Cuba 5-0 Poland: Domadores Dynamite!
In a magnificent display of class, the Cuba Domadores again underlined why they are title favorites for many pundits this year. The resurgence in the Hussar’s form in the last few weeks counted for little when they found themselves up against the stand-out team in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) this season.
To take nothing away from the ever-hard working Polish boxers however, this was a boxing master class by some of the best in the business as the Light Flyweights (46-49kg), Bantamweights (56kg), Light Welterweights (64kg), Middleweights (75kg) and Heavyweights (91kg) battled it out in Havana.
Bout of the match
Credit is due to the Hussars Piotr Gredke for really chasing his bout at Middleweight. The Polish boxer went after his Cuban opponent Ramon Luis in classic Hussars style and pushed him to 10:9 rounds across the board. This made it the closest fight of the evening and the Cuban certainly couldn’t switch off against such a determined opponent. It was an important win for Luis after he suffered a surprise defeat in Week 5 away to the Azerbaijan Baku Fires. His win today brings his WSB record to 3-1 and will give him confidence going forward. It’s been tough for Gredke though who is clearly a competent boxer, but who is now 0:2 in the WSB, having faced world class opponents on both occasions. At just 23 and already pushing hard in the ring, we may expect him to improve his record with time.
Boxer of the match
Heavyweight Erislandy Savon was in majestic shape and stalked his opponent Lukasz Zygmunt like a panther. There wasn’t much of a bout to report, with the two boxers feeling each other out early on before Savon quickly turned up the heat and knocked the Pole out with a right hook following a barrage of punches in the corner. This happened barely one minute into the bout (1:56 remaining). If you think this was lucky, think again; Savon scored a round one TKO over Frenchman Djabril Coupe of the Mexico Guerreros in his WSB debut, and also delivered the fastest win of the 2013 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan where he nailed his opponent Jinho Heo of Korea with an epic left hook that floored the Korean boxer in less than thirty seconds for a TKO victory. Savon isn’t the current WSB number one ranked Heavyweight for nothing, and he takes his WSB record to 4:0 after today’s shift at the office.
The turning point
When Light Welterweight Yasnier Toledo took to the ring against Damian Kiwior, the door was shut firmly on the Hussars chances of claiming an unlikely away victory in Havana. The bout also represented redemption for Toledo following his Week 5 away loss to the Baku Fires. The results brought his WSB record to 2-1. The Pole however put up a scrappy performance and didn’t let the Cuban have it all his own way. The bout was scored 10:9 by all three judges in all rounds, except for the final one. At this point, Toledo really began to turn up the heat on his Polish opponent and the deduction of two points for warnings didn’t help his cause either. The Cuban victory was assured.
Fact/Stat of the match
50% of number one ranked WSB Heavyweight Savon’s matches have not even made it past the first round, with the 23 year old Cuban winning either by TKO or KO early doors. That is a frightening stat if you are drawn against him.
Wrap up
It isn’t particularly fair for Light Flyweight Yosbany Veitia to end up in the wrap up section of the report, but with the presence of Savon and the performance of Gredke, he was unable to break into either of the top two categories this week. This is unfortunate as he has been one of the WSB’s most consistent and leading performers this season, and this is not the first time that he has found himself relegated to the bottom of the page either. His match against Dawid Jagodzinski was a technical boxing masterclass of epic proportions, with the southpaw Cuban tactically supreme throughout.
Marcos Forestal looked solid in his second ever WSB bout against Sylwester Kozlowski at Bantamweight. The Polish boxer now has the unfortunate WSB record of 0-5, but epitomising the spirit of the Hussars team, he was tenacious as ever in attacking his opponent. The Pole possesses an incredibly heavy right-hand, and operating from behind a high guard, he rocked the Cuban early on, catching him off balance and nearly sending him tumbling. Forestal recovered well from that little upset and out-boxed the Pole 10:9 in every round thereafter.
Argentina 1-4 USA: The Knockouts are in business
The USA Knockouts are going from strength to strength in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) this season. Last week they became the first team to take a point from the Season III runners-up, the Ukraine Otamans, after previously snatching points from the awesome Italia Thunder team. Now they have taken their first away win of the year in Argentina, and suddenly their season has started to look very solid.
Clearly a side on the up, and with an improving quality and depth to their ranks, the USA Knockouts may well be serious contenders next year if they are clever in the off-season. Moreover, they may yet slide into the Playoffs this year if their form continues in the same vein.
Bout of the match
With the score 3-1 in favour of the USA when Super Heavyweights Leonardo Taborda and Sweden’s Mohamed Sallah entered the ring, there was pressure on both men to secure their team’s points. The Argentinian Taborda, who was making his debut, looked good at times and caused his bigger opponent some difficult moments throughout the five rounds. But the Knockouts’ new find Sallah added a second victory to his WSB CV, taking him to 2-0 after winning the first three rounds 10:9. It should be noted that in fairness to Taborda, he won the last two rounds by the same margin in a bid to battle back. It was an extremely close fight. Sallah raising his opponent’s hand at the end was a moment of classy sportsmanship that was appreciated by the crowd.
Boxer of the match
Flyweight Christian Roda got the evening off to a good start for the Condors when he took on Shawn Simpson of the USA, who came into the bout with a 1-1 record. This was however the American’s first outing of Season IV and he may have suffered from a little ring rust. Although it was a good, clean and tough performance from both fighters, across the five rounds it was Roda who outworked the American, much to the home crowds delight. It was also a huge win for Roda on a personal level as he had entered the bout with a terrible 0-4 record across two seasons. Having finally nailed a well worked, first ever WSB win, it will be interesting to watch how the 21 year old develops from here. Time is still on his side.
Wrap up
There was an unfortunate end to the second match of the evening between Brian Nuñez of the Condors and Luis Arcon from Venezuela representing the Knockouts at Lightweight. The Argentinian injured his left elbow in a fall and was unable to continue. With the Knockouts boxer having won both rounds so far, he was awarded the bout, much to the home crowd’s agitation.
The bout between Condors’ Braian Suarez and Knockouts’ Michel Borges de Souza was a Walk Over in the favour of the USA.
Mexico 3-2 Azerbaijan: Guerreros fight fire with fire
This weekend represented an enormous opportunity for the Azerbaijan Baku Fires. Had they won in Mexico City, then they would have pulled level with the Russian Boxing Team in the table of Group B. Season III semi-finalists, the Mexico Guerreros, were not interested in rolling over easily on home turf however, and they rediscovered the form that made them one of the World Series of Boxing (WSB)’s most formidable teams last year.
Bout of the match
Brian Gonzalez was astonishing in just his second ever WSB outing against WSB veteran Gairbek Germakhanov. The Baku Fires Bantamweight went into this bout having only ever lost two bouts in the WSB with a record of 11-2. He is really one of the most under-discussed star boxers in the League and was the number one Bantamweight in Season II. But in this whirlwind of a match, he was out-gunned by the 19 year old Mexican. This was one of the best bouts we have ever seen in the WSB; with both athletes leaving it all in the ring and the fight going right down to the wire. At one point, the young Gonzales looked like he could barely walk to his corner between rounds such was the furious tempo of the contest. The result really means that Gonzalez could also be considered the boxer of the match…But we can’t let him hog both categories, therefore…
Boxer of the match
Heavyweight Vladimir Cheles of the Baku Fires found the odds stacked against the visiting side when he entered the ring. With the score at 3:1, his bout would be crucial if the Fires were to salvage anything from their trip to Mexico. Following an impressive performance though, that is exactly what happened. After winning the first two rounds but losing the third to his opponent Efetobor Apochi, Cheles left nothing to chance as he went into the forth and let the leather fly. The Moldovan’s onslaught was too much for Apochi, who wasn’t able to make it out for the final round. It was a critical win for the Fires, and given the circumstances and the difficult away conditions in Mexico, that made Cheles the boxer of the match for us (though perhaps after Gonzalez…).
The turning point
Juan Romero, the Guerreros experienced Light Welterweight was in no mood to mess about today and used his 15 bouts of experience in the WSB to over-run the unfortunate Fires debutant Salman Ibrahimov. Romero claimed his third career TKO in the league just 15 seconds into the second round, after flooring the new boy one time too many for his corner’s liking. It was a sensible decision from his coaches to pull him out, as he was clearly outclassed by the four season WSB veteran Romero, who is still only 24 years old. Time now for Ibrahimov to reflect and learn, as a quick study of Romero’s own record will reveal he had a tough first season himself, losing three bouts, before going unbeaten the following year.
Wrap up
Joselito Velazquez got a much needed first win of his WSB career against Magomed Ibiyev who now goes 1-1. Velazquez, who is clearly an emerging talent, obviously has the support of the Mexican coaches despite previously losing against number one ranked Yosbany Veitia of Cuba and new Russian team member Belik Galanov. Since he opened the evening for the Guerreros and sent them off on the winning path, he will be happy with his performance and his new 1-2 record.
Unfortunately for the Guerreros and Juan Mercado, that elusive first win still seems to be slipping his grasp and he is now 0-4 in the WSB following a cut he suffered in the fourth. When the scores were tallied by the judges, the bout was given to his rival Soltan Migitinov in a decision that the home crowd didn’t much appreciate.
Kazakhstan 5-0 Russia: Alpha Wolves tear it up
It was an emphatic win for the defending World Series of Boxing (WSB) Champions, the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan over the emerging powerhouse Russian Boxing Team. The Russian visitors will need to go back to the drawing board and will leave Almaty, fortunate to hang onto their third place in Group B after the Azerbaijan Baku Fires slipped up in Mexico.
Bout of the match
Vasilii Levit of the Arlans had a fantastic match with Aleksei Egorov of Russia. It was the Russian’s debut but he put on a great show. Whilst Levit has been the sensational find of the season so far for the defending champions, Egorov, who looks very much like every fighter’s worst nightmare, stole the first round by split decision. The huge Heavyweight forced his Kazakh opponent to get on his bike with his dominance on the inside. The second round was very active indeed with both boxers really getting stuck in.
Levit looked to end it quickly but with the Russian having a solid chin, the bout became a slug fest as the Arlans boxer was in danger of getting sucked into Egorov’s preferred game plan towards the very end of the round. Words must have been said by Head Coach Sergiy Korchynsky and soon after, Levit was back on the outside looking sharp. Egorov was unable to match his speed and gradually slipped off the pace. It was a good win for Levit, who now goes 4-0 in the WSB.
Boxer of the match
Sergiy Derevyanchenko made his twenty second appearance in the WSB against Russia’s Petr Khamukov at Middleweight. The Kazakh crowd immediately began cheering on their Ukrainian legend. It was an interesting opening round with the Arlans boxer taking his time to figure out his opponent in a game of chess. The young Russian got his fair share of shots of in round two, but the physical presence of Derevyanchenko always seemed to dominate the entire ring-space. As our commentator said, with the Russian up on his toes and bouncing around to stay safe, it was like Khamukov “was tap dancing through a minefield”.
He managed to open a cut above the Ukrainian’s eye with a good left hook in the third, but the result was only that the beast was awoken, and within a few seconds, the Russian was taking a standing eight count. Khamukov did well to hang in there, but there was only ever going to be one winner here.
The turning point
Askhat Ualikhanov took on Maxim Dadashev of the Russian Boxing Team at Light Welterweight. Both boxers came into the ring with 2:0 records in the WSB so someone was going to be sent home with the first loss of his WSB career. The southpaw Ualikhanov made excellent use of his foot work, despite boxing at close range. The orthodox Russian just seemed a little out-worked and forced onto the defensive by the local athlete, and it was he who found himself with a smirch in his record book.
Quote of the match
“If you hit Sergiy Derevyanchenko in your dreams, you had better wake up and say sorry” – Commentator Will Vanders appropriately adapts a Mohamed Ali quote.
Wrap up
Mardan Berikbayev of the Arlans against Belik Galanov of Russia was an interesting bout with the southpaw Kazakh facing a complex guard and stance from the Russian who at times stood deep and looked to counter, and at other moments rushed in unpredictably. It became a very scrappy affair but also a very closely contested one that went right down to the final bell, but it was the Kazakh who won it on a split decision.
Elsewhere, two debutants went toe to toe when Kazakh Madi Shulakov of the Arlans faced Nikita Fedorchenko of the Russian Boxing Team. The Arlans fighter dominated the early stages against the southpaw Russian by coming forward and backing his opponent up. However the Russian began to show some excellent foot work. This would have been the tactical battle for the whole bout, had Shulakov tactically spoiled Fedorchenko’s work. In round two, the Russian was penalised for a head butt, which got the crowd in the Almaty Sports Palace booing. In the end, the Kazakh boxer was too much for him in what was an exciting but messy bout.
Italy 5-0 Algeria: Italia Thunder hammer the Hawks
It was a tough night in Italy for the Algeria Desert Hawks as the Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder sent their Mediterranean neighbours home empty handed. The result put the Italians just one point behind Group A leaders the Ukraine Otamans, whose match was postponed to February the 14th.
For the Desert Hawks, with the USA Knockouts winning their away fixture in Argentina this weekend, their place in the Playoffs could all now hinge on their head to head match with the Americans.
Bout of the match
Italian superstar boxer Domenico Valentino took on impressive Algerian debutant Reda Benbaziz at Lightweight. The southpaw Desert Hawk moved very well and caused the current World bronze medallist some difficulties at times early on. In a lightning fast bout, Benbaziz had his moments, including catching Valentino heavily at the end of round three. Thereafter though, the Italian’s (now) fifteen bout WSB experience came to bear on the affair as he put on a real exhibition for the local supporters. Valentino looked excellent and now goes 11-4 in the WSB following a real crowd pleaser.
Boxer of the match
Vincenzo Picardi is another of the Italia Thunder’s go-to boxers, with a 9-2 record coming into this Flyweight bout against Amine Khentache, the Italian can always be relied on to deliver a top draw performance. Picardi was his usual aggressive self and scored well with body shots. That said he boxed a very tactical bout, playing it safe and “managing” his opponent rather than going on a seek-and-destroy mission. In many ways, this was a master craftsman quietly going about his work. The Algerian couldn’t get anywhere near him, his frustration clearly getting the better of him at times.
The turning point
With 5-0 being the final score, the turning point was arguably the moment the Italians stepped into the ring with Joe Joyce leading them out. He dominated from the beginning against his Algerian opponent Fateh Touahar. The British Super Heavyweight was able to land at will and the Desert Hawk was forced to take a standing eight count in the second. He was in survival mode thereafter. Joyce never really got out of third gear, but the referee had seen enough by the middle of the third round. His 20 year old opponent, who was making his WSB debut, will now need to focus on improving his conditioning so that he mixes it with the strongest guys in his category.
Fact/Stat of the match
Between them tonight’s Italia Thunder team have amassed a grand total of 31 wins in the WSB (with 21 of those coming via Picardi and Valentino between them). Their rival selection from the Desert Hawks have amassed… none.
Wrap up
Italia Thunder’s Peter Mullenberg from Holland took on 20 year old Hichem Kaalaour at Light Heavyweight. The Algerian southpaw definitely had the reach advantage, with the strength seeming to lie with the Dutchman. It became clear early on that the Italia Thunder boxer was an explosive athlete, taking his time to charge up before unleashing in flurries. The Desert Hawk had to keep chipping away at him with his jab to prevent him from having the time to surge forward… But could he? The short answer was, not quite. But the Desert Hawk gave a good account of himself and didn’t let Mullenberg have it all his own way. It was the Dutchman’s power that won it in the end however.
Welterweight Riccardo Pintaudi took to the ring in search of redemption following his loss to Argentina Condors’ star boxer Brian Castaño in his debut. His opponent Sofiane Tabi had a similar problem coming in with a record of 0-2. One of them would get to improve that in this bout, and it was clear from the off that they both wanted the honour. The Algerian had very fast hands and peppered his opponent with hooks and jabs that his team mate World silver medallist Mohamed Flissi would have been proud of. The Italia Thunder boxer worked from behind a tight guard and threw less blows, but you had the impression that they did more damage when they did land and it was he who took the bout.
