British Lionhearts roar into Semi-Finals with convincing 4-1 second-leg win over Ukraine Otamans in London
London’s York Hall was rocking on Friday night after the British Lionhearts put on another imperious display of WSB boxing for their fans. In maintaining a 100% record at home this season, the team booked a place in the Semi-Finals for the first time in its history, and now looks likely to meet Astana Arlans Kazakhstan after the two-time champions’ 4-1 first-leg win over Venezuela Caciques.
The 4-1 demolition of Ukraine Otamans was a repeat of Thursday’s first-leg result, and it was the hosts’ German draft pick Ronny Beblik who set the ball rolling with a dominant display against the Ukrainian southpaw Denys Shkarubo in the opening flyweight bout. That left one half of the British Lionhearts’ impressive McCormack twins, lightweight star Luke, to settle the quarter-final once and for all with a sublime display in the fourth and fifth rounds against Otamans’ lightweight Vitaly Solyanik, the unanimous win making it 2-0 on the night and 6-1 overall.
There was plenty of boxing left in the tie, though, and Ukraine Otamans’ 20-year-old southpaw welterweight Serhii Bohachuk gave the visitors’ fans something to cheer as he took a brilliant contest with British Lionhearts’ powerful Ekow Tabiri Essuman that ebbed and flowed and lit up York Hall with pure boxing prowess. Another draft pick, Lionhearts’ Bulgarian heavyweight Radoslav Pantaleev returned from injury to take a tough win over Denys Solonenko, leaving the hotly anticipated bout between Frazer Clarke and Vladyslav Sirenko to wrap up a memorable Quarter-Final.
With the tie in the bag, Clarke adopted a patient approach, settling in to a comfortable distance and landing some heavy uppercuts to which his opponent could find no answer. Sirenko grew into the bout, but Clarke always looked one punch away from the win and it eventually came in the fifth, the referee awarding the TKO and a fitting finale to a commanding play-off performance from the British outfit.
Devastating Cuba Domadores seal 10-0 Quarter-Final win over Mexico Guerreros in Havana
The Cuba Domadores showed once again why they are the team to beat in WSB Season VI with a near-flawless Quarter-Final performance against Mexico Guerreros. With the tie standing at 5-0 to the hosts after Thursday’s first leg, the match was settled in uncompromising fashion with a second whitewash on Friday night, setting up a mouthwatering Semi-Final against Uzbek Tigers or Russian Boxing Team.
Cuban maestro Yosbany Veitia Soto was the first in the ring for the hosts and he quickly set about his task, dominating the opening two rounds against the less-experienced Jose Rojas with rapid counter-attacks. A superb combination in the third was enough to win the bout and settle the match, but there was still plenty of boxing talent left to come.
Three-time AIBA World Champion Lazaro Alvarez and Lindolfo Delgado put on a masterful show of lightweight skill for the crowd, the Guerreros star surprising Alvarez with some clever work early on. The Cuban hero took control in the final rounds, though, powering through to a unanimous points win.
In the southpaw bout of the day, Cuba’s London 2012 Olympic Champion Roniel Iglesias cruised to victory against Mexico’s Marvin Cabrera at welterweight, before the home side’s other triple World Champion, captain Julio Cesar La Cruz, successfully navigated his way past tricky light heavyweight Rogelio Romero.
The 10-0 victory was completed in style by Leinier Pero, who stopped Mexico’s US-based Elvis Garcia in the third round of their super heavyweight bout, meaning that the Domadores reach the Semi-Finals having dropped just three points so far this season. That impressive form is likely to be given a more thorough examination in the next round, however, as the Cubans wait to hear who they face after Saturday night’s Quarter-Final second leg between Russian Boxing Team and Uzbek Tigers.
Defending champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan book Semi-Final spot with 9-1 win over Venezuela Caciques
Two-time WSB Champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan completed their Quarter-Final task in style against the Venezuela Caciques on Saturday night, taking the second leg 5-0 to secure a resounding 9-1 win and set up a huge Semi-Final match against the British Lionhearts.
With Olzhas Sattibayev being saved for the later stages, the home side called upon flyweight Azamat Issakulov to take on current American Confederation Champion Yoel Finol, and a spectacular bout unfurled between the two once the young Venezuelan found his range in the second round. With neither boxer ceding the centre of the ring, Finol tried to switch tactics to unlock the Kazakh, but Issakulov stood firm and the win left the Arlans within one point of the semis.
It was the veteran boxer Zakir Safiullin who then put the result beyond any doubt, controlling his lightweight encounter with the Caciques’ Luis Cabrera thanks to some swift counter-attacks and an effortless style, before debutant Bekzod Khalmetov put in a superb, battling performance to overcome top Venezuelan Gabriel Maestre to the delight of the home crowd.
Arman Rysbek’s first gold at the Kazakh National Championships thrust him into the spotlight back in 2011, and his value to the Arlans squad at light heavyweight was underlined with a unanimous points win over Nalek Korbaj, thanks in part to some big-scoring punches in a pivotal third round that left Korbaj’s brave efforts at a comeback a case of too little, too late.
The Quarter-Final was wrapped up in fitting style by Astana Arlans’ Kamshybek Kunkabayev, who was called upon at super heavyweight against Caciques’ Edgar Ramon Munoz. After a cagey first round largely spent sizing eachother up, Kunkabayev showed his remarkable power with a huge blow to floor his opponent and leave the referee with little option but to stop the bout midway through the second. The Arlans will now face a resurgent British Lionhearts for a place in the Season VI final and a shot at a third WSB championship title.
Uzbek Tigers hold their nerve to earn superb 6-4 win against Russian Boxing Team and reach the Semi-Finals
The Uzbek Tigers were once again able to show their burgeoning WSB prowess on Saturday night as the new franchise repeated their impressive Quarter-Final first-leg performance in Russia with another 3-2 away win to take their place in the Semi-Finals. The 6-4 aggregate result sets up what could be the match of the season so far against a Cuba Domadores side that booked its place in the next round with a convincing win over Mexico Guerreros in Havana.
Saturday’s opening bout assumed huge importance with both sides looking to establish some precious momentum, and the responsabilitiy for the hosts fell to flyweight Viacheslav Tashkarakov, in for Karen Arutunian, against the Uzbek’s in-form AIBA Asia and Oceania Olympic Qualification Event winner Shakhobiddin Zoirov. The Tigers’ gifted 22-year-old boxed freely for a man making his WSB debut, using his greater speed to launch waves of counter-attacks that saw Zoirov win all five rounds against the Russian veteran and set the visitors on their way.
Two more debutants contested a short-lived lightweight bout as Uzbek Tigers’ Elnur Abduraimov dashed Dzhamal Badrutdinov’s hopes with a well-timed left at the end of the opening round from which he was unable to recover, the referee halting the match and putting the Tigers within touching distance of the semis.
Russian Boxing Team’s emerging welterweight star Albert Karibian was able to bring the hosts back into the tie as he edged a thrilling encounter against the highly respected Shakhram Giyasov. The powerful Uzbek made life uncomfortable for Karibian with some powerful right jabs in the first round, but the Russian remained on top to narrowly finish on the right side of the judges’ decision to make it 5-3 to the visitors on aggregate.
Russia’s Imam Khataev began his crucial light heavyweight class bout against Shukhrat Abdullayev with intent, only to see the Uzbek force his way back into contention at the half-way stage. Khataev caught his opponent in the third and, despite tiring badly, gave his side the chance of a memorable comeback as he closed the gap to just a point with one bout to go.
As the home crowd rose to the occasion, experienced Uzbek Mirzohidjon Abdullaev stepped up to quash any dreams of their team forcing a dramatic box-off with a comprehensive display against Andrey Afonin. Abdullaev reduced the fighting distance successfully in the opening minutes to take a lead that he refused to let slip, controlling the bout with timely jabs and taking a unanimous decision that saw the Uzbek Tigers safel through to a Semi-Final showdown against the mighty Cuba Domadores in their first-ever WSB campaign.
