After six months of intense hand-to-hand combat featuring the best amateur fighters in the world, the World Series of Boxing (WSB) team finals are set. A 3-2 win by the Astana Arlans on Sunday night over the Los Angeles Matadors assured them a spot in the final where they’ll face Paris United May 6-7, in Guiyang, China.
The Hollywood celebrities and boxing greats present at the Music Box Theatre tonight were akin to any big-time professional fight. But on this evening, amateur boxing celebrated one of its finest moments with a showcase play-off fight card featuring two ranked team s gunning for a spot in the WSB Finals.
In attendance were Hollywood celebrities including Jenny McCarthy, Ricky Schroder, Lou Ferrigno and Julie Benz along with boxing icons Evander Holyfield and Sugar Ray Leonard, all sitting ringside next to International Amateur Boxing Association President and WSB founder Dr. C.K. Wu.
But the true stars of the show were the 10 fighters that stepped into the ring Sunday in a display of grit and determination. Facing a 4-1 deficit after their first meeting April 9, the Matadors would rely on a young squad to try and rally Matador nation.
Appropriately enough, the evening got started right with a thrilling contest in the bantamweight bout. Fernando Martinez (Buenos Aires, Argentina) started strong and came out the aggressor against undefeated Kanat Abutalipov. In the third round, Abutalipov began to find the rhythm that led to his undefeated regular season and would control the Martinez attack with his technique and counterpunches. Still Martinez had done enough the first two rounds to make the bout close and force a split decision, but Abutalipov, the top-ranked WSB fighter this season, would prevail with a 49-46, 48-47, 47-48 victory.
In the lightweight division, baby-faced Eric Flores (Inglewood, Calif.) faced perhaps the most formidable foe of his young amateur career in Yerzhan Mussafirov, who entered the ring undefeated in six WSB regular season matches. Despite Mussafirov’s ring experience, Flores’ speed would provide the biggest advantage as he was able to penetrate the strong defense of the Astana fighter and secure a 48-47, 49-45, 49-45 unanimous decision.
“I knew that I would have to stay on the outside and control the fight with my speed if I was going to come out with a win,” said Flores. “Beating a guy like this puts me one step closer to my goal.”
Nicknamed “Sweet Pea,” middleweight Chris Pearson has been every bit of that for the Matadors. Acquired late in the season, Pearson has asserted himself as a top Matador fighter in no time, getting the call in the season’s second half to help provide the team’s most important victories of late. Back in their league-clinching win against the Mexico City Guerreros, Pearson defeated one of the league’s top middleweights in Yamaguchi Florentino. But tonight, however, Pearson’s future in the sport came to light with the biggest boxing victory of his young career as he defeated 2008 Olympian Bakht Sarsekbayev.
Pearson (Trotwood, Ohio) used his long reach and determination to frustrate the powerful, aggressive Kazak fighter. The turning point in the bout, perhaps coming in the third round, with Pearson opening up a cut to the left side of Sarsekbayev’s head with a vicious hook. That slowed Sarsekbayev enough to allow Pearson to earn a split-decision victory, 50-45, 49-46, 47-48.
“How often you get the chance to go against an Olympic gold medalist,” said Pearson after the bout. “I’ve benefited from some tough fights late in the season and come out on the winning end. I want to be the best and I’m working toward that goal and I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”
In the light heavyweight division, Marat Moldagereyev was staggered midway through the first round from a wide left-hook from Matador Elber Passos (Salvador, Brazil). But Passos wasn’t able to score enough the rest of the way as Moldagereyev rebounded nicely to pretty much control the last four rounds and walk away with the 48-47, 48-47, 48-47 decision. The Moldagereyev victory secured the semi-final win for the Arlans and assure them a spot in the WSB Finals.
Much like their match at the WSB Test Event a year ago, Javier Torres (Pico Rivera, Calif.) and Istvan Bernath, were locked in a contentious heavyweight battle that would end in a split decision judgment. Once again it would be Bernath getting the better of Torres in the end as the Hungarian fighter would dictate the fight with his style and reach to earn the win, 48-47, 48-47, 47-48.
The finals are now set and will feature Paris United taking on the Astana Arlans with 10 bouts to decide the ultimate WSB champion for the inaugural season. Paris had a remarkable comeback at home Friday night taking all five bouts against the Baku Fires to advance to the finals. The United have a 10-4 overall record while Astana, the second-place finisher in the Asian conference, now have an 11-3 record. The teams will face each other May 6-7 in Guiyang, China.
Also, still to come this season in the WSB is the individual finals May 27-28 featuring the top-two fighters from all five WSB weight classes in hopes of securing an automatic spot in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
