Mumbai Fighters vs. Baku Fires quarter-final first leg this Friday
Hold on to your seats, the quarterfinals have arrived. Friday will see the first leg of the much anticipated showdown between the popular Venky’s Mumbai Fighters and the unbeaten Baku Fires. We learned last season that at this stage of the competition you just cannot predict what will happen. Although the visitors are the overwhelming favorites, Mumbai have come a long way in a short space of time and their starting line-up is in itself very impressive for this match. It promises to be very entertaining to watch.
The winning machine that is Baku Fires stormed through the regular season by winning all ten matches. Topping Group B from the early stages, they never relinquished that position, becoming the only team in the WSB to go undefeated. The experience gained in their first season mixed to extraordinary perseverance has certainly added to this success. Under the careful guidance of Head Coach Gamzat Agayev and General Manager Genzhiyev Rizvan, the Azeri outfit has displayed all the attributes needed for the team to go all the way and take the WSB title.
There is a steely determination in the camp and many view their meticulous approach as the key ingredient to their success so far. Most recently, the Baku Fires proved once again why they are such a force when the squad travelled to Mexico City and beat the Guerreros 3:2 at fortress Foro Polanco. By the end of the regular season, they had ten of their boxers ranked in the top ten of their respective weight categories, with four ranked in the top two and qualifying for the WSB Individual Finals.
Bantamweight Gairbek Germakhanov, who lines up this Friday, is amongst these, having been sensational in his first WSB season, winning all five of his bouts.
Middleweight Heybulla Mursalov is another leading light in the Baku Fires squad. In his six fights, the orthodox 21-year-old only lost once to Michel Tavares and that by the split decision. A few weeks later Mursalov avenged this defeat by overpowering the Frenchman 3:0 in the return fixture.
The Azeri boxer will now face the Ukrainian giant Sergiy Derevyanchenko in the Individual Finals at the end of the season. But it is the Light Heavyweight category that draws the greatest interest within the team as both Azamat Murtuzaliyev and Ramazan Masgomedau have made it to the Individual Finals where they will face each other. They are ranked first and second respectively and will meet in the Final. Though these three fighters will not be taking to the ring, they will be waiting in the wings for the second leg.
24-year-old Azeri southpaw Haji Murtuzaliyev is Baku Fires’ best Heavyweight and he will come up this Friday against the giant Uaine Fa of Mumbai Fighters in what promises to be nothing short of explosive.
Unlike their all conquering opponents, the Venky’s Mumbai Fighters have had a difficult introduction to life in the WSB and struggled early on due to their lack of experience. The one thing though that you cannot reproach them is that they have really brought a team spirit to the competition, a charisma that has really captured the imagination of fans not only in India but worldwide.
Although the Indian team has not really had the best of results, everyone is equal in the quarter-finals and who knows what can happen when the fans pack the T-Box Mobile Arena at the Inorbit Mall to lend their support. Winning four of their group matches earned them fourth place in Group A but the Fighters have been training extra hard since then to prove that their presence in the play-offs is more than deserved. Clearly the underdogs in this match, they will be looking to cause a huge upset.
Mumbai’s home match against Bangkok Elephants will remain one of the most memorable for the Indian Franchise, with Lightweight Filipino Charly Suarez creating a sensation with a thunderous knockout in his debut fight. He will be taking to the ring this Friday where he will face the experienced Semen Grivachev in what will surely be an extremely tactical battle.
Heavyweight Uaine Fa quickly became the Indian team’s star man after delivering a thrilling boxing masterclass when he dismantled Arslanbek Makhmudov of Dynamo Moscow. He will be once again looking to extend his unblemished WSB record with a win against Murtuzaliyev.
This will be an intriguing match between two teams eager to continue their WSB journey. The Venky’s Mumbai Fighters hope their big guns do the business in front of their home crowds as Baku Fires look to continue their winning streak. Jitender Kumar will face the biggest test of his career when he comes face-to-face with Bantamweight king Germakhanov.
The Middleweight contest will see Belarusian hardman Mikalai Vesialou face Mumbai newcomer Tomasz Jablonski of Poland. The Light Heavyweight contest will see Ukrainian powerhouse Sergii Melnyk come up against the fledgling 19-year-old Azeri prospect, southpaw Vatan Heseynli.
This promises to be one hell of a match. Don’t miss any of the action with the match broadcast LIVE on ESPN Star Sports in India, AZTV in Azerbaijan and www.worldseriesboxingtv.com
