Ukraine Otamans defeat Russian Boxing Team in a classic WSB contest
An excellent night of World Series of Boxing (WSB) action in Kyiv was won by Ukraine Otamans who defeated Russian Boxing Team 3-2.
This was an important result for Ukraine after Mexico Guerreros won earlier in the day, and after retaking third in the Group A table, they are now just two points behind the Russian Franchise with one match of the Regular Season to go.
The fixture also held much significance for many individual competitors as it represented their last match of the group stages, and their final chance to earn a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB.
Uzbekistan’s Light flyweight (49 kg) Hasanboy Dusmatov has been an excellent operator for the Otamans this season, and earned his seventh successive win in the opening contest by defeating Russia’s 0-2 Belik Galanov.
Only one Olympic quota is available at Light flyweight, and Dusmatov temporarily moved to the top of the rankings after this victory which leaves him three points ahead of Ireland’s Patrick Barnes who competes on Saturday night.
Dusmatov was excellent against Galanov, and dictated the pace of the bout throughout.
Ukraine went 2-0 up in the second bout of the evening by finally winning their first match of the season at Light welterweight (64 kg).
Volodymyr Matviichuk had lost two of those six contests, but achieved a marvelous performance when he beat Russian National Championships bronze medallist Grigorii Lizunenko on points.
Matviichuk was busy in every round, and kept on top of Lizunenko whose sole success was winning the third round on all three scorecards.
Following the early Ukrainian successes, Russia’s 6-0 Petr Khamukov needed to win at Middleweight (75 kg) if his Franchise was to have any chance of winning the overall contest, but he also entered the ring with another mission on his mind.
The Middleweight (75 kg) led the rankings at the beginning of the week, while his undefeated opponent Hurshidbek Normatov could also qualify for Rio if he defeated his Russian rival in Kyiv.
Despite being the shorter fighter, Khamukov was much stronger, and used his boxing brain to manhandle Normatov across the ring throughout their meeting.
After five rounds, Khamukov’s hand was raised, earning Russia their first victory of the match, whilst moving him back to the top of the Middleweight rankings where an Olympic quota awaits.
6-0 Russian Bantamweight (56 kg) Vladimir Nikitin then evened up the scoring, and secured his own Rio quota with a unanimous points win over 0-2 Omurbek Malabekov.
This was a surprisingly close fight considering the gulf in the rankings between the two fighters, but though Malabekov presented a lot of problems, the exemplary Nikitin eventually pulled away and sealed the win.
Nikitin is now assured of finishing in the top two places at Bantamweight, no matter what happens on Saturday night.
With everything to play for heading into the last match of the evening at Heavyweight (91 kg), two men making their first appearances of the season competed against each other.
Ukraine’s Gevorg Manukyan was a relative unknown in WSB heading into this bout, but made a huge name for himself by outperforming Russia’s Sergey Kalchugin and secured a memorable win for his team.
Manukyan displayed tremendous stamina for a Heavyweight, and the Ukrainian stunned Kalchugin on occasion with the accuracy of his shots.
After this victory, Ukraine Otamans visit Cuba Domadores in the last match of the Regular Season, while Russian Boxing Team travel to Morocco Atlas Lions.
Mexico Guerreros maintain knockout dreams with away win over China Dragons
A solid 4-1 away victory against China Dragons ensured Mexico Guerreros returned to winning ways in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), and kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of Season V.
The Mexican Franchise are now two points behind third placed Ukraine Otamans with just one match of the Regular Season to go.
A passionate crowd at the Mangrovetree Convention Center, Sanya was treated to five bouts of high action, which began at Light flyweight (49 kg) when 6-1 Joselito Velázquez Altamirano defeated China’s He Junjun by split decision.
Both of these boxers have competed well this season, but the Mexican fighter produced the better work throughout the fight, although Junjun managed to sting his elusive guard a couple of times during each round.
China evened up the scoring at Bantamweight (56 kg) when 3-2 Diao Jianhao won another split decision verdict over Sergio Alfredo Chirino Sánchez.
Jianhao was awarded the contest 49-46 by two judges due to his power punches and busier output, while Sánchez won 48-47 according to the third scorecard.
In the most significant individual match of the evening, Mexico’s 6-1 Raúl Curiel García temporarily moved to second in the Light welterweight (64 kg) rankings after winning every round against Jun Yang.
Despite the wide gap on the scorecards, Yang was competitive throughout, yet the main difference was that every time he managed to punch Curiel, the Mexican responded with a flurry of accurate shots which changed the landscape of each round.
With two Olympic quotas available at the weight class through WSB, Curiel is currently four points ahead of Vincenzo Mangiacapre and Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev who both compete on Saturday night.
If neither fighter wins their last contest then Curiel will finish second in the rankings, and achieve a potential place in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Mexico achieved the overall victory at Middleweight (75 kg) as Misael Uriel Rodríguez Oliva outpointed Zhou Di in the most entertaining bout of the evening.
Both men stood toe-to-toe from the opening bell, and landed frequent heavy shots on each other throughout each frame.
The work of the Guerrero was more impressive however, and despite losing the last round on two scorecards he was awarded a unanimous decision verdict.
Julio Cesar Castillo Torres then ended Mexico’s evening with a flourish when the 3-0 Heavyweight (91 kg) stopped China’s Li Mingtao with a sharp left hook in round two of their contest.
Mexico Guerreros finish their Regular Season next week at home to British Lionhearts, while China Dragons host A
Captivating Caciques Venezuela defeat Italia Thunder in Maiquetía
Caciques Venezuela recovered from losing the first two legs in Maiquetía to defeat Italia Thunder 3-2 in a pulsating World Series of Boxing (WSB) clash.
The victory for the South American Franchise means they are just a single point behind third placed Italy in the Group B table, with one match of the Regular Season to go.
There was early team and individual success for the Italian team in the opening match of the evening when Ireland’s Patrick Barnes earned his seventh successive victory of the season, and finished top of the Light flyweight (49 kg) rankings after he defeated Venezuela’s Yoel Finol.
Only one Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota was available for the Light flyweights, and Barnes needed to win following Hasanboy Dusmatov’s success on Friday night.
He showed no nerves against Finol, knocking down his opponent in the first round and utilised his power and pressure consistently throughout the fight.
Barnes won 49-45 on two scorecards, while the third judge awarded the contest to the Venezuelan 48-47.
Despite the split decision verdict, the win was enough to send Barnes back to the top of the Light flyweight rankings, and earn him a Rio 2016 quota.
Another Irish fighter to succeed for the Italy on the night was 5-2 Michael Conlan, who also achieved his own Olympic quota by beating José Vicente Azocar.
Conlan began the WSB weekend ranked third at Bantamweight (56 kg), but after Azerbaijan’s Magomed Gurbanov lost in Puerto Rico, his Olympic destiny was secured with a 49-46 win across the board against his South American opponent.
The Irish star expertly displayed his unorthodox style and elusive reflexes en route to the victory, and the valuable second place in the Bantamweight rankings.
Italy’s Vincenzo Mangiacapre headed into his fight with Venezuela’s Luis Arcón knowing that a stoppage or unanimous decision win would not only seal the overall victory for Italy on the night, but also secure a top two ranking in the Light welterweight (64 kg) division and an Olympic quota.
Unfortunately for the Italian he was up against a motivated Arcón who was the busier fighter in the opening three rounds.
Though Mangiacapre made a comeback it was too late, and he lost the match, plus his Olympic opportunities through WSB 48-47 according to all three judges.
The Venezuelan team evened up the match after fight number four at Middleweight (75 kg) when Nalek Rachid Korbaj Barrerra dominated Italy’s Salvatore Cavallaro in a very entertaining clash.
With everything to play for heading into the last bout at Heavyweight (91 kg), it was down to either home star Alfonso Flores or Italian debutant Giuseppe Claudio Squeo to become a hero for their team.
Squeo was aggressive in the opening stages of the fight, but Flores remained composed and eventually won on all three scorecards, securing a famous victory for Venezuela which maintains their hopes of reaching the knockout stages in their debut season.
Caciques Venezuela travel to Rafako Hussars Poland in the last week of the Regular Season, while Italia Thunder host Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
Algeria Desert Hawks win African derby after outperforming Morocco Atlas Lions
The second ever World Series of Boxing (WSB) African derby was won by Algeria Desert Hawks 4-1 over Morocco Atlas Lions.
This was only the second win for Algeria in Season V of WSB, but their wonderful performance more than warranted the victory, and offers sweet revenge after narrowly losing the first derby earlier on in the campaign.
Morocco will be disappointed at losing their first match in four fixtures, but will take some comfort from remaining three places above their African opponents in the Group A table.
Algeria set the template for their overall victory in the first bout of the evening at Light flyweight (49 kg), when Zoheir Toudjine won his first match of the season in five attempts against Zouhair El Bekkali.
No Algerian Light flyweight had achieved success across six fixtures, so Toudjine will be delighted to destroy that record.
The Atlas Lions levelled up the scoring at Bantamweight (56 kg) after 3-2 Mohamed Hamout widely outpointed 0-4 Fahem Hammachi.
Hamout looked excellent in the bout and teamed fast hands with a wide array of shots.
Light welterweight (64 kg) Ahmed Boudiaf recovered from the losing the first round against Morocco’s Hamza El Barbari to win perhaps the most entertaining fight of the night.
Boudiaf took control in round two, before dropping El Barbari in the third frame.
Moments after the knockdown, the ringside doctor ruled that the Moroccan could not continue due to a head injury, which resulted in Algeria’s second win of the evening.
Ilyas Abbadi has been one of Algeria’s most successful boxers this season, and the star enjoyed his fourth successive home win over Said Harnouf to secure the famous victory for his Franchise.
Abbadi delighted the crowd with his entertaining style, and completely dominated Harnouf over the course of their contest.
The win means that Abbadi finishes the Regular Season sixth in the Middleweight (75 kg) rankings.
Another stoppage occurred in the last match of the night when Heavyweight (91 kg) Bouziane Houna finished Amine Azzouzi in round two.
Houna had dropped Azzouzi twice earlier in the round, and after another flurry the referee called an end to the bout.
Algeria Desert Hawks travel to China Dragons next week in the last match of the Regular Season, while Morocco Atlas Lions host Russian Boxing Team.
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan win 13th WSB fight in a row against Argentina Condors
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan recovered from losing the first match of the evening to secure a 4-1 away win in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) against Argentina Condors.
Not only was this Kazakhstan’s 13th consecutive win in Season V, but their Heavyweight (91 kg) star Vassiliy Levit also achieved a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB after stopping Argentina’s Diego Blanche in the last fight of the evening.
Levit has now won all seven of his bouts this season, and the victory over Blanche represented his fifth TKO success of the campaign.
Only one qualification spot for the Olympic Games next year was available at Heavyweight, but Levit never looked troubled against Banche and dominated throughout the two rounds.
His five stoppages means that he finishes top of the Heavyweight rankings despite achieving the same amount of points as Cuba’s Erislandy Savon, and ensures his Rio 2016 quota as a result of that incredible achievement.
The night began with a rare loss for Kazakhstan after 3-2 Condors Light flyweight (49 kg) Junior Zarate won by unanimous decision over Zhomart Yerzhan.
Zarate was the faster man in the ring, and his aggression ultimately carried him to victory.
Kazakhstan began their comeback at Bantamweight (56 kg) when 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Kairat Yeraliyev achieved his second victory of the season against debutant Jonathan Emanuel Sanchez.
Astana Arlans took the lead in Argentina in the next fight following Samat Bashenov’s fifth successive WSB win.
Bashenov, the fifth ranked Light welterweight (64 kg) in Season V was excellent in his contest with Lucas Ivan Gimenez and won every round.
The team from Kazakhstan opened up an unassailable 3-1 lead at Middleweight (75 kg) when 2013 AIBA World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly defeated Christian Zarate on points.
Alimkhanuly dropped Zarate in round one, but the Argentine fighter was brave and managed to carry on until the end of the contest.
Argentina Condors travel to Azerbaijan Baku Fires next week, while Astana Arlans Kazakhstan visit Italia Thunder.
Revitalized Rafako Hussars Poland dominate USA Knockouts in Szczecin
Rafako Hussars Poland won their penultimate home match in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Regular Season 4-1 against USA Knockouts.
The victory gave a great reward to Poland’s excellent home support in Szczecin, and came as a result of their hard work and dedication.
Poland began the fixture with a 1-0 lead after USA’s Joshua Franco was unable to compete in his Light flyweight (49 kg) match with Dawid Sebastian Jagodzinski.
One victory turned to a second at Bantamweight (56 kg) when Sylwester Kozlowski enjoyed a points win over 4-3 Francisco Martinez.
Kozlowski looked the bigger man in the ring, and was the pressure fighter across the close contest which finished with all three judges awarding the bout to the Polish star.
Martinez started the campaign with four successive wins, and though he has now lost three in a row, the boxer has only just turned 19, and should be proud with how his debut WSB season has gone.
2-1 Tra-Kwon Pettis pulled back a win for the Knockouts at Light welterweight (64 kg) with a wide points decision over Kazimierz Łęgowski.
Pettis utilised fast flurries and used his reach incredibly well which caused significant problems for Łęgowski.
The American comeback was stopped at Middleweight (75 kg) when Tomasz Jablonski enjoyed his sixth victory of the season, and the overall result for Poland against USA’s Anthony Campbell.
Jablonski has been Poland’s best boxer this season, and began this week with an outside chance of earning a Rio 2016 Olympic Games quota through WSB.
Although he defeated Campbell, he ultimately finished third in the Middleweight rankings, and outside of the Olympic qualification places despite having the same amount of points as Arlen Lopez and Petr Khamukov.
Throughout all five rounds of his contest with Campbell, the Polish fighter expertly showed why he has been so successful this season, and his overhand right was a constant weapon.
Poland secured their fourth triumph of the night at Heavyweight (91 kg) when Michal Olas dropped USA’s Joshua Temple en route to a unanimous decision result.
Rafako Hussars host Caciques Venezuela next week in the last match of the group stages, while USA Knockouts are at home to Puerto Rico Hurricanes.lgeria Desert Hawks.
AIBA European Olympic Qualifying Event to be held in Turkey in 2016
International Boxing Association President Dr Ching Kuo-Wu and President of Turkish Boxing Federation Mr Eyüp Gözgeç have signed an Agreement to host the AIBA European Olympic Qualifying Event in Turkey in April 2016 in the presence of the Minster of Youth and Sport of Turkey, Mr Akif Çağatay Kılıç,
AIBA President praised the agreement: “I am very happy that this prestige event will be held in Turkey, and I am very confident that Turkish Boxing Federation will be able to organize the competition at the highest possible standard.” He also expressed his appreciation to the Minister: “I am deeply appreciative to the Minister for his great support rendered to our sport and our National Federation.”
The President of Turkish Boxing Federation replied to AIBA President: “Turkey is very keen on further developing and promoting boxing in our country and I am confident that hosting this event will help involve more people in the sport of boxing”.
The AIBA European Olympic Qualifying Event in 2016 will produce a total of 30 Olympic quota places which the top 3 ranked boxers in each of the ten weight categories earn the opportunities to represent their countries in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
