USA 4-1 Algeria: Knockouts back in the mix
The USA Knockouts may well prove to be the surprise package of Group A after notching up yet another stylish home win.
Miami is becoming something of a fortress for the American outfit with the Algeria Desert Hawks the latest team to fall at its gates on Week 8. Importantly, the win moves the Knockouts ahead of Team Germany into the third place, with just two matches left in the Regular Season. Could the USA find themselves in the Playoffs for the second time in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) history?
Bout of the match
Josh Temple of the USA Knockouts took on Algerian Desert Hawks star boxer Chouaib Bouloudinats at Heavyweight. Temple was making his WSB debut against a man with 17 bouts worth of experience. That didn’t stop him from putting on an excellent show. Bouloudinats however had the experience to out-gun the powerful American with both men landing enormous blows throughout the fight.
Boxer of the match
23 year old Mohamed Flissi of Algeria is a London 2012 Olympian, current World silver medallist and the WSB number three ranked Light Flyweight. Thus it was a serious upturn for the books when relatively unknown Anthony Chacon from Puerto Rico beat him by TKO in round two. Chacon however, did make it to the quarter-finals of the World Championships last year, where it took eventual World Champion Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan to stop him. Tellingly, looking into both fighters eyes at the beginning of the match, Flissi seemed nervous whilst the Latin American boxer looked very up for the challenge. Despite that, it was Flissi who drew the proverbial first blood when he scored a knock down with one of his trademark hook combinations.
Chacon was un-phased however and at the end of the round, he stung Flissi with a hard right hand which put him on wobbly legs just before the bell tolled. In the opening moments of the second round, he caught Flissi on the counter again with another stunning right hand to drop him. No sooner was the Desert Hawk back on his feet than the Knockouts boxer overwhelmed him with the referee calling the fight off. It was a huge win for Chacon, who now goes 2-0 in the WSB.
The turning point
Once Middleweight Marlo Delgado Suarez of Ecuador took on Ilyas Abbadi of the Algeria Desert Hawks, the night really swung in the USA’s favour. With a walk over at Light Welterweight, the win in here meant that the USA captured all the points and leapfrogged Team Germany in the table. Suarez’ performance however was in itself exceptional. Abbadi is one of the top Algerian boxers; a London 2012 Olympian with a WSB record (coming into this bout) of 4-1. For the new Knockouts boxer, to have mixed it up so successfully with him shows that he is a real find for the USA team.
Wrap up
Steven Fulton got the first win of his WSB career to take his record to 1-1 against Samir Brahimi who has now lost all six of his WSB bouts, despite making it to the last 16 of the London Olympic Games.
Unfortunately for Algeria, one of their main boxers Abdelkader Chadi was ruled out at a late stage, which gave a walk over victory to the USA’s Carlos Adames at Light Welterweight.
Germany 2-3 Italy: The Eagles pinch a point
Team Germany managed to take what could prove to be a crucial point from the visiting Italians in their bid to hold onto third place in Group A this weekend. With both the USA Knockouts and the Algeria Desert Hawks breathing down their necks in the table, the point could prove pivotal in the long term, especially as the Germans still have a match in hand.
The Light Flyweights (46-49kg), Bantamweights (56kg), Light Welterweights (64kg), Middleweights (75kg) and Heavyweights (91kg) were contesting this match.
Bout of the match
Omar El Hag of Team Germany took on Khedafi Djelkhir of France in an interesting bout at Bantamweight that saw two athletes with 1-0 records facing each other. This was a real battle with both orthodox boxers willing to stand and trade for much of the fight. The German fighter took the opening two rounds by what must have been an extremely small margin, but the Italia Thunder boxer fought back to win the next two rounds. With the bout going right down to the wire in the fifth and final round, the two boxers were a credit to themselves, and their teams. They were both absolutely relentless but it was the Frenchman who took it in the end.
Boxer of the match
Light Flyweight Mark Barriga looked very sharp in his bout against Ovidiu Berceanu. The southpaw was elusive with beautiful footwork and head movement, which at times made him look untouchable. His hand speed was excellent and he measured his range, movement and tactics to perfection. He did well to ensure that he did not once let himself get drawn into a slug fest. All in all it was a skilful display by the Philippine boxer who put on a wonderful exhibition of boxing.
The turning point
When Team Germany’s European Champion Johann Witt took on Hungary’s WSB legend Imre Szello at Heavyweight, the whole match hung in the balance with the score at 2-2. The experienced Hungarian Italia Thunder fighter looked cat-like in the ring. His movement is almost comparable to a Super Slinky; namely, almost impossible to predict. The German worked hard and threw out hundreds of punches, but even if the bout had gone a few more rounds, the only danger to Szello would have been that he caught a cold from the whooshing air. It was another convincing win for Szello, who did well after stepping to cover for Clemente Russo at short notice.
Quote of the match
“I wouldn’t have a penny of anybody’s money on that round, I will leave that completely up to the judges to call” – Our commentator sums up exactly how close the first round between Omar El Hag and Khedafi Djelkhir was.
Wrap up
Kastriot Sopa of Team Germany pulled off the result of his WSB career to date when he beat three season veteran Branimir Stankovic of the Italia Thunder at Light Welterweight. The result was all the more impressive because Sopa had previously lost to the Serbian in Week 6 of Season III. The German dominated the match and the Italia Thunder’s boxer was unable to find another gear to stage a fight back. It was a great result for the German.
Denis Robert Radovan of Team Germany took on Bogdan Juratoni in a hard fought bout at Middleweight. Both boxers did some good work on the inside and their high level of physical conditioning gave what was an otherwise scrappy affair quite the edge. It was the local boxer who won it, much to the delight of the crowd, to bring the Germans to 2-2.
Mexico 2-3 Kazakhstan: Defiant last stand
The Mexico Guerreros put in a heroic last effort against the defending champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan as they battled in Week 8 to keep their hopes of a Playoffs place alive. The Arlans were clinical though and eventually managed to outscore the Season III semi-finalists.The result means that the Mexico Guerreros become the second casualty of the World Series of Boxing’s (WSB) so called “Group of Death” after Season III quarter-finalists, the Hussars Poland, and will not now make it past the group stages this year. But the Guerreros, as you would expect, certainly went down in a blaze of glory.
Bout of the match
Lindolfo Delgado got the result of his young WSB career when he caused an upset against Samat Bashenov. The 19 year old Guerrero has only made one other WSB appearance against the Hussars Poland, where as Bashenov came into the bout at 6-3. To give you some sense of how highly Bashenov is regarded by the Astana Arlans, suffice to say that it was he who was given the responsibility of facing Olympic Champion Vasyl Lomachenko in last year’s Finals. The two orthodox boxers were light on their toes and boxed at range. The Kazakh’s jab was excellent in the early stages, but importantly Delgado was willing to mix it up from the beginning with his more senior opponent. The bout remained close going into the fifth round but Delgado’s youthful energy began to swing the momentum in his direction as he took a tight decision.
Boxer of the match
Manat Omerzakov made one of the most spectacular WSB debuts in history when he took on and beat three season veteran Marvin Cabrera at Welterweight. The Mexican had only previously lost one match, and entered the ring with a 7-1 record. Cabrera was also the number one ranked Middleweight in the old weight category (68-73kg) last season. The 23 year old Kazakh boxer looked very loose despite that as he battled the southpaw. He showed very good head movement and intelligent footwork as he hunted for the outside angles, making particularly good use of his lead left hook which he threw from an unpredictable low guard. His fitness and work rate were excellent throughout. Moreover, this was a critical bout in the contest. With the Mexicans leading the match 2-0, a loss would have handed the win to the Guerreros. This then was an epic win for the Arlans’ new man.
The turning point
If the change in the flow of the match began with Omerzakov, then it was Super Heavyweight Croatian Filip Hrgovic who hammered the final nail in the Mexican coffin when he took on the Guerreros’ Renat Rahimov. The Uzbek Guerreros boxer looked OK in the first round against his much taller Arlans opponent, though he took a standing eight count after bouncing off the ropes and into a solid right hand. By round two he was looking extremely reluctant and he was dropped in the corner by the big Croatian. The Mexican coach wisely chose to protect his boxer and placed the towel on the top rope. He deserves credit for this, as it handed all the points to the visitors.
Quote of the match
“Debut or not, if you are good enough to box for the Astana Arlans then…you are good!” – Our Commentator on Manat Omerzakov.
Wrap up
2013 WSB Boxer of the year Elias Emigdio led his team out to the perfect start at Flyweight against the very talented Miras Zhakupov and earned a comfortable TKO victory to bring his WSB record to 16-3.
Petru Ciobanu had a tough bout against Hrvoje Sep. The Croatian boxer ground out his victory for the Arlans in what was unspectacular but effective boxing style to pull the bout level in this battle of attrition.
Argentina 3-2 Ukraine: Condors upset the odds
Lausanne, Switzerland, February 9, 2014 – In an interesting match in Buenos Aires, bottom of the table Argentina Condors turned more than a few heads in the boxing world when they beat World Series of Boxing (WSB) Group A leaders, and Season III runners-up, the Ukraine Otamans in convincing fashion, despite giving away a walk over in one bout. This was a significant boost for the Latin Americans, and the result keeps things extremely tight at both the top and bottom of the table.
Bout of the match
Carlos Aquino against Evaldas Petrauskas was clearly the best bout of the night with the Lithuanian Otamans boxer coming into the bout at 1-0 whilst the Argentinian had a perfectly inverted record to his opponent. Petrauskas is one of the hardest hitting Light Welterweights in the WSB whilst Aquino came in with a huge height and reach advantage. This set the stage for an interesting technical challenge for both men.
The Otamans boxer came out like a thunder storm, giving the Argentinian fighter a standing count half way through the first round in a style that could only be described as “Tyson-like”. The local boxer hung in there though, and early in the third the Otamans boxer began to tire. The Condors athlete began to be able to pick his man off at range with the explosion now gone from Petrauskas’ legs. Eventually, through precision boxing, the Argentinian was able to use the sniper option to beat his man at distance for the win.
Boxer of the match
Light Flyweight Condors boxer Leandro Blanc was impressive when he took on the Otamans Vadym Kudryakov. With both boxers coming into the ring with a 1-1 record, this was always going to be a fire-cracker of a bout; neither boxer wanted to leave the ring with a negative win ratio. Blanc’s loss came to the world class Philippine boxer Mark Barriga of the Italia Thunder, which is forgivable at this stage of his career. He justified his coach’s faith in selecting him here, with a heat-seeking, predatory performance against the Ukrainian. Aggressive with extremely fast hands and excellent mobility, Blanc could be an important boxer for the Condors as he develops next season.
The turning point
When Heavyweight debutant Facundo Solis of the Condors took on Otamans Siarhei Karneyeu, the Argentinians were 3-1 up following the Middleweight walk-over victory to Ukraine. Karneyeu came into this bout with a 4-0 record, which included a surprise win over current World Champion Clemente Russo in Week 4. Taking the centre of the ring early, he dominated the bout from the off and took the win convincingly. This denied Argentina the full points, but allowed the Otamans to limit the damage of the Italia Thunder challenge the top of the table.
Quote of the match
“This has been a real test of character for Aquino; one which he is passing with flying colours here against Petrauskas” – WSB commentator on the bout of the night.
Wrap up
Experienced Condors boxer Alberto Melian took his WSB record to an impressive 7-1 thanks to his win over debutant Aram Avagyan. Melian has been sensational so far for the Condors this season, winning all four of his bouts and becoming the number one ranked WSB Bantamweight in the process.
As already mentioned, at Middleweight Carlos Ozan was forced to pull out of his bout with Dmytro Myrofanov at a late stage. This gave the Otamans a walk over victory.
Baku Fires Shut Out Poland
In a ruthless display of boxing, the Azerbaijan Baku Fires beat the Hussars Poland and overtook the Russian Boxing Team to go into third place in Group B.
With the Mexico Guerreros failing in their last push to qualify to the Playoffs, the focus for the Fires is now on finishing the season ahead of their regional rivals. With Russia vs. Cuba postponed to March the 12th, we will have to wait and see if they can hold on to their one point advantage.
Bout of the match
Magomedrashid Jabrailov of the Baku Fires took on Mateusz Polski of the Hussars Poland with both fighters looking for their first WSB win. The Pole was 0-1 going into the bout whilst the Azeri was making his debut. This was an excellent bout with both boxers very evenly matched and showing some serious class that was out of sync with their limited WSB experience. The Azeri was an explosive athlete, finding his places to rest behind his guard before suddenly unleashing super-powerful but short-lived bursts of activity. Polski meanwhile was an endurance style fighter and this opted to chip away at his opponent continually and try to limit the damage sustained during the aggressive Azeri onslaughts. It was the power of the Fires man that made the difference in the end though as he took the win.
Boxer of the match
WSB debutant Murad Rabadanov looked very solid against Mariusz Koch. The Azeri’s power was almost overwhelming for the young Polish boxer. The new Fires boxer fired off so many shots that it looked like Koch was trying to fend of blows from a swarm of wasps at times. The Pole began to look a little bit more at ease in the discomfort zone in the third, and somehow made it through to the fifth round in a display of excellent survival instincts and tenacity. Rabadanov however looked like he is able to box at an entirely different level. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him making plenty more appearances for the Fires next season.
The turning point
Nineteen year old Welterweight Kamil Akhmedov of the Baku Fires made his debut against Ireneusz Zakrzewski. The Pole, just 21 himself, is 1-2 in the WSB. The Pole had a considerable reach advantage, whilst the Azeri seemed to poses the power. He used that to great effect and began to dominate the match with the Pole desperately chasing. The Hussars man couldn’t do enough however and it was a great first win in the WSB for Akhmedov.
Quote of the match
“Oh my goodness, Mammadov just dropped his opponent like third grade French” – WSB Commentator Will Vanders.
Wrap up
Teymur Mammadov of the Baku Fires was in awesome form against Piotr Podlucki. He knocked his Light Heavyweight opponent down in the first round with a stunning uppercut to the body. The London 2012 bronze medallist continued to use his height advantage to land his jab with the frequency of a nail-gun on random fire mode.
Super Heavyweights Arslanbek Makhmudov and Arkadiusz Toborek took to the canvas in the final contest of the day. The Kazakh was the more powerful athlete and dominated the centre of the ring. The big man’s strength proved too much for the Polish boxer and at 1:53 of round two he won by TKO.
