AIBA Boxing News January - June 2015

ASTANA ARLANSCLAIM SECOND WSB

CHAMPIONS TITLE

BOXING MAKESHISTORY AT THE

BAKU 2015 GAMES

NEW BOXINGTALENT UNVEILED

IN TAIPEI

APB WORLD CHAMPIONSREADY TO DEFEND

THEIR BELTS

BoxingNews

January - June 2015 | No. 14

LOOKING TOWARDSA BRIGHTER FUTURE

Dear Members of the Boxing Family,

In this latest edition of Boxing News, you will find articles about our champions and our latest competitions that took place all over the world as our sport lives and breathes regardless of time zone.

The first half of 2015 started off in a dynamic pace for AIBA and all its member federations as AIBA Commission met in Lausanne setting the 2015 agenda and ensuring we are collectively aligned with the current strategy.

We also recently had significant changes in the AIBA Senior Management as Mr Karim Bouzidi has been appointed as the new AIBA Executive Director. It is time for our family and the world of boxing to move in a new direction and therefore I feel that new vision and leadership are paramount for us to achieve our four year plan, which was unanimously approved at the AIBA Congress in Jeju. I strongly believe that with Mr Karim Bouzidi leading the implementation of our agenda, boxing will soar to new heights.

AIBA also made history by becoming the exclusive partner for all Cuban boxers whenever they compete in international boxing competitions. Signing officially this Memorandum of Understanding with the Cuban Boxing Federation is a significant milestone in AIBA’s history, and it highlights our commitment to support the very best boxing talent in the world during their entire careers. We are very grateful for the trust and the long lasting relationships developed with the Cuban Boxing Federation toward our organization.

On the sporting side, we have also successfully hosted the most highly anticipated Finals in WSB history, which took place on June 20 and June 21, when Season III Champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan hosted the defending Champions Cuba Domadores in Astana. These two world class Franchises battled out the historic two-legged Finals with unbelievable skill and courage. I would like to congratulate Astana Arlans Kazakhstan for the quality of the organization of the Finals and foremost for becoming the World WSB Champions for the second time.

The very first edition of the European Games closed on 28 June in Baku, Azerbaijan. This has been a phenomenal event and awarding 16 different countries demonstrates the vitality and the strong appeal of men and women boxing in the European continent. Some of the best boxers in the world participated and won in their weight categories elevating our sport to the pinnacle of the first European Games.

On 27 June we marked 100 Days To Go until AIBA World Boxing Championships in Doha, Qatar, which will definitely be the culmination of this year’s boxing calendar.

I look forward to meeting you in the coming weeks and I hope you will enjoy reading this issue.

Yours in boxing,

CONTENTSAIBA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

1 President’s Message

2 AIBA News in Brief

6 AIBA New Executive Director

8 AIBA Youth Women Championships Taipei 2015

12 Baku 2015 1st European Games

22 APB Pre-Season Reviews

28 APB Cycle 1

30 APB World Champions

32 WSB Season V Regular Season

36 WSB Season V Playoffs

38 WSB Season V Finals

40 WSB Season V Rankings

Executive Director Karim BouzidiEditor-in-Chief William Louis-MarieContributors Martin Hines, Iryna MazurGraphic Design Fabio Zeppetella (AIBA)Photographers AIBA / WSB / APB, GettyImages

Cover page photo The Kazakhstan Arlans after their second triumph in WSB Finals

Printed in Switzerland.

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The views expressed in “Boxing News” are not necessarily those of AIBA. The content of this publication is based on the best knowledge and information available at the time the articles were written.

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CONTACTS

DISCLAIMER

2 AIBA BOXING NEWS | No. 14 | JANUARY - JUNE 2015

2015 AIBA JOINT COMMISSION MEETINGS COMPLETED

Members of 9 out of 11 AIBA Commissions convened for their 2015 meetings in Lausanne to discuss further development of boxing and AIBA. The core purposes of this year’s commission meetings were:

• The development of the Implementation Plan after newly amended rules were released

• The development of more qualified officials toaccommodateallcompetitionprogresses

• Thedevelopmentoffuturegenerationtransitplanforlongtermsustainabilityofourmanagement

• EnhancingWSBprogram• SupportingthesuccessfullaunchofAPB• Long-termstrategyofWomenBoxingdevelopment• StrengtheningtheAOBcompetitionproperty

After each commissionmeeting, which took place on 4February, nine of the 11 Commissions presented theirrecommendationsforthedevelopmentofvariousaspectsofboxing.Theothertwocommissions,EthicsandScientificCommissionswillholdtheirmeetingsatalaterstage.

“I am delighted to welcome all of the newly appointedCommissionsMembersandChairpersonsinLausannefortheirfirstmeetingssinceallnewcommissionsareformedafter the 2014 AIBA Congress. The AIBA competitions,aswellasourorganizationasawhole,aregoingthroughmany changes andwe need tomake sure that all thesedevelopmentsarefullyintegratedtothehigheststandards.IamconfidentthatwiththenewMembersjoiningandnewappointedChairpersonswewill successfully achieve ourgoal,”saidDrChing-KuoWu,AIBAPresident.

TheTechnicalandRulesCommissionandAIBAofficewillfurther review these recommendations and select themostappropriateonesandwillpresentthemtotheAIBAECBureauforimmediateimplementationsand/orfortheapprovalbynextJulyAIBAExecutiveCommittee.

NEWS IN BRIEF

No. 14 | JANUARY - JUNE 2015 | AIBA BOXING NEWS 3

2015 AIBACOMMISSIONS MEETINGS

AIBA PRESIDENT DR CHING-KUO WU BECOMES ASOIF VICE PRESIDENT

The President of the International Boxing Association(AIBA), Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, became a Vice President ofASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic InternationalFederations)atthenewASOIFCouncilMeetingaftertheASOIFGeneralAssemblydecidedtoreplacethedepartingpreviousVicePresident,MrHassanMoustafa,PresidentoftheInternationalHandballFederation(IHF).

DrWuhasbeenrepresentingASOIFintheIOCExecutiveBoard since August 2012 and his roles in ASOIF willprogressivelysignificantlyincrease.

AIBA BOXING ACADEMY HOSTS 3-STAR REFEREE & JUDGES AND COACHES COURSE

The 3-Star R&J and Coaches course in the AIBA WorldBoxing Academy took place in May 2015 with theparticipants taking their final written examination andattending a one-on-one feedback session with theirrespectiveInstructors.

Coming fromfivedifferent continents, a total of twentynine (29)2-StarR&Jsparticipated intheAIBA3-StarR&Jcourse, and a total of nineteen (19) 2-Star and 3-StarCoachesparticipatedintheAIBA3-StarCoachescourse. TheAcademyprovidesthemostmoderntrainingfacilitiesandprograms, not only for thedevelopmentof athletesbut also for a wide range of experts, coaches, judges,doctors,sportsmanagersandadministrators.Thissportscomplex is one of themain foundations for the furtherdevelopment and promotion of boxing. Classrooms aswellasstate-of-the-artgymsandboxinghalls,equippedandstaffedwiththemostmodernequipment,arekeyforfuturechampions.


AIBA BECOMES THE EXCLUSIVE PARTNER FOR ALL CUBAN BOXERS

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) made history by becoming the exclusive partner for all Cuban boxers from the Cuban Boxing Federation whenever they compete in international boxing competitions.

A memorandum signed between AIBA and the CubanBoxing Federation (FCB) commits that all FCB boxers willonly compete in AIBA-approved competitions, includingtheWorldSeriesofBoxing(WSB)andAIBAProBoxing(APB).

BothAIBAandtheFCBhaveagreedthatCubanboxerswillnotbeallowedtocompeteinanynon-AIBAprofessionalboxingcompetitionsinordertoprotectthemfrombeingexploitedbyprofessional promoters as diplomatic doorswithCubabegintoopen.

Ahead of the British Lionheart’s final homematch againstthe Cuba Domodores, AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wuwelcomedthetwoteams,aswellasrepresentativesfrombothGBBoxingandCubaBoxingFederation,totheArcellorMittal

Orbital to witness the signing of the Memorandum ofUnderstandingbetweenthetwoorganisations.

AIBAPresident,DrChing-KuoWuwasproudtomark thefutureunion. “Signing thismemorandumwith theCubanBoxingFederationisasignificantstepinAIBA’shistory,andithighlightsourcommitment to supporting theverybestboxingtalentintheworld.WeareverygratefulforthetrustandcommitmentshownbyFCBtowardourorganization.

President of Cuba Boxing Federation Mr. Alberto Puigde la Barca also expressed his delight at the signing ofthe memorandum. “Today is an important day for thedevelopmentofCubanboxingandIamhappytobeapartof this historic event for our sport. This agreement willensurethatCubanboxingcontinuestogrowandprosperallovertheworld,”hesaid.

WiththeBritishLionheartsvsCubaDomodoresmatch-uptakingplaceattheCopperBoxArena,theeventwasmadeevenmoresignificantbyitslocationontheQueenElizabethOlympic Park, home of the London 2012 Olympics,remindingmanyoftheyoungboxersoftheirOlympicgoals.

NEWS IN BRIEF


AIBA BECOMES EXCLUSIVEPARTNER FOR CUBAN BOXERSBOXING IS OUT OF SPORTACCORD COMBAT GAMES

The InternationalBoxingAssociation (AIBA)hasdecidedto withdraw its participation in the SportAccord WorldCombat Games along with suspending its SportAccordmembership following its AIBA Executive Committee’sdecisiononMay5,2015.

The AIBA President, Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, said “We haveaimed to create a clear identity for the sport of boxingin the past 8 years ofmy Presidency. Boxing is a NobleArt anda traditionalOlympic sport andwe feel that theparticipationintheWorldCombatGameschallengesthisidentityamongboxingfans”.

Healsoaddedthat“ItiswithmuchregretthatwesuspendourmembershipwithSportAccordwithimmediateeffect.AIBA’swork is basedon theOlympic values and it is the valuesofintegrityandrespectthatwemustprotectfirstandforemost”.

AIBAhadbeenamemberofSportAccordsince1967andhadpreviouslyparticipatedinSportAccordWorldCombatGamesinSaint-Petersburgin2013andinBeijingin2010.

AIBA APPOINTS NEW PR & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

AIBAhasappointedMrWilliamLouis-MarieasitsnewPR&CommunicationsDirector.MrWilliamLouis-Mariehasan extensive experience in world-class event and sportcommunications,mediarelationsandpromotions,havingpreviously worked as Communications Director for theBaku2015EuropeanGames.

“I am thrilled to join AIBA and contribute to the strongdevelopment of boxing under the vision of the AIBAPresident, Dr Ching-Kuo Wu. The noble art is gainingmassive attraction all over the world and the comingmonths will reinforce boxing’s amazing appeal withnumerous high-profile continental events and the AIBAWorldBoxingChampionshipsDoha2015leadinguptotheRio2016OlympicGames”,saidMrLouis-Marie.

MrWilliam Louis-Marie has alsoworked for the Atlanta1996 Olympic Games and the France 1998 FIFA WorldCup asCommunicationsManager forCocaCola France.Moreover,heheldthepositionofSeniorVicePresidentofTraceTV,managingthelaunchofTraceSports.


After having been recently appointed as AIBA Executive Director, Mr Karim Bouzidi gives details of his strategy and his priorities for the coming month.

BOXING NEWS:InJuneyouattendedtheWSBFinalsandBaku2015 European Games boxing competition. What are yourthoughtsonthesecompetitions?

KARIM BOUZIDI:Bothcompetitionshadbroughtusthehighestquality of boxing and I was very impressed by our men andwomenboxers,specificallythosewhomadehistoryinBaku.

The WSB Finals were probably one of the most anticipatedandexcitingboxingmatches inthecalendarthisyearandtheclashprovedtobeworththewait.WehadthebestteamsintheWSBgoheadtoheadand Iwould liketousethisopportunitytocongratulateAstanaArlans,whoperfectlyclaimedasecondWSBChampionshipinfrontoftheirhomesupportersinAstana.However,theCubansremainoneofthemostimportantboxingcountry in theworld andwe canexpect a stronger andmoremotivatedteamforthenextseasonoftheWSB.

BN: Youhavebeen involved inboxing formore than20yearsand now you have been appointed as Executive Director ofAIBA. How do you think your previous experiences and yourcurrentroleasWSBCEO,willhelpyoutodirectAIBA?

KB: Ihavebeeninvolvedinboxingfromgrassrootsprogrammestomanaging pro teams. I spent 2 years in Cuba in a trainingcampwithmyboxers and I had theopportunity tobecomeaboxingmanagerthenthewinningGMoftheFrenchFranchiseParisUnitedbeforejoiningAIBAin2012astheWSBCEO.Icansaythatthismulti-facetedexpertisehelpedmetohavearealunderstandingof thenobleartand I intend tobuildon theseexperiences for my mission as defined by our President DrChing-KuoWu.

BN: Whatarethemainprioritiesforthenext12months?

KB: Wedonothave time to rest andweneed to ensure thatboxingkeepsshiningasoneofthemostexcitingsportsintheworld. Firstly, the 196 National Federations and the boxersaremypriorities for thecomingmonths. I need toensureweare fully committed to serve theNFs and theConfederationsinorder tobringthemtheexpertiseandthesupport theyarelookingfor;andIplantovisitmanyfederationsinthecomingmonths to reinforce the collaboration between AIBA and itsmembers.

Secondly, in line with the President’s vision, the Africancontinent should receive more attention and I fully embracethis statement. Boxing remains very popular inmanyAfricancountries but we are facing a lack of structure, coaches,equipment, which prevent African boxers from being moresuccessfulinmanyinternationalcompetitions.AIBAshouldbeattheforefrontofthisprojectandwilltakeinitiativestocreatethenecessarymomentumforthedevelopmentofboxinginthispartoftheworld.

BN: TheOlympicGameswillstartin13months.CanweexpectBoxingtobeoneofthemajorsportoftheGames?

KB: Yes,theRio2016OlympicGamesarethemostanticipatedevent for the entire boxing family. Our future test eventscheduled inDecember in theOlympic venuewill allowus totestourreadinessandensuretheboxers,theR&Js,themedicalstaff,theofficialsarereadyeightmonthsbeforetheevent.

BN: 196NFsareaffiliatedtoAIBA.Canyoudomore?

KB: I think that National Federations are vital for anyInternational Federation, and for AIBA in particular. Theyrepresent our primary partners and we consistently need toaddress theirneedsandsupport theiractivities related to theboxers.BoxingisoneofthemostpopularsportintheworldandwehavetherighttobeambitiousandjointhegroupofIfswithmorethan200members.

BN: When you were younger who was the boxer who reallycontributedtoyourpassionforboxing?

KB: Honestly,theGreatesthaschangedthesportofboxingbutIpassionatelyadmiretheCubanTeofiloStevensonwhowon3Olympicgoldmedalsinarow.Heisoneofthebestathletesofthelastcenturyandatruehumanbeing.

BN: Onelastwordforourreaders?

KB: It is a real honor to occupy this position, and under thevisionofourPresidentDrC-KWuandwiththefullsupportoftheboxingfamily,Ifeelextremelypositiveforthefutureofoursport.

AIBA NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

AIBACOMPETITIONS

AIBACOMPETITIONS

The 2015 edition of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships was held at the Xinzhuang Stadium between May 14 and May 24 in Taipei, Taiwan.

Atotalof164womenboxers from36countriesparticipatedintheAIBAJuniorWorld Boxing Championships whileYouth World Boxing Championshipssaw 133 boxers from 29 countriesparticipateshowcasingthebestoftheyoungboxingtalent.

AIBAPresidentDrChing-KuoWusaid:“I would like to congratulate all theparticipants and the winners of AIBAWomen’s Junior/Youth World BoxingChampionships Taipei 2015 on a verysuccessful event. This has been oneofthebiggestwomen’sboxingeventsinvolvingagreatnumberofparticipants,whichisagoodsign that we are moving in the right direction for thedevelopmentofwomen’sboxing”.

Prior to the startof theChampionships,AIBA’s “Road toTaipei’trainingprogramwasheldinTaipeiatthebeginningofMay. Thiswas an instalment of the “Road to Dream”development program created by the International

Boxing Association (AIBA) whichis one of the most innovative and rewarding sporting initiatives inthe world, and offers athletes andcoaches from underprivileged anddeveloping countries the opportunitytoparticipate inmajorAIBAeventsaswell asOlympicGamesand to attendintensive training camps in thebuild-uptocompetitions.

AIBA provides each participant withairline tickets, accommodation, foodand drinks, full training facilities withequipment, training kits, gloves andheadgear, full medical and massage

servicesaswellascoveringinsurance,visaexpensesandlocaltransportation.

“This has been one of the biggest women’s boxing events involving a great number of participants, which is a good sign that we are moving in the right direction for the development of women’s boxing.” Dr C-K. Wu, AIBA President

TAIPEI 2015


AIBA WOMEN’S JUNIOR/YOUTH WORLD BOXING CHAMPIONSHIPS With eight boxers and six coaches representing eightcountries and four continents (Asia, Africa, Europe andAmerica),RoadtoTaipeicontinuedtheexcellentprecedentsetbyformereditionsoftheRoadtoDreamProgram.

The Junior section of AIBA Women’s World BoxingChampionships Taipei 2015 featured many highly ratedtalents,withalargeamountcompetingintheirfirsteverinternationalcompetition.

Eachboxerdisplayedendlessamountsofskillandcouragewhichwillservethemwellastheycontinuetheircareersinthesport.

DPRKorea’sWonUnGyongbecamethefirstboxertowinagoldmedalintheChampionships,andtheyoungesttoprevail overall when she convincingly defeated Turkey’sBeyzaSaracogluinanentertainingfinal.

TheUnitedStatesclaimed theirfirstof three Juniorgoldmedals at Junior Light Flyweight (48 kg), as 15-year-oldHeavenGarcianarrowlyoutpointedIndia’sSoniya.

India also achieved three goldmedals in this section ofthetournament,beginningwithatightwinforSavitaoverUkraine’sKaterynaRohovaatJuniorFlyweight(50kg).

Savita’steammateMandeepKaurSandhuthendeliveredasecondIndiangoldasshedefeatedIreland’sGoldenGirlWomen’sJuniorCupwinnerNiamhEarleyinanengrossingcontest.

Despite having four years of boxing experience, UnitedStates’ZhaneCrockettwasnotthefavouriteheadingintoinherJuniorFeatherweightclass(57kg)finalwithRussia’stwo-time National Champion Liudmilla Vorontsova, butmanagedtoprevailafterusingmanystingingrighthandsandclevercounter-attacks.

Three-timeUSNational ChampionGuadelupeGutierrezthenmet with Donjeta Sadiku in the Junior Lightweightclass(60kg)final,withheropponenthavingalreadymadehistorybybecomingthefirstboxerfromKosovotowinamedalatanAIBAChampionships.


Inthefinal,bothfightersproducedstrongperformancesfull of effort and skill, but it wasGonzalezwhowas thesuperior athleteacross all three rounds, as sheusedherpowerandspeedtogreateffect.

Twofurtherentertainingclashesfollowed,withChina’sYuLisai outpointing Kazakhstan’s Laila Kussainova, beforeKussainova’s compatriot Nadezhda Ryabets beat USA’sKylieHallbysplitdecision.

Powerful Russian Anastasia Sigayeva outperformedIndia’s Niharika Gonella, while her teammate AnastasiaShamonova became the first boxer to defeat Ukraine’sKarolinaMakhnoatJuniorMiddleweight(75kg).

Elena Litvinova claimed the third Junior gold for Russiaafter a dazzling TKO win over Dina Islambekova, andKristina Tkacheva achieved goldmedal number four forhercountryafterbeatingGermany’sJessicaMorka.

After the Junior boxers had made their mark on thetournament, the more experienced Youth fighters thentooktotheringinTaipei,andtheywerealleagertoassert

themselvesaheadof a future switch to theelite levelofcompetition.

NationsWomen’sYouthCupwinnerYuliyaChumgalakovabecamethefirstoffourYouthRussiangoldmedalistsaftershedefeatedDPRKorea’sYouthNationalChampionKimUnJongintheYouthLightFlyweightclass(48kg).

China’s Chang Yuan defeated Chinese Taipei’s HuangHsiaoWen on the way to claiming a goldmedal at theNanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, and their finalrematchinTaipeiwasoneofthegreatestcontestsoftheentiretournament.

Bothboxerscameintothematchontopform,butitwasthe Chinese southpaw who began strongly as her fastpunchesfromrangestoodout.

Huangwasundeterred,andsupportedpassionatelybythelocal crowd soaked up the early pressure by counteringYuan’soutputwithaccurateshots.

Signifying her Champion status, Yuan came out in the

TAIPEI 2015


secondroundwithrenewedvigour,andbegantoincludeviciousuppercutsinherrepertoire

Aftertheclosingbellrangattheendoftheirbreathtakingbattle,YuanclaimedtheYouthFlyweightclass(51kg)goldmedalviaasplitdecisionverdict.

AnabsorbingcontestfollowedintheYouthBantamweightclass (54 kg) when Kazakhstan’s AIBA Women’s JuniorWorld Boxing Championships bronzemedallist BalaussaMuzdiman survived an early onslaught from Italy’sConcettaMarchesetoclaimgold.

Italy’sAIBAWomen’sJuniorWorldChampionandNanjing2014 Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Irma Testaisoneofthemosthighlyregardedyoungathletes intheworld, and she lived up to her growing reputation withan impressiveYouthFeatherweight (57kg)finalwinoverUkraine’sAnhelinaBondarenko.

Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games winner JajairaGonzaleziscurrentlyinthemidstofaflawlessundefeatedrecord, which continued all the way through her Youth

Lightweight(60kg)contestsinTaipei.EUBC European Women’s Junior Continental ChampionAngela Carini was one of the most powerful boxers inthe Championships, which enabled her to win gold atYouthLightWelterweight(64kg)afterdefeatingRussia’sElizavetaNemtseva.

Two-time Russian National Champion Daria Semashkomoved down one weight class before the start of thetournament,andherdecisionpaidoffassheoutpointedKazakhstan’s Bayan Akbayeva to secure the secondRussianYouthgoldatWelterweight(69kg).

Turkey’s YouthMiddleweight (75 kg) Busenaz Surmenelidemonstrated awide rangeof techniques in Taipei, andput them all together superbly in her final with China’sZhengLu.

Russia’sfinaltwogoldmedalsofthetournamentwerealsothe last matches of the entire Championships, as AIBAWomen’s Junior World Champion Vlada Kalacheva firstbeatChina’sZhangJieattheYouthLightHeavyweightclass(81kg),whilePoland’sAgataKaczmarskawasunfittobox


inthefinaloftheYouthHeavyweightclass (81+kg)duetoashoulderinjury,soAIBAWomen’sJuniorWorldChampionMariaShishmarevatookRussia’sfourthYouthgold.

The four Russian golds enabled them to top the medalstandingsattheYouthlevel, justastheyalsoachievedintheJuniorsectionofthetournament.

Elsewhere,twoItalianboxerswongold,whilehostnationChineseTaipeiclaimedonesilverandthreebronzemedalsonhomesoil.

Dominican Republic and Greece both secured their firstever medal in the history of the AIBA Women’s Junior/YouthWorldBoxingChampionships.

International Boxing Association (AIBA) has praised theTaipei Local Organizing Committee for the successfulorganization of the event. The AIBA Women’s Junior/YouthWorldBoxingChampionshipsreliedstronglyonthehardworkanddeterminationofeverybody involved,andattentionwillnowturntothenextinstalmentoftheworldclasseventin2017.

JUNIOR

PINWEIGHT (44-46KG)WONUnGyong PRKSARACOGLUBeyza TURTUVAKOVAKarina RUSURAKBAYEVAZhazira KAZ

LIGHT FLYWEIGHT (48KG)GARCIAHeaven USASoniya INDMUNGUNTSETSEGE. MGLPHUNSANGChiranchaya KAZ

FLYWEIGHT (50KG)Savita PRKROHOVAKateryna UKRCUMENTORAyten TURLEONARDKelsey IRL

LIGHT BANTAMWEIGHT (52KG)SANDHUMandeep INDEARLEYNiamh IRLWONYOUJohanna FRAHUANGJiawen CHN

BANTAMWEIGHT (54KG)Sakshi INDRAMIREZYarisel USATINTABTHAIP. THALKHAGVADORJAngarag MGL

FEATHERWEIGHT (57KG)CROCKETTZhane USAVORONTSOVALiudmila RUSMONKHORNamuun MGLKUKHTAVladislava KAZ

LIGHTWEIGHT (60KG)GUTIERREZGuadalupe USASADIKUDonjeta KOSLINYa-Xuan TPEDYNNIKEkaterina RUS

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT (63KG)YULisai CHNKUSSAINOVALyailya KAZIVANOVAKarina RUSSHPANIUKAnastasiya UKR

TAIPEI 2015


WELTERWEIGHT (66KG)RYABETSNadezhda KAZHALLKylie USAKUZHELEVAKarina RUSRICHARDSJoanne IRL

LIGHT MIDDLEWEIGHT (70KG)SIGAEVAAnastasiia RUSGONELLANiharika INDSHERUNKOVAYelena KAZYUEYuan CHN

MIDDLEWEIGHT (75KG)SHAMONOVAAnastasiia RUSMAKHNOKarolina UKRSADYKOVAGuzal KAZGUNHANElifSila TUR

HEAVYWEIGHT (80+KG)TKACHEVAKristina RUSMORKAJessica GERKANDEMIRNurNihal TURDYADYUKYuliya UKR

YOUTH

LIGHT FLYWEIGHT (45-48KG)CHUMGALAKOVAIuliia RUSKIMUnJong PRKLOChing-Ting TPENGUYENThiHuyenP. VIE

FLYWEIGHT (51KG)CHANGYuan CHNHUANGHsiao-Wen TPEALMANZARDELEONE. DOMLEESukyeong KOR

BANTAMWEIGHT (54KG)MUZDIMANBalaussa KAZMARCHESEConcetta ITALOGANNatasha IRLSAIDOVAUmeda RUS

FEATHERWEIGHT (57KG)TESTAIrma ITABONDARENKOAnhelina UKRPITANikoleta GREBOROJamuna IND

LIGHTWEIGHT (60KG)GONZALEZJajaira USATHOURStephanie SWEICHSHANOVANazym KAZTAKACSTimea HUN

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT (64KG)CARINIAngela ITANEMTSEVAElizaveta POLWALASJustyna RUSARISMENDEZAriel USA

WELTERWEIGHT (69KG)SEMASHKODaria RUSAKBAYEVABayan KAZLIANGChia-chieh TPESTOYKOYuliya UKR

MIDDLEWEIGHT (75KG)SURMENELIBusenaz TURZHENGLu CHNREIDChantelle ENGKENNEYIesha USA

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (81KG)KALACHEVAVlada RUSZHANGJie CHNKIWAKPatrycja POLMUKYSHBEKOVAAltyn KAZ

HEAVYWEIGHT (81+KG)SHISHMAREVAMaria RUSKACZMARSKAAgata POLGADZHIYEVAAlina AZEZHUMASSOVAZhanel KAZ

RESULTS


The very first edition of the European Games opened on June 12 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the boxing competition beginning four days later on June 16.

Across12exhilaratingdays,thousandsof fans enjoyed the opportunity toexperience hundreds of amazingboxingmatchesatthegloriousCrystalHallvenue.

10men’s (49 kg, 52 kg, 56 kg, 60 kg,64 kg, 69 kg, 75kg, 81 kg, 91 kgand+91 kg) and five women’s (51 kg, 54kg, 60 kg, 64 kg and 75 kg) weightclasses competed in the multi-sportevent, with Europe’s best boxers allattempting to earn a coveted goldmedal.

For thefirst timeever,Europeanboxers fromall threeofAIBA’s competitions battled against each other, with atotalof220menand66womenboxerscompeting.

TheverybestathletesfromAIBAOpenBoxing(AOB),AIBAProBoxing(APB)andtheWorldSeriesofBoxing(WSB)allperformed exceptionally well to display the world classtalentcontainedwithintheentireAIBAfamily.

In addition to the 15 coveted goldmedalsonoffer,30quotasfortheAIBAWorld Boxing Championships Doha2015 were granted for the top threeboxers in eachmen’s category,whichgave added significance to each andeverybout.

Prior to the beginning of the Games,there had been much anticipation inmany sporting circles regarding theboxingcompetition.

“These first European Games are agreat opportunity for our boxers in 10 men’s and fivewomen’sweightclassestocompeteinsuchamulti-sportsevent”saidAIBAPresidentDrChing-KuoWuatthestartof the Games, and his words proved salient as boxing

“These first European Games are a great opportunity for our boxers in 10 men’s and 5 women’s weight classes to compete in such a multi-sports event”

Dr C-K. Wu, AIBA President

BAKU 2015


1ST EUROPEAN GAMESenchantedandelectrifiedboththespectatorsinBaku,andthemillionsoffanswatchingacrosstheglobe.

SignifyingtheprestigiousstatusoftheEuropeanGames,Azerbaijan, Germany and Russia all sent the maximumnumber of 15 boxers to Baku, while Ukraine, France,Britain,ItalyandIrelandalsoproducedstrongsquadswithmulti-medalexpectations.

From the very first bout in the competition it was clearthat each boxer was giving their absolute all, and thepreliminary rounds produced countless performanceswhichwouldhaveperfectlygracedthecanvasinmanyofthegreatestboxingeventsofthepast.

Britain’sMuhammadAli livedup to his iconic namesakeonDay 1 as he outpointed Moldovan veteran AlexandrRisca,whileUkraine’syoungstarViktorPetroveliminatedBulgaria’sAirinIsmetovinthebestboutofthesecondday.HostsAzerbaijanjoinedtheactiononDay3,andvictoriesfor TeymurMammadov and Lorenzo Sotomayor Collazosignifiedtheirintenttowinbigonhomesoil.

Thewomenfightersbegantheirtournamentonthefourthday, where Nouchka Fontijn superbly defeated Britain’sformer AIBA Women’s World Champion SavannahMarshall, while Hungary’s two-time Olympian MiklosVargareturnedtoforminspectacularfashionadaylater.KatieTaylorledherIrishteamtoacleansweepofsuccessonDay6,andfellowLondon2012OlympicgoldmedalistNicolaAdamsdefeatedBulgarian rival StoykaPetrova intheirquarter-finalmatchthefollowingday

Theallimportantsemi-finalmatchesthendominatedtheproceedings,astheboutsonceagainincreasedintermsofintensityandexcitement.

Despitethewealthoftalentinthewomen’sFlyweight(51kg)division,itwasclearfromtheoutsetthatNicolaAdamswasthebestboxer intheweightclass,andsheachievedthe inaugural boxing goldmedal in Bakuwith a spiritedwinoverPoland’sSandraDrabikonDay10.

AdamshadalsobecomethefirstwomantowinaboxinggoldatboththeOlympicandCommonwealthGames,soit


wasperhapsfatethatsheonceagainwrotehernameintotherecordbooksafterherdeservedvictory.

“ItfeelssogoodtobringyetanotherpieceofhistoryhometoBritain.Itrainedhard,andIshowedeverybodywhatIamallabout.Ihavenoproblemswithinjuries.MyshoulderisfineandIhopeitwillstaythatwaywhenitistimetoqualifyfortheRio2016”commentedAdamsafterhersuccess.

Fourfurthergoldmedalswereawardedthatday,startingwithDutchsupremoNouchkaFontijnwinningthewomen’sMiddleweight(75kg)finalwithaclassyperformanceoverSweden’sAnnaLaurellNash.

Thefirstmen’sgoldmedalistcameintheLightflyweight(49kg)division,asRussia’sBatorSagaluevedgedanarrowsplitdecisionvictoryoverIreland’sBrendanIrvineafterthecompletionoftheirdazzlingcontest.

Sagaluev’s compatriot Bakhtovar Nazirov then made ita brace of Russian golds when he defeated Belarusianfighter Dzmitry Asanau by split decision in the men’sBantamweight(56kg)final.

Much to the delight of the passionate crowd inside theCrystal Hall venue, Azerbaijan’s London 2012 OlympicGamesbronzemedallistTeymurMammadovwonthelastgoldofthedayasheusedhisfamouscounter-attackingability togreateffectagainst ItalianWSBheroValentinoManfredonia.

Mammadov’sunanimousdecisionvictoryearnedhimthehighesthonouroftheLightheavyweight(81kg)division,and the Azeri athletewas cheered rapturouslywhen hereceivedhismedal.

On the followingday, fivemoregoldmedalsmade theirway to the successful boxers, beginning with ElenaSavelevausingherexperienceandtenacitytobeatItaly’sMarziaDavideinthewomen’sBantamweight(54kg)final,whichearnedRussiatheirthirdtriumphoftheevent.

Russia’s Anastasia Beliakova arrived in Baku as thedefending AIBA Women’s World Champion and EUBCEuropean Women’s Continental Champion, and shefinished the event by becoming European GamesChampionaswell.


BAKU 2015

BeliakovadefeatedItaly’snewsensationValentinaAlbertiinthewomen’sLightWelterweight(64kg)final,withhervictoryalsosignifyingthefourthRussiangold.

Azerbaijan then achieved two successive gold medalsin their home event, starting with a tremendous men’sFlyweight (52 kg) win for Elvin Mamishzada over Italy’sformer AIBAWorld Championships and Olympic GamesbronzemedalistVincenzoPicardi.

AnotherAzerivictoryoveranItalianoccurredinthemen’sLightwelterweight (64kg)final,whenLorenzoSotomayorCollazoproducedatacticalmasterclassoverVincenzoMangiacapre.

ThefinalgoldmedalofDay11wasawardedtoBritain’s2014CommonwealthGamesgoldmedalistandWorldSeriesofBoxing sensation Joseph Joyce,who surviveda shakyfirstroundtocontrolhisSuperheavyweight(91+kg)finalwithRussia’stwo-timeNationalChampionGasanGimbatov.

Day 12 represented the end of the boxing competition,andthelastfivefinalsproducedevenmoremagicfortheviewingpublic.

Ireland’sKatieTaylorroleasanambassadorfortheEuropeanGamessignifiedherstatusasoneofthemostrecognisableathletes inBaku,andthefive-timeAIBAWorldChampionandLondon2012OlympicGamesgoldmedalistliveduptoherreputationwithyetanothertriumph.

Taylor has not lost in four years, butwas pushed all theway inhersemi-finalwithAzerbaijan’sYanaAlekseevna,beforeenjoyingamorecomfortablevictoryinthewomen’sLightweight(60kg)finalagainstFrance’sEstelleMossely.

“ThankGodforanothergreatvictory.Ifeltabittiredafteryesterday’sbout,butImanagedtopullthrough.IhadtobeverycleverinthereasmyFrenchopponentisaverytrickyboxerbutIthinkIwoneveryround.Iamjustdelightedwiththetactics,Ithinktheywerespotonasperusualfrommydad.Iamsoluckytohavesomeofthebestcoachesintheworldinmycorner.Iwanttogodowninthehistorybooksasthegreatestwomen’sboxerofalltime,”saidTaylorafterclaimingher18thgoldmedalinamajorevent.

2007 AIBAWorld Boxing Champion Albert Selimov wasoneofthebestboxersinSeasonVoftheWorldSeriesof


Boxing,andtheAzeristaralsoenjoyedgoldmedalsuccessinBakuwhenheputonanunbelievableboxingclinic inhisLightweight(60kg)finalwithFrance’sSofianeOumiha.

Azerbaijan’ssecondwinneronthelastcompetition day was EUBC EuropeanYouth Continental Champion ParvizBaghirov,whousedquickattacksandaggressiontodefeatRussia’sAlexanderBesputinatWelterweight(69kg).

The second Irish triumph of theEuropeanGamesthentookplaceinthemen’sMiddleweight(75kg)final,whenEuropeanUnionChampionships silvermedallist Michael O’Reilly’s excellentuppercuts and hooks resulted in awonderfulvictoryagainstAzerbaijan’sXaybulaMusalov.

PowerfulAzeriHeavyweight(91kg)AbdulkadirAbdullayevthanked his home fans for giving him much neededstrength in his tight semi-final with Russia’s Saddam

Magomedov,andhelatersecuredAzerbaijan’ssixthgoldmedalafterhisUkrainianopponentGevorgManukianwasunabletocompeteintheirfinal.

Azerbaijan topped theoverallmedalstandings with six gold, one silverand fourbronzemedals,withRussiafinishing secondwith fourgold, twosilverandfourbronzemedals.

Italy secured five second placefinishes,whileGermanyclaimedfivebronze medals in Baku, as Ukraineearned a single silver and fourbronzes.

Altogether, 16 separate countriesachievedatleastonemedalintheboxingtournament of the European Games,

which perfectly encapsulated the phenomenal strengthindepththatthecontinenthastooffer inthismagnificentsport.

BAKU 2015


“I had to be very clever in there as my French opponent is a very tricky boxer but I think I won every round. I want to go down in the history books as the greatest women’s boxer of all time.”

Katie Taylor

RESULTS


WOMENFLYWEIGHT (51KG)NicolaADAMS GBRSandraDRABIK POLSaianaSAGATAEVA RUSElifCOSKUN TUR

BANTAMWEIGHT (54KG)ElenaSAVELEVA RUSMarziaDAVIDE ITAAnnaALIMARDANOVA AZEAzizeNIMANI GER

LIGHTWEIGHT (60KG)KatieTAYLOR IRLEstelleMOSSELY FRAYanaALEKSEEVNA AZETasheenaBUGAR GER

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT (64KG)AnastasiiaBELIAKOVA RUSValentinaALBERTI ITASandyRYAN GBRAnetaRYGIELSKA POL

MIDDLEWEIGHT (75KG)NouchkaFONTIJN NEDAnnaLaurellNASH SWESarahSCHEURICH GERLidiaFIDURA POL

MENLIGHT FLYWEIGHT (49KG)BatorSAGALUEV RUSBrendanIRVINE IRLMuhammedUNLU TURDmytroZAMOTAYEV UKR

FLYWEIGHT (52KG)ElvinMAMISHZADA AZEVincenzoPICARDI ITAHamzaTOUBA GERViliamTANKO SVK

BANTAMWEIGHT (56KG)BakhtovarNAZIROV RUSDzmitryASANAU BLRTayfurALIYEV AZEQaisASHFAQ GBR

LIGHTWEIGHT (60KG)AlbertSELIMOV AZESofianeOUMIHA FRASeanMcCOMB IRLMateuszPOLSKI POL

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT (64KG)CollazoSOTOMAYOR AZEVincenzoMANGIACAPRE ITAKastriotSOPA GERViktorPETROV UKR

WELTERWEIGHT (69KG)ParvizBAGHIROV AZEAlexanderBESPUTIN RUSJoshKELLY GBRYaroslavSAMOFALOV UKR

MIDDLEWEIGHT (75KG)MichaelO’REILLY IRLXaybulaMUSALOV AZEZoltanHARCSA HUNMaximKOPTYAKOV RUS

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (81KG)TeymurMAMMADOV AZEValentinoMANFREDONIA ITAPavelSILYAGIN RUSOleksandrKHYZHNIAK UKR

HEAVYWEIGHT (91KG)AbdulkadirABDULLAYEV AZEGevorgMANUKIAN UKRJosipBepoFILIPI CROSadamMAGOMEDOV RUS

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT (91+KG)JoeJOYCE GBRGasanGimbatov RUSMahammadrasulMajidov AZETonyYOKA FRA

AIBA PRO BOXINGPRE-RANKING CYCLE

AND CYCLE I

The first two rounds of AIBA Pro Boxing featuredevents across eight countries and three continents,cementingtheinternationalflavourofthecompetition.

Week one action began in Baku, Azerbaijan as theSuper heavyweight boxers exhibited their unbelievableathleticismandfearsomepower.

RomanianMihaiNistorbecamethefirstboxertoeverwinanAPBbout,ashedefeatedGermany’sAliKiydinonpoints.

Throughout the first week of competition, Olympicmedalists,AIBAWorldChampions,holdresoftheWorldSeriesofBoxing titles, undefeatedprofessionalboxers,savvyveteransand rookie sensations facedeachotheroversixroundsofscintillatingaction.

On the second day of APB, perhaps the biggest shockinthehistoryofthecompetitiontookplaceinBaku,asKenya’sWelterweightRaytonNdukuOkwiriknockedouttheAustrianboxerwithaglitteringprorecordof18-1-1,MarcosNaderinroundtwooftheirmatch.

ThisresultclearlydisplayedtheuniqueappealofAPB-nomatterwhichstyleofboxerafighterhascomefrom,orhowmanyaccoladestheyhaveachieved,inthisformatanybodycanbebeaten.

Matches in Almaty, Baku, Bariloche, Hong Kong,Istanbul, Novosibirsk, Rome and Siberia were held infrontof thousandsof fans in thearenas,andattractedwidespreadmediaattentionacrosstheglobe.

AIBA Pro Boxing showcases world’s topboxing talent in Ranking Phase and Cycle I matches

AIBA PRO BOXING


Thenext stage ofAPB actionwas held on FridayNovember21stuntil SaturdayNovember29th, inthesamelocationsasthefirstPre-Rankingphase,and at this point, many stars were beginning toform.

Lightweight Berik Abdrakhmanov was excellent,French Light heavyweight Mathieu Bauderliquebeat number one seed Kennedy St Pierre, andTurkey’s Adem Kilicci was full of momentum atMiddleweight.

One of the greatest APB stoppages occurred onNovember 28th in Russia, when London 2012Olympian Ilyas Suleimenov knocked out AIBAWorld Championships silver medalist MohamedFlissiatFlyweight.

Another shock took place in the secondweek ofAPB, when two-time AIBAWorld Champion andtwo-timeOlympicsilvermedalistClementeRussowas beaten in front of his home fans in Italy byRussianHeavyweightEuropeanChampionAlekseiEgorov.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong hosted an all-Chinesederby at Light flyweight where 2012 AIBA YouthWorld Boxing Champion Bin LV defeated China’sNationalChampionZhonglinWuonpoints.

Bothfightersweretreatedasheroesbytheadoringaudience, and displayed the impeccable respectand sportsmanship that has been a hallmark ofAPB.

APB Ranking Phase Second Matches

The third phase of APBwas the beginning of the titlestages, as the Matches for Champions series decidedwhich two fighters from each weight category wouldcompeteintheInauguralTitleMatches.

At Light Flyweight, both Chinese stars Bin LV andZhonglinWuqualified tomeeteachother again,whileAIBA World Boxing Champion Flyweight Misha AloianmovedontomeetMexico’sEliasEmigdio.

Paris, France became the latest APB venue whereBantamweights (56 kg) Alberto Melian and homefavouriteKhedafiDjelkhirbothsecuredtheirpassagetofightagain.

Lightweight finalists Hurshid Tojibaev and BerikAbdrakhmanovcontinued theirunbeatenAPB journey,while Light welterweight sensation Abdelkader ChadisecuredhisrematchwithhotprospectArtemZakaryan.

Matches for Champions

AIBA PRO BOXING


RaytonNdukuOkwiri continued his dreamAPB run atWelterweightwithawinoverthepreviouslyundefeatedLondon2012bronzemedalistAndreyZamkovoy,whileTurkey’sOnurSipalqualifiedtomeettheAfricanfighter.

Another Turkish star Adem Kilicci went 3-0 in APB atMiddleweighttodelighthishomefans,andhismainrivalin theweight class, EuropeanBoxingChampionArtemChebotarev,alsowon.

Light heavyweight was full of suspense in Sofia, asKennedyStPierredefiedtheoddstoqualifyforthetitlematchagainstEhsanRouzbahan, Italian iconClementeRusso shook off his loss at Heavyweight to rematchAlekseiEgorovforthebelt,andintheSuperheavyweightdivision, undefeated APB boxers Erik Pfeifer andMohammedArjaoui both continued their successwithtwomarvelousvictories.

With boxing media, fans, and fellow fighters all overthe world watching, the APB Inaugural Title matchescrowned 10 new Champions who each received thebeautifulAPBbelt.

Super heavyweight Erik Pfeifer became the very firstChampionon23January2015,winning78:74acrosstheboardagainstMohammedArjaouiinBaku.

Two Turkish fighters then achieved title glory onconsecutive days, with Middleweight Adem Kilicciigniting Istanbul, andWelterweightOnur Sipal brilliantinBaku.

Theirvictorieswerecelebratedwithmuchgustointheirnativecountry.

On January 30th, four belts were awarded, beginningwithrampantRussianMishaAloianwarmingupthecoldSiberian night by claiming the Flyweight title againstEliasEmigdio,whileonthesamenighttheintenselyloyalfans inAstanaweredelightedbyBerikAbdrakhmanovsecuringLightweightgold.

A knowledgeable crowd in Sofia were treated to aLight heavyweight clinic by the extraordinary EhsanRouzbahani,andthoughonceagaindefeatingClementeRusso in Italy,HeavyweightAlekseiEgorovwaswarmlycheeredbytheEuropeanfansinCataniawhenheliftedthebeltaftervictory.

Title Matches

AIBA PRO BOXING


PriortohisLightwelterweightInauguralTitleBoutagainstAbdelkaderChadi,ArtemZakaryanhadnotdropped a single round in his previous matches,including a shutout victory over his Germanopponent.

Therefore,itwasamajorsurprisewhenhelostthefirstframeintherematch,andhissupportivecrowdinNovosibirsksensedtheshockimmediately.

Showcasing the tenacity and spirit that has seenhimbreak throughasoneofAPB’sbiggest stars,Zakaryan responded superbly, and controlled therestofthecontesttoensurehisundefeatedrecordremainedspotless,andmostimportantlyachievingthehonourofbecomingaChampion.

Although the Light flyweights are the smallestfighters in APB, the all-Chinese title rematchbetween Bin LV and ZhonglinWu was a fight ofmuchskill,gritandtechnique.

ThefansinHongKongwerecompletelysplitdownthemiddle,andatrueclassicinChinawaseventuallywonbyBinLVwhoisnow4-0inthecompetition.

The tenth, and final AIBA Pro Boxing (APB)InauguralChampionwascrowned inParis, and itwas the fantastic French fighter Khedafi DjelkhirwhoclinchedtheBantamweight (56kg)beltoverArgentina’sAlbertoMelian.

All ten APB Champions not only achieved title gold, but also a qualification quota for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

AIBA PRO BOXING

APB progressed even further after the initial Pre-RankingCompetitions,asthehistoricfirstCycleofAIBAPro Boxing (APB) Matches began on May 30, 2015 inTashkent,Uzbekistan.

Bringing together the world’s top90 boxers, the competition alsowelcomed the legendary boxingnationofCubaintoAPB.

“Cuba’s arrival in APB represents afurtherstepforwardintomakingthiscompetitiononeofthemostvitalandsuccessful sporting systems in theworld,”saidAIBAPresidentDrChing-KuoWu.

The top four ranked fighters in each weight divisioncompete across two APB Rounds, with the eventualwinnerearningbothaRio2016OlympicGamesquota,andascheduledboutagainstthedefendingChampioninCycleIRound3.

UzbekLightweightHurshidTojibaevkick-startedRound1 with a composed victory over Ireland’s David OliverJoyce, and his next opponent will be Russia’s Dmitry

Polyanskiy who defeated Brazil’sRobsonConceicao.

Two-time AIBA Super heavyweightWorld Champion MagomedrasulMedzhidov produced a perfectperformance in Morocco on June 6whenheknockeddownhomefavouriteMohammed Arjaoui en route to apointsvictory,aresultwhichqualifiedhimthroughtoRound2wherehewillmeet four-time Romanian NationalChampionMihaiNistor.

On the same night in Italy, Heavyweight supremoClemente Russo comprehensively outboxed RomanGolovashchenkoinMilan,whileAntonPinchukdefeatedChouaibBouloudintas.

Cycle I Round 1

“Cuba’s arrival in APB represents a further step forward into making this competition one of the most vital and successful sporting systems in the world.”

Dr C-K. Wu, AIBA President


The next evening, exciting Ecuadorian LightflyweightCarlosQuipoupsetChina’sownZhonglinWu in Guiyang, and will nowmeet current AIBAWorldChampionBirzhanZhakypovinRound2.

Also in Guiyang, two-time Asian Games silvermedalist Jiawei Zhang lost to Kenya’s BensonGicharuNjangiruviaasecondroundtechnicaldraw,and Bantamweight Alberto Melian outpointedreigningAIBAWorldChampionJavidChalabiyev.

AmidweekbraceofFlyweightmatchesdelightedthehugecrowd inMexicoCity,especiallyastheirstar Elias Emigdio beat Fernando Martinez tosecure a Round 2 match with Ilyas Suleimenov,who stopped Jasurbek Latipov in round four oftheircontest.

Cuba’shistoricentryintoAIBAProBoxing(APB)onJune19inKemerovoresultedinadebutvictoryforWelterweight Arisnoidys Despaigne (CUB), as heputonaboxing clinic againstDimitrosTsagrakos(GRE).

Two further important matches took place inRussia,beginningwithasurprisevictoryforGyulaKate over the number one ranked Ray ‘BoomBoom’Okwiri.

Kate’swinsetsupwithanamazingRound2clashwithRussia’sAndreyZamkovoywhobeatEimantasStanionis.


Bin LYU (CHN)LIGHT FLYWEIGHT (49KG)

Misha ALOIAN (RUS)FLYWEIGHT (52KG)

Khedafi DJELKHIR (FRA)BANTAMWEIGHT (56KG)

B. ABDRAKHMANOV (KAZ)LIGHTWEIGHT (60KG)

Armen ZAKARYAN (RUS)LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT (64KG)

Onur SIPAL (TUR)WELTERWEIGHT (69KG)

Ehsan ROUZBAHANI (IRI)LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (81KG)

Aleksey EGOROV (RUS)HEAVYWEIGHT (91KG)

Erik PFEIFER (GER)SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT (91+KG)

APB World Champions

SEASON V


WSB SEASON V

The regular Season V of World Series of Boxing (WSB) saw some of the best teams vie for the ultimate boxing supremacy – the title of the World Series of Boxing Champion.

In Group A, Cuba Domadores entered Season V of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) as defending Champions, and used their past performances to great effect as they won all 16 of their group stages matches to top Group A with 42 points.

The Domadores won 63 of their 70 fixtures, and did not lose a single individual match until the fifth week of the competition.

A Cuban fighter finished in the top five of every WSB weight class, with Flyweight Yosbany Veitia, Lightweight Lazaro Alvarez and Heavyweight Erislandy Savon all amassing perfect 7-0 records.

Russian Boxing Team finished second in the group with 32 points,and they were particularly impressive at home where they won six of their seven matches by a 5-0 scoreline.

Bantamweight Vladimir Nikitin finished top of the Bantamweight rankings, while Radzhab Butaev placed second at Welterweight.

Perhaps Russia’s most impressive boxer of the Regular Season was Middleweight Petr Khamukov, who won his first four matches of the season by TKO.

Mexico Guerreros achieved an excellent third place in the table, which gave them the last qualification spot for the quarter-final stages.

The North American team only lost four of their 14 matches, a record helped massively by standout boxers Joselito Velázquez Altamirano and Raúl Curiel García.

Former WSB Finalists Ukraine Otamans failed to qualify from the group stages. Despite a strong home record and excellent individual performances from Uzbek pair Hurshidbek Normatov and Hasanboy Dusmatov, the Otamans could not live up to their performances from prior WSB seasons.

Morocco Atlas Lions enjoyed a superb debut campaign in this competition after enjoying six impressive wins, including a duo of victories over Ukraine Otamans.


A week six derby victory over Algeria Desert

Hawks was another highlight, and they also produced the top ranked

Welterweight Mohammed Rabii who was voted the Boxer of the

Season by WSB’s Facebook fans.

China Dragons returned to WSB after a two season absence, and adjusted well

in their return campaign after a slow start.

Three strong home victories made them a force to be reckoned with in Sanya, with

exciting Light flyweight He Junjun particularly effective.

British Lionhearts also made their return to WSB in Season V, but despite winning their first two

home matches at London’s legendary York Hall, they only managed three overall victories to finish seventh in the table.

The British team did not have a lot of time to prepare for this season, however, and yet still managed to

delight many fans in London with some excellent boxing.

Super heavyweight Joseph Joyce was their standout competitor throughout the Regular Season, as he won six of his seven matches.

Algeria Desert Hawks finished bottom of the Group A table with two victories from 14 matches, but they will be delighted to have beaten fierce rivals Morocco Atlas Lions in week 13.

Sixth ranked Algerian Lightweight Reda Benbaziz won four matches to considerable acclaim.

In Group B, Kazakhstan began Season V determined to reach their third WSB Finals, and they won the first 13 matches of the Regular Season with considerable dominance and destruction.

Their home form was particularly impressive, with the team finishing the group stages undefeated in Kazakhstan having dropped just three individual matches in front of their passionate fans.

A fighter representing the Kazakh team fighter placed at least fifth in the WSB rankings of six weight classes, with Croatia’s 7-0 Filip Hrgovic placing first at Super heavyweight, while Heavyweight Vasiliy Levit was equally dominant.


Light flyweight Yoel Finol was a very effective fighter for the team in home matches as he remained undefeated in Venezuela through the season.

USA Knockouts started the season with five wins out of six, but faltered in the second half of the Regular Season with five losses in their last six matches.

Despite their lack of experience, the American Franchise was one of the most entertaining teams this season, helped by star boxers Carlos Balderas and Francisco Martinez.

Puerto Rico Hurricanes won a credible six matches in their debut season, with five of those successes emanating at home in San Juan.

An outstanding team spirit gave the squad self belief, and their star boxer was undoubtably 6-1 Flyweight Jeyvier Cintrón Ocasio.

Rafako Hussars Poland finished seventh in Group B, but were desperately unlucky not to achieve several giant killing results throughout the season.

Irish Welterweight Steven Donnelly, plus home stars Tomasz Jablonski and Igor Pawel Jakubowski all produced excellent results for Poland, which will give them added confidence heading into next season.

Argentina Condors finished bottom of the table after winning just once this season against Poland in week 11, while their best boxer of the season was Welterweight Alberto Ignacio Palmetta.


WSB SEASON V

Season IV runners-up Azerbaijan Baku Fires surprisingly began the fifth season of WSB in poor form, as they lost three of their first five matches.

The Azeri team improved immensely as the group stages developed, and finished the Regular Season on a four match winning streak.

Magomed Gurbanov impressed at Bantamweight, as did Abdulkadir Abdullayev in the Heavyweight division, but their best boxer was undoubtedly 2007 AIBA World Champion Albert Selimov who finished second in the Lightweight

rankings.

Season II Champions Italia Thunder also began Season V in poor form, but four home victories in a row towards the close of the group stages resulted in a third

place finish, and qualification for the quarter-finals.

Italy also became the first and only team to defeat Astana Arlans Kazakhstan throughout the campaign in the last match of the Regular Season.

Boasting one of the strongest squads in the competition, their two Irish boxers Patrick Barnes and Michael Conlan both achieved Rio 2016 Olympic Games quotas through WSB, as did Italian Light heavyweight Valentino Manfredonia.

Caciques Venezuela enjoyed the best placing of all the debuting teams in Season V, as they finished fourth in the table, just one point behind Italy.

An amazing home atmosphere in Venezuela saw them win six of their seven matches in South America, including a supreme victory over Azerbaijan Baku

Fires in week two.


WSB PLAYOFFS

QUARTER FINALSAn outstanding away performance in Guba from Mexico Guerreros resulted in a sensational 4-1 victory for the North American Franchise over Season IV runners up Azerbaijan Baku Fires in the first leg of their quarter-final.

Light flyweight Joselito Velázquez Altamirano, Bantamweight Sergio Alfredo Chirino Sánchez, Light welterweight Raúl Curiel García and Heavyweight Julio Cesar Castillo Torres all earned valuable wins for Mexico, while Jaba Khositashvili claimed the lone Baku Fires success.

After their resounding first leg lead, Mexico began the action on the second night knowing they only needed to win two further matches to qualify for the semi-finals.

The Baku Fires began leg two with a much needed Flyweight victory courtesy of Murad Rabadanov, before Mexico’s Lightweight Lindolfo Delgado and Welterweight Héctor Andrés Reyes Anguiano opened up an unassailable lead for the Guerreros.

Azerbaijan eventually won the second leg 3-2 after wins for Mikhail Dauhaliavets and Haji Murtuzaliyev, but their efforts proved to be in vain as Mexico sealed the overall triumph 6-4 on aggregate.

Russian Boxing Team then won their quarter-final in even more convincing fashion against Italia Thunder in Moscow to also qualify for the final four of Season V.

Five resounding Russian victories in the first leg proved their dominance over a courageous, yet overwhelmed Italian side, as Vadim Kudriakov, Andranik Grigoryan, Vitaliy Dunaytsev, Petr Khamukov and Evgeny Tishchenko all triumphed in the 5-0 whitewash.

Russia needed just one additional win in the second leg to claim an aggregate victory, and they achieved their goal in the opening match when Karen Arutiunian defeated Gaurav Bidhuri.

Further success for Artur Subkhankulov, Radzhab Butaev and Eduard Yakushev took the scoreline to 9-0, before Italy’s Guido Vianello won the last match of the fixture to avoid a second successive whitewash loss for the Thunder.


SEMI-FINALSAstana Arlans Kazakhstan and Cuba

Domadores qualified directly through to the semi-finals after they finished top

of their respective groups, and they both advanced through to the Season V Finals

as well.

A 5-0 victory in their semi-final first leg with Mexico Guerreros was enough for Cuba

Domadores to qualify for consecutive WSB Finals because Mexico were unable to produce

five boxers in the second leg due to injury.

Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez, London 2012 Olympic gold medalist Robeisy Ramirez, Yasnier

Toledo, Arlen Lopez all performed with aplomb in Havana, before the phenomenal Erislandy Savon stopped Julio Cesar Castillo Torres in the second

round.

Cuba’s dominance continued into the second leg, as they won all four of the official matches while also a claiming a

walkover success for Julio Cesar La Cruz.

The star-studded Domadores just kept winning in Havana, with Frank Osvaldo Zaldívar Santisteban, two-time AIBA World Champion Lazaro Alvarez, gold medal machine Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo and Lenier Eunice Pero all earning victories.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan could not quite match Cuba’s whitewash supremacy, but got very close to that record when they defeated Russian Boxing Team 9-1 on aggregate.

Temirtas Zhussupov, 2013 AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Kairat Yeraliyev, Samat Bashenov, Meiirim Nursultanov and the number one ranked Heavyweight Vassiliy Levit all dominated their Russian rivals on night one.

Only one further Kazakhstan victory was needed in the second leg, and that was achieved in the very first fight when Olzhas Sattibayev outpointed Karen Arutiunian. Further wins for Zakir Safiullin, 2013 AIBA World Champion Daniyar Yeleussinov followed, while Eduard Yakushev claimed Russia’s lone victory.

Super heavyweight star Ivan Dychko finally made his WSB debut in the last match of the night, and opened his account with a TKO win over Ruslan Shamalov.


The most highly anticipated Finals in WSB history took place on June 20 and June 21, when Season III Champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan hosted the defending Champions Cuba Domadores in Astana.

With the eyes of the sporting world planted firmly on the hallowed WSB squared circle, the two world class Franchises battled out the historic two-legged Finals with unbelievable skill and courage.

Kazakhstan had lost just one of their 16 prior matches in Season V, while Cuba had gone through the entire campaign undefeated after producing superb performances time and time again.

The thousands in attendance at the National Tennis Center, and the multitude of WSB fans all around the globe all watched in some surprise when Kazakhstan took a 3-2 lead over Cuba after the first leg had been completed.

Temirtas Zhussupov claimed the first blow for Kazakhstan when he defeated Cuba’s Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez, before the Domadores evened up the scoring after a vital win for Robeisy Ramirez over Kairat Yeraliyev.

Samat Bashenov then became the first man to beat Cuba’s Yasnier Toledo in Season V, while Meiirim Nursultanov ensured the first leg would definitely end in an Astana Arlans lead after he outpointed Arlen Lopez.

Both Kazakhstan’s Vassiliy Levit and Cuba’s Erislandy Savon boasted similar undefeated records heading into their Heavyweight shootout, but it was the Domadore who moved to 17-0 in the competition when he edged a narrow split decision verdict over Levit.

Olzhas Sattibayev opened the second leg with yet another Kazakhstan victory, and he took the unbeaten record of Yosbany Veitia in the process.


Lazaro Alvarez pulled a win back for Cuba over Zakir Safiullin, but Kazakhstan’s

Aslanbek Shymbergenov then produced one of the most surprising results in WSB history when he outpointed London 2012 Olympic

gold medalist Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo on all three scorecards.

Cuba’s two-time AIBA World Champion Julio Cesar De La Cruz proceeded to put on a boxing

clinic against Nurdaulet Zharmanov, which left the second leg scored at 2-2, and the overall aggregate

5-4 in Kazakhstan’s favour heading into the last official match of the night.

If Ivan Dychko lost to Cuba’s Yohandi Toirac a Sudden Death tie-breaker bout would have been required, but

the tall Super heavyweight completely dominated the contest, and won every round to secure his own victory, and the Season V Championship for Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.

The amazing atmosphere in the arena reached unprecedented levels, and the celebrations continued long into the night throughout the whole of Kazakhstan.

LIGHTWEIGHT CATEGORY (60kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 ALVAREZLazaro CUB 7 32

2 SELIMOVAlbert AZE 6 30

3 ABDURASHIDOVAdlan RUS 6 25

MIDDLEWEIGHT CATEGORY (75kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 KHAMUKOVPetr RUS 6 30

2 LOPEZArlen CUB 7 30

3 JABLONSKITomasz POL 7 30

LIGHT FLYWEIGHT CATEGORY (49kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 BARNESPatrick IRL 7 34

2 DUSMATOVHasanboy UKR 7 33

3 VELASQUEZ A.Joselito MEX 7 29

WELTERWEIGHT CATEGORY (69kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 RABIIMohammed 7 34

2 BUTAEVRadzhab RUS 6 29

3 BAGHIROVParviz AZE 6 24

HEAVYWEIGHT CATEGORY (91kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 LEVITVassily KAZ 7 33

2 SAVONErislandy CUB 7 33

3 ABDULLAYEVAbdulkadir AZE 6 30

BANTAMWEIGHT CATEGORY (56kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 NIKITINVladimir RUS 6 29

2 CONLANMichael John IRL 7 26

3 GURBANOVMagomed AZE 6 25

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CATEGORY (+91kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 HRGOVICFilip CRO 7 35

2 JOYCEJoseph GBR 7 30

3 MAKHMUDOVArslanbek AZE 4 19

LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT CATEGORY (64kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 TOLEDOYasnier CUB 6 29

2 CURIEL GARICARaul MEX 7 29

3 GADZHIALIYEVGaybatulla AZE 7 25

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CATEGORY (81kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 MANFREDONIAValentino ITA 7 35

2 La CRUZJulio Cesar CUB 7 31

3 SEPHrvoje CRO 7 28

FLYWEIGHT CATEGORY (52kg)# BOXER TEAM COUNTRY BOUT PTS

1 VEITIAYosbany CUB 7 34

2 CINTRON OCASIOJeyvier Jesus PUR 7 28

3 KHARROUBIAchraf

MAR 7 26

RANK TEAM PTSMATCHES BOUTS

TOTAL WINS LOSSES TOTAL WINS LOSSES TD WO

GROUP A

1 Cuba Domadores 42 14 14 0 70 63 7 0 0

2 Russian Boxing Team 32 14 10 4 70 50 20 0 0

3 Mexico Guerreros 28 14 10 4 70 40 30 0 2

4 Ukraine Otamans 27 14 8 6 70 35 35 0 0

5 Morocco Atlas Lions 20 14 6 8 70 28 42 0 0

6 China Dragons 12 14 3 11 70 23 47 0 0

7 British Lionhearts 12 14 3 11 70 23 47 0 1

8 Algeria Desert Hawks 8 14 2 12 70 18 52 0 2

GROUP B

1 Astana Arlans Kazakhstan 40 14 13 1 70 56 14 0 0

2 Azerbaijan Baku Fires 32 14 10 4 70 48 22 0 0

3 Italia Thunder 27 14 7 6 69 41 28 1 0

4 Caciques Venezuela 26 14 8 6 70 33 37 0 0

5 USA Knockouts 19 14 7 7 70 31 39 0 3

6 Puerto Rico Hurricanes 17 14 6 8 70 29 41 0 4

7 Rafako Hussars Poland 15 14 3 11 70 27 43 0 0

8 Argentina Condors 3 14 1 12 69 14 55 1 4

RANKINGS

AIBA EC Meeting

-July 6 - 9 Doha,

Qatar

Pacific Games

Elite Men& Women July 14 - 18 Papa New Guniea

Pan American Games

Elite Men& Women July 18 - 25Toronto, Canada

WSB Season VI Team Draw

Elite MenJuly 25 Lausanne,Switzerland

APB Cycle 1, Round 2

Pro MenJuly

-

EUBC Contintenal ChampionshipElite Men& Women August 7 - 15 Sofia,

Bulgaria

AMBC Contintenal ChampionshipElite Men& Women August 17 - 22 Vargas,Venezuela

AFBC Contintenal ChampionshipElite Men& Women August 18 - 23 Casablanca, Morocco

ASBC Contintenal ChampionshipElite Men& Women August 26 -September 5 Bangkok, Thailand

OCBC Contintenal ChampionshipElite Men& Women August 29 - September 1 Canberra, Australia

Youth Commonwealth GamesYouth Men

September 7 - 8 Apia, Samoa

AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships 2015 Elite Men& Women September 5 - 12 St Petersburg, Russia

All-Africa Games

Elite Men& Women September 6 - 14 Brazzaville, Congo

AIBA World Boxing Championships 2015Elite Men

October 8 - 17Doha, Qatar

WSB Season VI Boxers Draft

Elite MenOctober 15

Doha, Qatar

APB Cycle I, Title Matches

Pro Men November& December-

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AIBA Boxing News January - June 2015

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