Reinforced Puerto Rico Hurricanes ready to test Azerbaijan Baku Fires as they chase first Season VI win
A tough start to the new season against reigning champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan has not dampened Azerbaijan Baku Fires hopes for a successful campaign this year, and the team bounced back to defeat a strong Uzbek Tigers two weeks ago in Baku. On Friday night, the city will host a Puerto Rico Hurricanes side hoping that their two new European recruits will inspire them to their first points of Season VI.
Baku Fires’ light flyweight Rasul Saliev out-boxed a Puerto Rican opponent in Season V, and will be looking to do so once again in the evening’s opening bout against 20-year-old Anthony Ortiz. After taking Uzbek Tigers star Hasanboy Dusmatov all the way in Week 2, Ortiz will himself be confident of causing an upset and getting the Hurricanes off to a winning start.
Bantamweight Iarash Magomedov will be hoping to register his first ever WSB victory when he goes up against 19-year-old Edgardo Rolon, and then the light welterweight Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev, the only member of the Baku Fires to win against Astana Arlans, will try to make it two wins from two this season against Jean Carlos Rivera, who was undefeated in his three WSB contests in 2015.
Azerbaijan’s National Middleweight Champion Mikalai Vesialou goes out in the fourth bout against the Hurricanes’ French draft pick Christian Mbilli Assomo, before the heavyweights Abdulkadir Abdullayev and Roman Fress round off the action. Abdullayev landed the European Games gold medal in Baku last year, and will face the visitors’ German draft pick Ross in what could be the deciding bout of the night.
Morocco Atlas Lions on the hunt for first Season VI win against USA Knockouts in Casablanca
Saturday night sees Morocco Atlas Lions entertain USA Knockouts in Week 6 of WSB Season VI, with both teams desperately in need of a win to keep their hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive. The Lions lost their season opener in Mexico and couldn’t overcome the British Lionhearts in Casablanca during Week 4, while the Americans also fell to the British side but were able to comfortably dispose of Mexico Guerreros 4-1 in Miami a fortnight ago.
The Atlas Lions’ sole success against the Mexicans came from light flyweight Imad Ahayoun, and he will be looking to get the team off to another strong start when he tackles Knockouts’ Colombian draft-pick debutant Hernan Alarcon.
African Champion Mohamed Hamout won three top bouts in Season V, but his first taste of action in the new campaign will be a testing battle against US bantamweight sensation Shakur Stevenson, WSB’s standout boxer from Week 2. The third pair to take to the ring will be Morocco’s former light welterweight champion Abdelhaq Nadir and US National Olympic Trials winner teenager Gary Russell, and with neither boxer boasting significant international experience, it could be a case of whoever keeps his cool taking the bout.
The hosts’ London 2012 Olympian and former African Champion Badreddine Haddioui moved up to middleweight for the new season, where he faces a tough test against in-form American Charles Conwell in the fourth bout of the night. Should the match go down to the final contest, the Knockouts have broguht in 24 year-old Brandon Glanton, who made his WSB debut last season in a bruising encounter with Filip Hrgovic, to face the Atlas Lions’ African Champion Abdeldjalil Abouhamada.
British Lionhearts consolidate place at top of Group B with remarkable 5-0 win over Mexico Guerreros in London
Thursday night saw London’s packed York Hall venue welcome home a British Knockouts side coming off the back of two big WSB Season VI opening away wins. Victory in Miami in Week 2 and then in Casablanca a fortnight ago had put the hosts top of Group B, and a resounding triumph against Mexico Guerreros cemented their position after Week 6.
The light flyweights were the first to face off, with the Guerreros’ Joselito Velasquez using his left hook brilliantly in the tight opening exchanges. Lions’ WSB debutant Galal Yafai also found the target several times early on, and midway through the second round Velasquez pulled up with a shoulder injury, leaving a grateful Yafai to open his WSB account with a TKO win.
Commonwealth and European Confederation silver medallist Qais Ashfaq stepped in to the team’s bantamweight slot with confidence, taking a superb contest against Mexico’s Sergio Chirino by unanimous decision. At 2-0 up, Pat McCormack had the chance to seal the win against Mexico’s Rio 2016 qualifier Raul Curiel, and was composed in the opening exchanges as he sought away through his opponent’s solid defences. Curiel found his range in the third round but McCormack was picking his moments to attack brilliantly and a unanimous judges’ decision put the hosts into an anassailable 3-0 lead.
The biggest cheer for the evening so far then came with the return of Anthony Fowler to the British side as he looked to banish a difficult 2015 and focus once more on WSB and his Olympic preparations. Fowler looked strong against Misael Rodriguez and controlled the ring as both boxers landed some big blows in the second round, and even as Rodriguez delivered a rousing finale, the Lionhearts star had done enough to guarantee a unanimous decision in his favour.
At 4-0 up, Lionhearts’ local hero Lawrence Okolie stepped in to the hall to a rapturous response, and took less than one round to dispose of Mexico’s debutant Jared Barraza, putting him on the deck within moments and giving the referee no option but to end the bout early.
