Can Russia stop the Cuban crescendo?
The first legs of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Season IV semi-finals saw some incredible action, this weekend sees the second legs of both contests, with everything still to play for regarding all four teams left in the competition.
May 2nd sees the second leg between the debuting Cuba Domadores, and the Russian Boxing Team. The contest will take place at Ciudad Deportiva, Habana.
The first leg saw five exceptional contests, with Cuba winning the evening 3-2, giving them a narrow lead away from home, with Russia needing to win away from home to secure qualification for the finals.
Cuba has only lost once this season, a 3-2 defeat to Russia in the regular season, a result they atoned for in the first leg in Moscow.
Russia lost 5-0 away to Cuba in week three, and that will be playing on their minds as they step into the ring in Cuba.
Will it be heaven in Havana for Russia, or will Cuba get through to the final in their first ever WSB season?
Cuba Domadores vs. Russian Boxing Team
The first contest of the night is at Flyweight (52kg) and sees an intriguing clash between Leodan Nunez, and the Russian Ovik Ogannisian, both of whom have only fought once in WSB.
Nunez represents Cuba, and has amassed a 1-0 record in WSB this season. His sole win came in week ten against Azerbaijan’s Magomed Abdulhamidov. This was a significant win for Nunez, as Abdulhamidov had previously only ever lost one WSB match in twelve bouts.
Ogannisian was the 2012 Russian National Champion, but lost his only WSB contest in week ten against Mexico’s experienced Elias Emigdio. The Russian will be looking for his first WSB victory against Nunez.
At Lightweight (60kg), home favourite Lazaro Alvarez is in action against Russia’s Konstantin Bogomazov. Alvarez is ranked number one at Lightweight, having won all five of his bouts this season.
Bogomazov is 0-1 this season, having lost to Poland’s David Pawel Michelus on points in week six. Considering Alvarez’s record, he has to be a huge favourite for this contest.
Welterweight (69kg) sees a very interesting clash, with Cuba’s Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo taking on Russia’s Andrei Zamkovoi.
The Cuban is the third ranked Welterweight in WSB, amassing a 3-0 record this season including two stoppage victories. All three of his wins have come at home, and the orthodox fighter is a huge threat to anybody in his weight class.
Russia’s Zamkovoi has only fought once this season, a losing effort against another Cuban in Arisnoidys Despaigne in week eight. However, there is no doubting his pedigree, with Zamkovoi a bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympic Games, as well as a silver medallist at the 2009 World Championships.
Iglesias Sotolongo has the WSB pedigree, the stoppage finishes, and the home advantage, but the biggest shock of the night could see the Russian hark back to his medal winning days.
Light Heavyweight (81kg) has been a consistently entertaining weight class this year in WSB, and there is another top clash on show in Cuba, with the second ranked Julio Cesar La Cruz facing off against Aleksander Khotyantsev.
La Cruz has been very entertaining this season, with three great wins including a TKO stoppage over Pole Pawel Stepien in week two.
His opponent Aleksander Khotyantsev has only fought once in WSB this season, with a win away in Poland in week six. However, last season he won twice, with both wins coming by TKO. His lone loss in WSB also came via TKO.
With both boxers boasting knockout power, this could be the fight of the night, and the one that ends the earliest.
Speaking of knockout power, the big boys come into play in the last fight of the night, with the Super Heavyweights (91kg+) in action.
Cuban Jose Angel Larduet takes on the Russian Magomed Omarov , with the 24-year-old Larduet boasting a 1-1 record this season. Lardue did lose to Filip Hrgovic via TKO in week four, which will give Omarov confidence even though this will be his first WSB fight, as he had a walkover in week ten.
Omarov is the taller boxer, and will look to use that to his advantage in the fight. With this being the last fight of the night, many different connotations exist. Either team could need a win, which should make it very exciting.
If the five fights result in Russia winning three of the bouts, the night will end in a sudden death contest involving two Heavyweights (91kg), Cuba’s 0-0 Lenier Pero, against Russia’s much more experienced 2-1 Sergey Kalchugin.
Will Azerbaijan’s home form ensure success over Kazakhstan?
On May 3rd the second leg of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Season IV semi-finals takes place between the defending WSB Champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan who are away to Azerbaijan Baku Fires. The contest will take place at the Olympic Complex in Guba.
The first leg saw five high class contests, with Kazakhstan winning the evening 3-2, which makes them slight favorites heading into their away contest.
Kazakhstan have won four away fixtures this season, including their quarter-final away contest in Germany. However, they did lose 4-1 in Azerbaijan in the regular season, which will give the Baku Fires much confidence.
Azerbaijan have been in wonderful home form this season, winning five of their six matches, with their only loss a 3-2 home defeat by Cuba Domadores. They have won their last two home fixtures 5-0, including a sensational performance against the highly rated Dolce & Gabanna Italia Thunder in the quarter-finals. They have a 24-6 record at home, which is an imposing figure for the visiting Kazakhs.
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan vs. Azerbaijan Baku Fires
The first fight of the night sees the speedy Flyweights (52kg) in action, with Elvin Mamishzada taking on Iliyas Suleimenov.
This is a repeat of their week six contest, which saw Azerbaijan’s Mamishzada winning by unanimous points decision. The Azeri has only fought once else this season, losing to Andrew Selby in the quarter-finals away in Italy.
Suleimenov has also only fought twice this season, beating Poland’s Grzegorz Kozlowski in week ten, and will be desperate to avenge his defeat to Mamishzada in the same venue he lost previously.
This opening match will be the catalyst for the evening, and the rematch everybody is talking about could launch the momentum for the winners team.
Following up that potentially close contest is the Lightweight (60kg) class, with the number eight ranked home favourite Albert Selimov fighting Samat Bashenov.
Selimov is one of the most decorated Azeri boxers of all time, with two European Championship gold medals, as well as a gold and a bronze in the World Championships. He is 2-1 in WSB this season, and perhaps most impressively, he has only lost one of seven home contests in his WSB career, that loss coming against the legendary Vasyl Lomachenko last season.
Ninth ranked Bashenov has had a mixed season so far, with a 2-2 record, and the southpaw has lost two of his three away contests this season. The Kazakh was the number three ranked Lightweight last season, and he will be hoping to replicate that form in Azerbaijan.
Welterweight (69kg) provides a very intriguing contest, with two WSB newcomers battling each other, in what could be a contest of controlling nerves amidst much pressure.
The away fighter Manat Omerzakov has fought only once this season. However, that win was a very impressive points away in Mexico over Marvin Cabrera in week eight.
He comes up against the 20-year-old Azeri Yauheni Ramashkevich, who is 1-2 this season. The youngster has lost both of his away fights this season, but did beat Kazakhstan’s Merim Nursultanov on points at home in week six, and Ramashkevich will be looking to defeat another Kazakh on home turf.
At Light Heavyweight (81kg), two boxers compete for their respective teams, though neither of them are from the respective nations.
The Belarusian Mikhail Dauhaliavets represents The Baku Fires, and he comes into the contest having lost his only WSB fight on points in week four.
His opponent, the Croatian Hrvoje Sep is vastly more experienced, with a total of 21 WSB fights in his career, including two wins this season against one defeat.
The eighth ranked Light Heavyweight Sep is a firm favourite for this fight, and if the night is close by the time the fourth fight comes around, he could be the difference maker in Guba.
In the last fight of the night the Super Heavyweight (91kg+) class is on show, with home favourite Haji Murtuzaliyev taking on Croatia’s number two ranked Filip Hrgovic who is representing Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
Hrgovic has won all three of his WSB fights this season, with his last two wins coming via TKO. The 21-year-old is tall and powerful, and was the WSB Individual Champion in 2012.
Murtuzaliyev is 1-1 this season, but has won all three home matches he has had in his WSB career, including a victory over Ruslan Myrsatayev in week six, and he will be hoping to beat another Astana Arlans boxer here.
These two boxers met in the individual final in the 2011/2012 WSB season, with the Croatian winning that contest on points.
This has all the makings of being an explosive fight, with both boxers offering huge power. It could be a case of whoever hits first, wins.
If there is a need for a sudden death bout at the end of the night (which will happen if Kazakhstan wins three of the five fights and Azerbaijan wins two), it will take place at Light Heavyweight between Azerbaijan’s 2011 World Championship silver medalist Teymur Mammadov, and Kazakhstan’s Adilbek Niyazymbetov.
