Ariel Arismendez shines on Day 5 of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015
The second stage of the of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015 quarter-finals was held today at the Xinzhuang Stadium, and a combined 92 Junior and Youth boxers have now all secured a guaranteed bronze medal in the competition.
Bout of the day
US Women’s Youth National Champion and Ringside Women’s World Champion Ariel Arismendez defeated Ireland’s AIBA Women’s Junior World Boxing Championships gold medalist Ciara Ginty in an excellent bout to secure a place in the Youth Light Welterweight class (64 kg) semi-final.
Arismendez’s tactics were perfectly implemented to halt the usually successful approach of Ginty, and her aggressive style combined well with lethal hooks and uppercuts.
After her entertaining and valuable victory, Arismendez will now meet Russia’s Ekaterina Nemtseva for a place in the final.
Team of the day
Kosovo sent two talented junior boxers to the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015, and their last remaining boxer Donjeta Sadiku had to box Tajikistan’s Idimokh Kholova for a guaranteed medal at Junior Lightweight (60 kg).
The 16-year-old Sadiku controlled the first round against her tough Central Asian opponent, before improving even further as the fight progressed.
Her victory rewards Kosovo with their first ever medal in an AIBA competition.
Surprises of the day
Kazakhstan’s newly crowned Junior National Champion Zhazira Urakbayeva outpointed the gold medal favourite of the Pinweight class (46 kg), as she eliminated Bulgaria’s EUBC European Women’s Junior Continental Championships silver medallist Emi-Mari Todorova from the competition.
Hungary’s Angela Nagy had impressed many boxing enthusiasts with her earlier efforts in Taipei, but she could not keep the momentum going against India’s Junior National Champion Mandeep Kaur Sandhu.
Nagy tried constantly to launch her attacks, but the counter-punching from her Indian opponent was too much to handle.
Sandhu now advances to the semi-finals where her next opponent will be France’s Johanna Wonyou in the Junior Light Bantamweight class (52 kg)
Ones to watch
Italy’s AIBA Junior World Champion and Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Irma Testa continued her excellent form to defeat Russia’s Anastasia Nesmiyanova, and advanced through to the semi-finals of the Youth Featherweight class (57 kg).
Her teammate Concetta Marchese also delivered a strong performance in Taipei on Day 5 as she eliminated Ukraine’s EUBC European Women’s Youth Continental Champion Valeria Manchak.
Concetta Marchese’s younger sister Giovanna was defeated by Ukraine’s Demyanov Women’s Junior Tournament winner Kateryna Rohova, who will now meet Ireland’s Kelsey Leonard in the last four.
Kazakhstan’s Nadira Maratova won the Nations Women’s Junior Cup in January where she defeated Russia’s Kristina Tkacheva in the gold medal bout, but Tkacheva claimed revenge in their rematch and advanced through at Junior Heavyweight (+80 kg).
Stat/Fact of the day
After five competition days in the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015, 92 guaranteed medallists remain in the competition, and the following 25 nations have secured medals in Taipei:
Russia: 15 medals
Kazakhstan: 12 medals
United States of America: 8 medals
China, India, Turkey, Ukraine: 6 medals
Chinese Taipei, Ireland: 4 medals
Italy, Mongolia, Poland: 3 medals
DPR Korea, Hungary, Thailand: 2 medals
Azerbaijan, Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Kosovo, Sweden, Vietnam: 1 medal
Quotes of the day
“In my opinion I had a good fight today in Taipei. I did not get sloppy or wild, and I stayed compact throughout the whole bout. My winning tactic was to try and stop my opponent as soon as I could, and I think it was successful. My goal is to win the Championships and bring the gold medal home,” said US Junior Lightweight class (60 kg) boxer Guadelupe Gutierrez after her triumph in Taipei.
“Today I did what I should in the ring, I followed the instruction of my coaches, and I was able to use my punches in an effective way, even with my opponent holding me quite often during the bout. I am now focusing on my semi-final, and of course I want to go through to the final,” said Chinese Taipei’s Lin Ya Xuan following her quarter-final win over Hungary’s Veronika Villas at the Junior Lightweight class (60 kg).
Mexico Guerreros aim to eliminate WSB Champions Cuba Domadores in Season V semi-finals
The World Series of Boxing (WSB) semi-finals begin with defending Champions Cuba Domadores hosting Mexico Guerreros over two legs.
Cuba have lost just one fixture in the history of WSB, and won all 14 matches in the Regular Season, qualifying straight through to this stage of the competition after finishing first in Group A.
They were especially dominant at home in Havana, losing only two individual contests across seven home matches with five 5-0 whitewashes included in that record.
Mexico finished third in Group A and lost twice to Cuba in the group stages, but they head into the last four of WSB with a huge amount of confidence after eliminating Season IV runners-up Azerbaijan Baku Fires 6-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
That two-legged victory came away from home in Guba, and after success against one half of the Season IV finalists, there is plenty of belief in the Mexican squad that they can repeat the triumph once again in Cuba.
Ciudad Deportiva, La Habana is the venue for this semi-final clash, where on Thursday 21st May and Friday 22nd May fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:30 (GMT -4) at AIBABoxingTV.com.
The first leg begins with a fascinating Light flyweight (49 kg) contest between Cuba’s 5-2 18-year-old sensation Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez, and Mexican debutant Jose Daniel Rojas Romero.
Although he was ranked fourth at Light flyweight by the end of the group stages, Perez became the first Domadores to lose this season when he was defeated by Mexico’s Joselito Velázquez Altamirano after 20 consecutive Cuban victories.
Despite the difference in WSB experience, Perez should be wary having already lost to Mexican opposition earlier in the campaign, while the underdog Romero has everything to gain in this match.
London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez returns to WSB for the first time since the third week of the campaign as he seeks to improve his season record to 3-0 against Mexico’s Ivan Jesus Delgado.
Ramirez is one of the most exciting boxing prospects in the world, and the slick southpaw is still just 21-years-old.
Delgado becomes the second Mexican boxer to make his debut in this important match, which means his coaches will be hoping that the Bantamweight (56 kg) will be able to hold his own against such an accomplished boxer.
Cuba’s 6-0 Yasniel Toledo finished top of the Light welterweight (64 kg) rankings at the end of the group stages, earning a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota in the process.
He makes his seventh appearance Season V when he meets Roberto Gomez Zariñana, who is the third Guerrero to make his debut in this fixture.
Toledo is one of the most decorated boxers in a star-studded Cuban team having won an Olympic Games bronze medal and two AIBA World Championships silver medals, and he has excelled in WSB this season with six outstanding victories.
His terrific work rate and wide range of punches frequently causes havoc and panic in the majority of opposition corners, so Zariñana will have to concentrate for every second of their bout.
Arlen Lopez also finished in the Rio 2016 quota places at Middleweight (75 kg), and the 6-1 star has won all three of his home matches for Cuba this season.
His semi-final opponent is Mexico’s Misael Uriel Rodríguez Oliva, who has impressed onlookers this season despite a 2-5 losing record.
Oliva is a come-forward fighter who relies on relentless pressure to disrupt the attacks of his rivals, while Lopez has the power to quell the assault of most fighters in WSB.
The last fight of the first leg features two undefeated Heavyweights (91 kg) who are both eager to avoid losing for the first time this season.
Named the best boxer of Season IV, Cuba’s 7-0 Erislandy Savon has been unbeatable throughout his WSB career, and he mixes exceptional movement with sharp jabs and terrifying hooks.
His excellent form continued through the group stages of the fifth season, which exemplifies the dominant displays he regularly produces in this competition.
Ecuador’s 4-0 Julio Cesar Castillo Torres has won three of his matches for the Guerreros in hostile away territory, and his fluid style could cause Savon problems, as he has mostly faced shorter fighters this season.
Torres proved in his quarter-final clash against Leonid Charnabayeu that he has the ability to change his tactics midway through a fight, which is a huge asset that combines well with his composure in the ring.
This could be the most entertaining fight of the evening, and will hold huge ramifications heading into the second leg.
