Cuba 3-2 Azerbaijan: Domadores on Cruz control
Light Heavyweight World Champion Julio La Cruz returned to the ring in imperial fashion last night just eight weeks after being shot in the hip in an armed robbery in Havana. Cuba now has an unassailable lead at the top of Group B, having won all of their matches so far. However they didn’t have it all their own way this time around.
Hurshid Tojibaev became the first boxer in the history of the WSB to win a bout in Havana. The Azerbaijan Baku Fires will also go down in history for being the first ever team to take a point away from Cuba at home. None of that can take away from the fabulous performance the Cuban team have put in during this Regular Season, which they wrapped up last night. On their debut year in the WSB, the Cubans have produced one of the most emphatic table topping performances that the league has ever seen.
Bout of the match
Welterweights Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo took on up-and-coming Yauheni Ramashkevich of Azerbaijan. The Fires boxer has been impressive so far this season and really is one to watch for the future. He is calm under pressure, has a great work ethic and always puts on a brilliant display of boxing. Yet when you are in the ring with the current Olympic Champion and 2009 World Champion, life is always going to be tough. Watching how fluid the Cuban is in the squared circle, it’s incredible to think that he seems to have slipped behind Arisnoidys Despaigne, the current WSB number one ranked Welterweight in the Cuban team’s thinking.
Both fighters put on a terrific display, with the Azeri never outclassed but not able to make much headway against the sublime Cuban. Despite his 1-2 record, there is a big future ahead for Ramashkevich in the WSB, he clearly has the talent to box well even against the very best. For Iglesias Sotolongo meanwhile, the only thing blocking him from becoming the top WSB Welterweight is perhaps his own team mate Despaigne. Watching that internal competition for selection swing back and forth could be very interesting indeed. This is a bout that is worth watching again on AIBAboxingTV.com.
Boxer of the match
Whether he has won or lost this week, there was only ever going to be one boxer of the match. For Light Heavyweight World Champion Julio La Cruz, to have recovered from being shot just eight weeks ago, including surgery to take a bullet off his hip, and to even be present in the ring this weekend would make him worthy of being boxer of the month let alone the match.
Yet the dominant way in which he performed against a dangerous world-class opponent in Teymur Mammadov, who is a former world silver medallist, was awe-inspiring in its own right. The Azeri, an awkward southpaw, didn’t make things easy and the Cuban either and caught him hard on a few occasions. He also boxed well enough to keep the home crowd quiet for the first half of the bout, winning the opening round and looking solid in the second.
La Cruz really came alive from round three on using his slick evasive skills with some very accurate counterpunching. Somewhat surprisingly, he also engaged in some front foot boxing when his opponent began to back down. The fact that his victory came at a crucial point during the match only added to the justification in awarding him boxer of the evening. His win ensured that Cuba came away with the victory.
The turning point
Cuba debutant Yoandris Maceo took on hard hitting Azeri Super Heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at a key juncture in the evening. With the score at 3-1, Maceo had the chance to firmly shut the door on the Azeri challenge for the evening, whilst the “Bad Boy” Makhmudov had the chance to make history if the Fires were to become the first ever team to take a point from Cuba at home. And we can tell from the headline, it was the Azeri who swung the match in the favour of his team.
Debut or not, taking on and beating a Cuban in Havana is a big achievement and it took the Fires boxer’s record to a very respectable 5-2 with three of those coming by way of KO or TKO. The result also catapulted the Azeri to become the number 2 ranked Super Heavyweight in the WSB. The Cuban was light on his toes for a big man, but the Azeri had the reach advantage.
Seven seconds into round three, Makhmudov, who has proven stopping power, threw one of the biggest uppercuts the WSB has seen so far this year, that dropped the advancing Cuban to his knees and sent his gumshield flying to the far end of the ring. From there on out, the Cuban fighter’s offense slowed considerably, but he deserves credit for jumping back up to his feet at all.
Fact/Stat of the match
Coming into this match, the Cubans had lost only 10% of their bouts as the WSB’s most successful team this season, whilst the Azeris by contrast had lost 40%.
Quote of the match
“Just when Ramashkevich thinks ‘I’ve got this guy’, he’s gone” – Our commentator on the evasive prowess of Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo in our bout of the night.
Wrap up
It is a terrible injustice for Uzbek Lightweight Hurshid Tojibaev that he finds himself buried in the write up, given that he will now go down in WSB history as the first man to ever defeat a Cuban in Havana. Unfortunately the circumstances around La Cruz’s astonishing return leave us with little choice. His opponent Pablo Vicente was by no means out-gunned despite the fact that he was making his debut against a continental Silver Medallist, with three seasons of experience in the WSB, and pushed his opponent close on points. The 24 year old Uzbek however now goes to 4-3 in the WSB and makes history in the process.
The same could be said for the bout between Leodan Nunez and Magomed Abdulhamidov, which was really a contender for bout of the night, and was certainly the closest fight on the score cards. It was a stunning debut for the Cuban Flyweight who defeated an opponent with 12 bouts of experience and only one previous loss across three seasons.
Mexico 2-3 Russia: Polyanskiy’s KO debut
With the Russian Boxing Team already through to the Playoffs, they chose to give some ring-time to three new boxers, all of whom impressed. None more so however than Dmitriy Polyanskiy who exploded into the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with a first round KO over experienced Mexican opponent Fernando Alvarez.
Bout of the match
Elias Emigdio and Ovik Ogannsian put on an excellent show for boxing fans at Flyweight. In a very spirited performance, the debutant Russian did extremely well against the 2013 WSB Boxer of the Year. For a while in fact he was ahead in the scores. Emigdio had to dig really deep and draw on all of his experience to pull the bout back in the final round against the southpaw. Ogannsian looks like one for the future for the Russians, whilst Emigdio takes his WSB record to an impressive 17-3, which places him firmly in the ranks of the WSB’s top pound for pound performers of all time.
Boxer of the match
Lightweight Dmitriy Polyanskiy caused one of the upsets of the season when he KO’d the experienced Fernando Alvarez on his debut. Alvarez finished last season as the number eight ranked Lightweight and came into the bout with a 3-2 record. The Russian looked extremely confident as he walked out though. Alvarez started very brightly, landing multiple combinations on his opponent who hid behind his guard. The Mexican boxer threw close to forty punches in the opening minute, the Russian threw three.
The third one was the first to connect and took the form of a vicious and perfectly timed uppercut to the body, which the Mexican walked right into. Such was the force of the blow that the Guerrero dropped to his knees, and there he remained for the full count and indeed for some time after. Thus just a minute into the contest and in possibly the most efficient piece of boxing we have ever seen on a punch to KO ratio, Polyanskiy introduced himself to the boxing world. Was it a flash in the pan, or can he repeat the performance?
The turning point
When Light Heavyweight Eduard Yakushev of Russia took on Petru Ciobanu of the Mexico Guerreros, the match was hanging by a thread at two wins to each team. However, the experienced Russian is just the sort of boxer a team wants to have in their line-up at such a moment. A three season veteran with a record of 6-2, Yakushev faced his Moldovan counterpart with confidence from the beginning and managed to secure a solid points victory. Ciobanu now slips to an uncomfortable 0-3 in the WSB.
Quote of the match
“We know how effective body shots can be, but that was a particularly painful one to take” – Our commentator on the Polyanskiy uppercut.
Wrap up
Star Mexican Boxer Marvin Cabrera got back to winning ways against 21 year old WSB debutant Alim Gadzhiev. In so doing he atoned for his only WSB loss to date which he suffered on his last outing. This brought his record to 8-2, giving him a current rank of 7th in the Welterweight Category.
Unfortunately there was a Walkover at Super Heavyweight with Gerardo Bisbal pulling out at the last minute to give the Russians an uncontested victory in that bout.
Kazakhstan 4-1 Poland: Yeleussinov shows class
With the Hussars Poland definitely unable to qualify for the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Playoffs, and the defending Champions, the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, already guaranteed a place, you would be forgiven for thinking that both teams would back off slightly. What happened instead was the Arlans gave a WSB debut to two of the world’s top AIBA Open Boxing (AOB) boxers including World Champion Daniyar Yeleussinov.
Bout of the match
Flyweights Iliyas Suleimenov and Grzegorz Kozlowski both entered this bout without a win between them, this meant two things: firstly that one of them would be walking out with a vastly improved record, and secondly that they were always going to be fired-up to seize that opportunity. As the bout wore on, the Kazakh boxer’s greater skill and reach began to tell its toll. As he has done all season, Kozlowski battled on. The Kazakh’s footwork was too good though and the Pole was unable to put enough pressure on him. This was good news for Suleimenov who was able to show his class and bring his record to 1-1.
Boxer of the match
World Champion Welterweight Daniyar Yeleussinov made his long awaited WSB debut in front of his home crowd in the Almaty Sports Palace; the same venue in which he won his title in October last year. His opponent, Zhora Simonyan from Armenia, came to the ring with a record of 0-1. Yeleussinov looked like the perfect athlete in this bout with fast hands, faster reflexes and brilliant footwork. Yes his opponent was only 19 years old and inexperienced, but Yeleussinov is very much the real deal. The Cuban duo of Arisnoidys Despaigne and Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo will soon have some dangerous company at the top of the rankings to watch out for.
The turning point
Light Heavyweight debutant Adilbek Niyazymbetov took on new Polish boxer Kasjusz Zycinski. The Hussars athlete had made only a single prior appearance in the WSB, which he lost. His opponent by contrast was one of the most loved Kazakh boxers. Always the nearly-man, Niyazymbetov took a silver in AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011, another one in the London 2012 Olympic Games and silver again in the AIBA World Boxing Championships Almaty 2013.
His medal there brought genuine tears to many in the audience who were left wondering if his moment in the sun would ever come. Nonetheless, only in Kazakhstan could such an outstanding boxer be making his WSB debut at this stage of his career. It just goes to show the depth of boxing talent in the country. The southpaw Arlans fighter looked solid from the outset and gave the Pole a standing count in round one. He didn’t however do anything to ramp up his performance thereafter and instead settled for cruising home for an easy win.
Quote of the match
“Describing Yeleussinov simply by calling him a boxer is like referring to Michelangelo a painter-decorator. This is an absolute masterclass!” – WSB Commentator Will Vanders.
Wrap up
The Lightweight bout between Gani Zhailauov and Dawid Michelus proved to be a well-balanced match-up with the Kazakh debutant and one of Poland’s strongest boxers very close in terms of their skill levels. The bout was tied going into round three but as it wore on, it became more ragged and the Kazakh boxer began to edge ahead. In the end it was he who got the first win of his WSB career after a gritty bout.
Armen Simonian of the Astana Arlans and Sergiy Werwejko of the Hussars Poland met in a match of attrition in which both boxers threw big bombs. The Kazakh boxer began to struggle in round three, having started too quickly and he fatigued significantly on his first attempt to box over five rounds. He was counted out for a TKO in round three as much due to exhaustion than any damage he had sustained.
Italy 3-2 USA: Russo rules the roost
In an extraordinarily tight match in Italy, it required the intervention of the Heavyweight World Champion Clemente Russo to save the hosts blushes just a week after they celebrated their 100th home win. The landmark reminded us that the Italia Thunder are the only team to have maintained an unbeaten record at home across all four WSB seasons so far, but that almost changed in this match.
Bout of the match
Italia Thunder’s Mark Barriga and the USA Knockouts Lu Bin faced-off in an epic clash between two of the WSB’s hottest up-and-coming Light Flyweights. Bin possibly had the faster hands while Barriga definitely had the better movement. On certain occasions, Bin had his Filipino opponent in the corner and he off loaded some stunning combinations. Out in the open however and it was Barriga who was able to use the angles to score. After five excellent rounds, the two boxers embraced in a great sign of sportsmanship. It was Barriga who used his experience to win however, which takes him to 3-0 in the WSB, making him the number 2 ranked Light Flyweight.
Boxer of the match
Clemente Russo won standing applause for his job in rescuing the Italia Thunder’s evening. With the bout tied at 2-2 when he made his appearance, a win was critical. But Russo had a cool head. Living dangerously, and full of confidence, the Italian Heavyweight World Champion was determined to entertain the crowd regardless of the risk.
This put him back to his show stopping best. Boxing with his hands down for the entire bout, Russo used his snake-like head movement and pivoting foot work to stay out of trouble. Because his feet are so static ordinarily, on those moments when he does need to take full evasive action, it is stunning to see just how much distance he can put between himself and his opponent at speed when he feels it is necessary.
His opponent Joshua Temple boxed well but could not get near the great Italian across the full five rounds. It was another big win for Russo to bring him to 18-2 in the WSB and it gets him back on the winning path after having suffered two consecutive losses.
The turning point
Branimir Stankovic boxing for the Italia Thunder took on Carlos Adames of the Dominican Republic at Light Welterweight. Again the Italia Thunder boxer was interested in turning the bout into a scrap, whilst the 19 year old Knockouts boxer wanted to work at range. It was a storm of a match that could really have been the bout of the night, were it not for the fact that when it occurred, the match was poised at 1-1. Following Adames’ intervention however, the evening had swung dangerously in the favour of the USA Knockouts.
Quote of the match
“It’s almost Matrix-like the way he [Barriga] can bend his head back away from his body to avoid taking shots” – The WSB Commentator on Mark Barriga’s evasion skills.
Wrap up
Michele Crudetti of the Italia Thunder took on a very handy looking Steven Fulton. Fulton came into the bout with a record of 1-1 whilst the Italian was 0-1, meaning that they were fairly well matched. The American looked very stylish and liked to dance around his opponent. The Italian was a front foot boxer though, and whenever he got in close, he caused problems. In the end the American won it but not without difficulty.
Bogdan Juratoni was in a critical position for the Thunder when he fought fellow Middleweight Marlo Delgado Suarez. With the Italian outfit having only just celebrated their 100th home win last weekend, they were now trailing 2-1 to the USA Knockouts on home soil. If Delgado Suarez was to take this bout, a four year old tradition of remaining unbeaten in WSB matches would be over in a heartbeat.
For a moment, in round two, it looked like that was very much on the cards, but the Romanian mercenary, who is boxing for the Thunder, was critical when it counted and outpointed his opponent to leave it in the hands of Clemente Russo. For a foreign boxer who was 0-1 coming into this bout, Juratoni showed everyone the way to guarantee you get a call back.
Argentina 3-2 Germany: Peralta rescues Condors
In a tight last match of the season for the Argentina Condors, it was their star boxer Yamil Peralta who fittingly ensured the win for the home side. Team Germany meanwhile take home a valuable point which keeps them ahead of the USA in the table and ensures that they will almost certainly avoid facing Cuba in the quarter-finals.
Bout of the match
Junior Zarate made an impressive debut against Ovidiu Berceanu of Team Germany. The Romanian mercenary, boxing for the Germans, had only made one previous WSB appearance, which he lost against the number two ranked Light Flyweight Mark Barriga of the Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder. This meant that on paper, the two are very evenly matched. That proved to be the case in the ring as well, with both young orthodox boxers clearly talented in all areas of the game. The Condors’ fighter managed to edge ahead by a small margin in every round to ensure points victory that doesn’t really capture just how tight this bout was.
Boxer of the match
Alberto Melian put in another outstanding performance against Omar El Hag of Team Germany. The Argentina Condors boxer is beginning to put himself forward as a serious prospect in the WSB and has now taken his record to 8-1, with his only loss to date coming in his debut. This season he has won five bouts, one by TKO, which has made him the number one ranked Bantamweight. His record during the Regular Season has been so strong that there are only a handful of boxers that could now overtake him in the rankings, despite the fact that he won’t be given the chance to box again this year since Argentina are now out of the competition.
In that way, his performance mirrors that of his teammate Yamil Peralta last season. His evasion skills are sublime, his counterpunching instinctive and he has proven that he can mix it with the best in the business. We can comfortably predict a top three finish in the individual ranks for him this season, which is great news for the Condors going forward.
The turning point
With the match tied at 2-2, Yamil Peralta stepped into the ring at a critical time against Johann Witt. Peralta, as last season’s surprise number one Light Heavyweight boxer, came into the bout unbeaten in the WSB. As the World bronze medallist, he is exactly the sort of boxer one would want to call upon at such a moment.
His opponent from Germany has yet to win a WSB bout but boxed bravely. Peralta hit him with a number of shots that would have floored a lesser man, yet Witt kept coming. Nonetheless, it was the Argentinian who took all of the rounds comfortably out-boxing his opponent to take his WSB record to 8-0. This makes him the third ranked heavyweight in the WSB this season and more importantly, takes him into the kind of territory, across both seasons, that makes him one of boxing’s genuine stars.
Fact/Stat of the match
With Melian toping the ranks at Bantamweight, the Condors feature among the seven teams with a boxer in the top two ranks across all weight groups; given the dominance of certain teams that spread is quite surprising. What is unsurprising however is that Cuba tops the list, with eight boxers in the top two, which is twice as many as defending champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
Wrap up
Kastriot Sopa did well for the Germans at Light Welterweight against Carlos Aquino. Sopa took his WSB record to 4-1 and at just 21 years old, that is extremely good. Sopa slips to 2-1 and will unfortunately have to wait until next season to try to battle his way out of negative territory.
Middleweight Denis Radovan ensured that the German Eagles came away with a crucial point to stay ahead of the USA Knockouts and thus hopefully avoid Cuba until a later stage of the competition. He also took his personal record to 3-1. Radovan is another 21 year old star with a bright future in the German line-up. His opponent Sergio Lebensztajn is a year younger and made his debut for the Condors. He boxed well despite losing and time is very much on his side, which is something he can take comfort in as he prepares for next season.
Coming up next
The Condors Argentina have had a stronger year than their table position suggests but are out of the competition nevertheless. However there has certainly been an improved performance this year from the team and they have adapted well to the full ten weight categories. They will now need to focus on building their strength for next season. Team Germany have qualified for the Playoffs and the point salvaged today means that they look likely to face the defending Champions, the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, in the quarter-finals.
