With four rounds of fixtures to go before the end of the regular World Series of Boxing (WSB) season, the race for the quarter-finals and Group positions is truly on. For some teams this is make or break time with so much at stake. With tense battles throughout this weekend and some great bouts to look forward to, the action will be electric.
Thrilling drama will unfold as we reach an important stage in the race for Group positions. With some classic fights lined-up and some serious pugilists showcasing their skills, sporting fans will be treated to a real festival of boxing. Four matches will be broadcasted LIVE on worldseriesboxingtv.com.
Match of the week
Having overcome huge adversity in the first weeks of the season following the devastating floods in Thailand, WSB was delighted to welcome back the Bangkok Elephants Franchise just before the winter break. Now the team will fight for this first time on home soil and in the capital at the Recreational Park as the Astana Arlans come to town this Saturday. With a massive boxing fan base in the country, the arena will be packed to the rafters for this hugely anticipated battle. The venue is also very symbolic because it was used to shelter thousands of displaced victims during the flooding. Emotions will run high as the athletes step onto the canvas. With the AIBA President and WSB Board Chariman, Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu and all seven AIBA Commissions (Athletes & Youth, Coaches, Medical, Refereeing & Judging, Technical & Rules, Women’s and WSB) in town for meetings over the weekend, all delegates will be present ringside to savour what promises to be a hugely entertaining match. After such an impressive performance against Rau’Shee Warren in his last fight, the excellent Bantamweight southpaw Donchai Thathi will be the one to watch when he faces Astana’s Rafikjon Sultonov. Wuttichai Masuk, a 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist, will look to make the difference in the Lightweight contest versus the 23-year-old fleet-footed Adlet Yegizekov. All eyes will then turn to the titanic clash between two African Heavyweights as Blaise Yepmou Mondouo locks horns with Chouaib Bouloudinats. This should be epic.
Fight of the week
Bunyamin Aydin of the Istanbul Bosphorus came of age in Week 5 as the young Turk sensationally defeated last year’s WSB Lightweight Individual Champion Zhimin Wang. When his team travels to the Azeri capital on Saturday to face the irresistible Baku Fires, the 20-year-old Aydin will be pitted against another orthodox fighter in the shape of the undefeated Tajik Madadi Nagzibekov. If Aydin can once again showcase the skills that comprehensibly beat Wang, the meeting with Nagzibekov promises to be quality. RELIVE Aydin’s killer performance…
Rest of the action
The T-Box Mobile Arena at the In-Orbit Mall Malad in Mumbai, India will once again be the setting as the Venky’s Mumbai Fighters welcome the powerful Dynamo Moscow. The Indian outfit has openly expressed its desire to exact revenge their 5:0 defeat the last time these two teams met. From the five fighters taking to the ring this weekend, only showman Siddarth Varma was part of the team that lost in Perm, he will now face the 21-year-old Russian Adlan Abdurashidod. Debutant Gaurav Bidhuri will look to impress in his Bantamweight contest versus Vladimir Nikitin but the Mumbai fans will be relishing the prospect of seeing Belarusian Leanid Charanbayeu once again strutting his stuff in the ring after the impact he made against the sensational Abdelhafid Benchabla. New Zealand’s Uaine Fa will make it a battle of the giants in the Heavyweight contest as he goes toe-to-toe with Arslanbek Makhmudov. For the winner of this Group A encounter, the points will be most valuable in the race for quarter-final qualification.
After fighting words from their CEO, 2000 Olympic Games gold medallist Brahim Asloum, Paris United host the Mexico City Guerreros at the Stade Pierre-de-Coubertin in the French capital with the sole focus of winning this Friday. A stuttering campaign so far in Group B has seen the reigning champions struggle to make an impact in the competition. With the Mexican outfit yet to secure a victory on their travels, the home team will quickly want to assert their authority and with the experienced Olympian Abdelkader Chadi in their ranks they have the firepower to take maximum points. The Guerreros on the other hand are well-equipped to challenge with Elias Emigdio and Juan Romero undefeated this season in their respective Bantam and Lightweight categories. Cult hero Juan Hiracheta will look to use his huge height advantage against French newcomer Ibrahima Mariko in the Heavyweight fight. There will be an intriguing all-Croatian contest at Light Heavy as experienced Hrvoje Sep faces current National Champion, 21-year-old southpaw Bojan Miskovic in a battle of pride where the title of the country’s best is at stake. This will be tight.
The huge friendship between the two countries from which these teams fight from will be put aside as the Baku Fires winning machine tests itself against the new-look Istanbul Bosphorus in Group B. The Fires are just so strong it is hard to see how the visiting Turkish outfit can get anything out of the match. But with a renewed optimism, the Istanbul Bosphorus will be looking to create a surprise when some of their best national boxers don the gloves. Oleksiy Sivko is an awesome proposition at Heavyweight and could make the difference but Baku Fires are top of the group, have not lost this season and are programmed to win. Magomed Abdulhamidov, top ranked Light Heavyweight Azamat Murtuzaliyev and heavy-hitter Abdulkadir Abdullayev are all line-up for the Fires so they will once again look to steamroll past their opponents.
The glamorous
Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder, runaway leaders in Group A, travel to the glitz of Hollywood to face the Los Angeles Matadors at the Avalon Club where the atmosphere is always electric. With a setting worthy of such an encounter, boxing fans will be treated to some of the best of what WSB has to offer when the two take to the ring. The Matadors will be hoping they can spring the surprise of the season so far and readdress the balance following their 4:1 defeat in Italy the last time these two came face-to-face. The American team are leaving nothing to chance with opening proceedings, three-time Olympian Rau’Shee Warren defending his undefeated Bantamweight record against 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist Veaceslav Gojan. Middleweight Terrell Gausha, a 2009 National champion, will then make his Matadors debut against 2007 Panamerican Games gold medallist before star attraction Clemente Russo of the Milano Thunder fights the unpredictable David Imoesiri. Boxing of the highest calibre is guaranteed.
Having started off the season so well, the Leipzig Leopards will look to get their campaign back on track after three successive defeats have made them looked vulnerable. The mood in the camp has been excellent recently and they have been training even harder in preparation for this weekend’s battle with the Beijing Dragons. Cementing their second position in Group B will be the focus and with Kevin Künzel and stalwart Alexander Povernov leading the charges once again, the visiting team will have to be ready for a tough encounter at the Maritim Hotel in the centre of Halle.
Boxer to watch
Lightning-quick Middleweight Frenchman Michel Tavares of the Paris United team is one of the stars of WSB, his style never ceases to impress and his attitude is one of the driving forces behind his team’s success last season. The southpaw is highly regarded and at 22 years of age will only continue to get better. Technically gifted and classy, look out for him to overawe his opponent in all departments on Saturday.
What was said
“We remain in a good position in our group with a match in hand. It is true that the Baku Fires have really set the standard but what matters is how Paris United fare come the business end of the season. We look towards the quarter-finals with great anticipation. Of course a lot will depend on the temperament and the desire of athletes but we are confident in what we can achieve. Five matches to go, yes, so we are masters of our own destiny. It is now up to us to make it happen”, stated Brahim Asloum, Paris United CEO
