competitions, including APB.
“Cuba’s arrival in APB represents a further step forwards into making this competition one of the most vital and successful sporting systems in the world, and we are delighted to be welcoming Arisnoidys Despaigne to the format, as he is one of the most entertaining and fan-friendly Cuban boxers to watch,” said AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.
Cuba are one of the most successful nations in boxing history, having won a total of 67 Olympic Games medals, and have also earned a deserved reputation as a sporting nation built on pride and honour.
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Teofilo Stevenson was one of the greatest boxers of his generation, but memorably declined an opportunity to face Muhammad Ali despite a huge cash offer, because he would have needed to defect from his beloved Cuba if he had accepted.
“What is one million dollars compared to the love of eight million Cubans?” remarked Stevenson at the time, and those values have remained a mainstay of the Cuban psyche to this very day.
The transparent judging, fair and equal system and reliable match format were all significant reasons for Cuba’s decision to join APB, and the organisation is delighted to welcome the country to the fold.
Mr. Alberto Puig de la Barca, President of Cuba Boxing Federation also expressed his excitement. “Cuba’s historic entry into APB has been an important step in the development of our boxers and we have immense pride in Arisnoidys Despaigne becoming the first of our athletes to display his skill and heart across this world class format,” he said.
Despaigne has enjoyed a very successful career in recent years, and won the deciding match in the Season IV World Series of Boxing Finals for Cuba Domadores.
Tsagrakos is seen as the underdog, but the two-time Greek National Champion has been competing since 1999, which means he will not be fazed by his decorated opponent in the ring.
Three more matches will take place in Kemerovo, including an excellent contest between the number one ranked Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Okwiri (KEN), and Gyula Kate (HUN).
Okwiri stunned the boxing world in the first week of the APB Ranking Phase when he sensationally knocked out Marcos Nader, and the Kenyan made it all the way to the APB Inaugural Title Match where he was defeated by Champion Onur Sipal (TUR).
Kate is a highly experienced boxer who has twice finished on the podium at the AIBA World Championships, as well as earning two European silver medals across his distinguished career.
Although each fight is scheduled for over eight rounds, do not be surprised if this match in particular fails to go the distance.
As his nickname suggests, ‘Boom Boom’ carries devastating power in both hands, while Kate also boasts considerable strength, and needs to attack from the outset if he is to triumph.
The winner of the Okwiri/Kate contest will meet either Eimantas Stanionis (LIT) or Russia’s Andrey Zamkovoy (RUS) in Cycle I Round 2.
Both Stanionis and London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist Zamkovoy have identical 3-1 records in this competition, and their bout is expected to be a very entertaining clash with neither man known to take many backward steps in their fights.
Zamkovoy will enjoy home advantage of the support of the fans in attendance, while Stanionis is known to perform well under pressure.
Two debutants open the action in Kemerovo, with 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Arajik Marutjan (GER) facing Amin Ghasemi Pour (IRI).
Match schedule:
20:00: Arajik Marutjan (GER) vs Amin Ghasemi Pour (IRI)
20:30: Arisnoidys Despaigne (CUB) vs Dimitros Tsagrakos (GRE)
21:00: Ray ‘Boom Boom’ Okwiri (KEN) vs Gyula Kate (HUN)
21:30: Andrey Zamkovoy (RUS) vs Eimantas Stanionis (LIT)
Five incredible bouts between Kazakh and Cuban boxers for the 1st leg line up of the WSB Finals
The World Series of Boxing (WSB) Season V Finals between Astana Arlans Kazakhstan and Cuba Domadores begins on Saturday 20 June at 17:30 (GMT+6) in Astana, Kazakhstan, and the line-up for the first leg has now been announced. Fans will be able to follow the action LIVE on www.aibaboxingtv.com.
“It is going to be one of the most anticipated boxing weekends of the year and hundreds of thousands of fans all over the world are eager to discover who will end up a WSB winner this Season. This 1st leg will showcase some of the best boxers in the world and we can expect incredible boxing action as world class athletes will be looking to produce the performance of their lifetime,” said AIBA Executive Director and WSB CEO Karim Bouzidi.
The last fight of the opening night features a long awaited match which has been years in the making, as undefeated Heavyweights Vassiliy Levit and Erislandy Savon finally battle inside a WSB ring. Both competitors have never tasted defeat in their WSB careers, and each has won all eight of their contests in Season V.
WSB Season V Finals First Leg Line-Up:
Light Flyweight (49 kg): Temirtas Zhussupov (KAZ, 3-1 in Season V) vs Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez (CUB, 6-2 in Season V).
Bantamweight (56 kg): Kairat Yeraliyev (KAZ, 3-0 in Season V) vs Robeisy Ramirez (CUB, 3-0 in Season V).
Light Welterweight (64 kg): Samat Bashenov (KAZ, 6-0 in Season V) vs Yasnier Toledo (CUB, 7-0 in Season V).
Middleweight (75 kg): Meiirim Nursultanov (KAZ, 6-0 in Season V) vs Arlen Lopez (CUB, 7-1 in Season V).
Heavyweight (91 kg): Vassiliy Levit (KAZ, 8-0 in Season V) vs Erislandy Savon (CUB, 8-0 in Season V).
Boxing events kick-off in Baku 2015 with 12 days of dazzling competition
Boxing events kicked-off today in Baku, Azerbaijan marking the beginning of 12 days of high-quality boxing competition which brings together some of the best men and women boxers from all over Europe.
AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said: “Boxing is one of the major sports in Baku 2015 where 278 boxers, of whom 67 women, will face each other in the 12 days of competition and for the 1st time, women will surprisingly compete in 5 categories. I am honored to be here to wish all of them the best of luck in their quest to becoming the first European Games Champions”.
Ireland’s five-time World Champion and London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Katie Taylor will compete at Lightweight (60 kg) in Baku, while Azerbaijan’s reigning Bantamweight (56 kg) AIBA World Champion Javid Chalabiyev represents an excellent opportunity for the host nation to achieve a boxing gold medal.
International Boxing Association (AIBA) has also taken this opportunity to host the Referees and Judges seminar in the run up to the boxing events in order to ensure the highest quality officiating. Baku 2015 will also have three quotas per weight category available for men boxers to qualify for the AIBA World Boxing Championships, which will be taking place in Doha on 2-18 October 2015.
Baku 2015 boxing events will kick-off on Tuesday, 16 June and will finish on Saturday, 27 June
with 263 bouts taking place over the period of 11 days of competition.
Boxing Marketing Arm (BMA) appoints new Director of Sales Sponsorship & Marketing and new Director of Finance & Operations
Boxing Marketing Arm (BMA) has appointed Ken Crease as Director of Sales Sponsorship & Marketing, with a brief to further develop the sponsorship and marketing rights of AIBA’s boxing programmes. Also Rob Garea has joined BMA as Director of Finance & Operations.
David Gough, BMA CEO said: “BMA has a unique opportunity to change the way boxing is presented to fans around the world. Ken and Rob not only had impressive credentials as professionals, but they understand the vision and realize the potential for the future. Ken will be looking for commercial partners to participate in the unique opportunity of shaping the sport of boxing for tomorrow. While Rob will provide the leadership in developing a transparent financial system to manage the business as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
Ken Crease has over 16 years of experience in sports and entertainment marketing, and has worked with many of the world’s leading brands, rightsholders and media owners. Crease joins BMA from GroupM, where he was Head of Entertainment & Sports Partnerships, Russia & CIS. Prior to that, he was employed as General Director of Sport Media Group, a leading Russian sports marketing agency.
“Boxing enjoys a unique position in sport, in terms of its heritage and global appeal. I am looking forward to working closely with the existing team to position the sport as an attractive platform for commercial partners,” said Mr Crease.
Rob Garea is a 40-year-old finance professional with an extensive experience in many of the key finance areas. He has worked in audit, general finance, costing, manufacturing, FP&A and corporate directorship in a variety of International companies including Citibank, eBay, Biogen & Covidien in Switzerland, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom.
Mr Garea said: “I am excited to join BMA. Being part of its journey early on is so motivating. I am looking forward to add value helping create the right finance framework and giving meaningful business support to the company in order to help it grow and succeed.”
