AIBA women’s junior & youth world champions; Cuba vs. Kazakhstan set for WSB finals

Cuba Domadores qualify for their second WSB Final after 10-0 aggregate win over Mexico Guerreros

World Series of Boxing (WSB) Season IV Champions Cuba Domadores earned an entertaining 5-0 victory over Mexico Guerreros in the second leg of their semi-final, and reached the WSB Final 10-0 on aggregate.

After their first leg whitewash triumph, Cuba began tonight’s action having already qualified for the Final as Mexico was unable to produce a boxer in the Light heavyweight (81 kg) division.

Ecuador’s Carlos Mina could not weigh-in for his proposed match with Cuba’s Julio Cesar La Cruz due to illness, so their contest was declared a walkover win for La Cruz which gave Cuba an unassailable 6-0 lead before a glove had been thrown in Havana.

This was Cuba’s tenth 5-0 whitewash of Season V, and they will next meet either Astana Arlans Kazakhstan or Russian Boxing Team as they bid to become WSB Champions for the second year in a row.

Frank Osvaldo Zaldívar Santisteban displayed the strength of the Cuban team as he began the evening by winning his WSB debut against 4-4 Mexican Flyweight (52 kg) Orlando Huitzil Ahuatl.

Santisteban is a very exciting prospect, and impressed throughout his contest with the experienced Ahuatl.

Both Flyweights continually pressed forward, but it was the Cuban athlete who controlled the important elements of the bout, and eventually won 49-46 according to one judge, and 48-47 on the remaining scorecards.

Two-time AIBA World Champion Lazaro Alvarez earned Cuba’s third win of the evening, and took his Season V record to 8-0 in the process with a dominant performance over 5-2 Lindolfo Delgado.

Alvarez is one of the smoothest in-ring technicians of WSB, and his excellent versatility confounded Delgado in every round.

The penultimate match of this semi-final was a Welterweight (69 kg) rematch between Cuba’s Olympic and AIBA World Championships gold medalist Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo and Héctor Andrés Reyes Anguiano, where once again this season the Cuban star defeated his Mexican rival.

Sotolongo had struggled to truly impress in this campaign despite his many accolades, but he improved immensely in Havana to show exactly why he is regarded as one of the best boxers in the world.

Hard right hands and stiff jabs forced Anguiano backwards despite his attacking instincts, and the Mexican fighter was forced to take a standing count in the fifth round after being hit by a left hook.

All three judges awarded every round to Sotolongo who looks back to his brilliant best.

7-1 Super heavyweight (91+ kg) Domadore Lenier Eunice Pero closed the semi-final in style for Cuba as he stopped former Pan American Games bronze medalist Jorge Quiñonez in round one of their contest.

Pero dropped Quiñonez with a left hook to the body less than a minute into the frame, and a follow-up shot to the midsection forced the end of the match shortly after.

Cuba now has a 73-7 record this season, and look virtually unbeatable heading into the WSB Final.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan defeat Russian Boxing Team 9-1 on aggregate in WSB Semi-Final

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan qualified for their third World Series of Boxing (WSB) Final by defeating Russian Boxing Team 4-1 in the second leg of their semi-final, which gave them an overall 9-1 victory on aggregate.

Despite the 4-1 result, the second leg was a much closer event than the first night of action as Russia’s brave fighters pushed the Kazakh athletes throughout each match.

Kazakhstan will now meet defending Champions Cuba Domadores in the most eagerly anticipated WSB Final of all time.

4-1 Flyweight (52 kg) Olzhas Sattibayev confirmed Kazakhstan’s qualification when he defeated Russia’s 1-2 Karen Arutiunian in the first match of the evening.

Backed by a tremendously loud and supportive crowd, Sattibayev controlled the first three rounds with his busy style making life difficult for his Russian rival.

Arutiunian improved in the latter stages of the contest as he began to use a wider range of punches, but his late rally was not enough, and Sattibayev earned a unanimous decision victory.

Kazak Lightweight (60 kg) Zakir Safiullin then doubled the lead for his team against Artur Subkhankulov, but he was forced to work hard for his success in every second of their bout.

This was an energetic contest which saw both boxers throw many punches, but it was Safiullin whose skills impressed a little more in the first two rounds.

Subkhankulov began round three with more intent, and continually pressed forward against a more defensive Safiullin which impressed the judges in the frame.

Channelling the success of his teammates over the course of this season, the Kazakh star averted the third round crisis, and was awarded the bout by one round on all three scorecards.

Another close match was found at Welterweight (69 kg) where 2013 AIBA World Champion Daniyar Yeleussinov edged a narrow split decision win over Russian debutant Iagub Nuriev.

Although he was making his first appearance of the season, Nuriev was confident against his decorated opponent, and reacted well to losing the first two rounds by staging an incredible comeback as the five round distance suited his style.

Yeleussinov tired at the beginning of the fourth round, and was forced into a brawl with Nuriev, with the World Champion unable to control the Russian mauler in the fifth round either.

Nuriev was relentless in his attacks and he attempted to rough up Yeleussinov to force a stoppage that would give him one of the most surprising results in WSB history.

It was not to be however, as Yeleussinov held on to take the match to the scorecards, where two judges awarded him the contest by one round, with Nuriev winning on the third scorecard.

This was one of the most entertaining WSB matches of all time, and Nuriev is a boxer to watch next season.

Russia claimed their lone victory in the semi-final at Light heavyweight (81 kg) when 2-0 Eduard Yakushev outpointed Nurdaulet Zharmanov.

Yakushev lost the first round as he struggled to deal with the movement of Zharmanov, but he reacted well to the task in hand, and won all of the four remaining rounds with quick punches and rugged strength.

Super heavyweight (91+ kg) Ivan Dychko sealed the 4-1 victory for Astana Arlans, and won his opening bout of the season as he stopped Russia’s Ruslan Shamalov.

Dychko’s power was evident in the first round, and he began the second frame impressively, with a huge right hand sending Shamalov down the canvas.

The Russian athlete was brave in returning to his feet, but the referee was forced to stop the contest as he was in no position to continue.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan has now won 15 of their 16 matches this season, and will be full of confidence heading into their Final with Cuba Domadores.

AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015: Junior Winners Revealed

The Junior Finals of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015 took place today, where nations such as Russia, India and the United States of America dominated the gold medal tally.

Many excellent performances in the ring delighted the watching crowd, and they all superbly displayed the uncapped potential of women’s boxing worldwide.

Bout of the day

Three-time US National Champion Guadelupe Gutierrez met with Donjeta Sadiku in the Junior Lightweight class (60 kg) final, with her opponent having already made history by becoming the first boxer from Kosovo to win a medal at an AIBA Championships.

In the final, both fighters produced strong performances full of effort and skill, but it was Gonzalez who was the superior athlete across all three rounds, as she used her power and speed to great effect.

After Gutierrez successfully managed to reduce the distance in round one, her continual attacks troubled the brave Sadiku, and Gutierrez clinched the gold medal to the delight of her coach and teammates.

Team of the day

The Indian Junior team enjoyed a great day in Taipei where they earned three gold medals.

Star boxer Savita only joined India’s national team earlier this year, yet the 15-year-old outpointed Ukraine’s Kateryna Rohova in their Junior Flyweight class (50 kg) final.

Mandeep Kaur Sandhu delivered a second Indian gold as she defeated Ireland’s Golden Girl Women’s Junior Cup winner Niamh Earley in an engrossing contest.

Her teammate Sakshi then made it a hat-trick for India after her victory over US Junior National Champion Yarisel Ramirez.

Sakshi’s wonderful footwork was a key took in avoiding the punches of the US athlete, and helped her triumph at Junior Bantamweight (54 kg).

Surprises of the day

Despite having four years of boxing experience, United States’ Zhane Crockett was not the favourite heading into in her Junior Featherweight class (57 kg) final with Russia’s two-time National Champion Liudmilla Vorontsova.

Crockett seemed unfazed by the big occasion however, starting their fight strongly with sharp right hands which defined the first 30 seconds of action.

Vorontsova safely battled through the initial storm, and managed to impose her own tactics on the bout soon after.

As the fight progressed, the defence of each competitor approached a truly world class level, as neither could find the one shot that would change the dynamic of the event.

The last round was particularly entertaining with Vorontsova marching forward, but she was picked off by Crockett’s counter-attacks, which eventually led to the American being named the winner.

Russia’s Anastasia Shamonova and Karolina Makhno of Ukraine also delivered a blistering contest in Taipei, and both had important records to defend.

The Russian boxer had suffered just one career loss prior to the beginning of this tournament, while Makhno was undefeated.

With so much at stake, the boxers produced a dazzlingly entertaining fight, which was won by Shamonova who took home the gold medal, and snapped the winning streak of the previously unbeaten Ukrainian in the process.

One to watch

After China’s Yu Lisai defeated Kazakhstan’s Laila Kussainova in the quarter-finals of the Nations Women’s Junior Cup in January, the two rematched in the final of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015.

Their second battle followed a similar pattern to the first, as Lisai secured wicked body shots in the opening round, and continued her dominance to claim the Junior Light Welterweight class (63 kg) gold.

Quote of the day

“I think my coach and myself both performed well enough against my opponent in today’s final. My winning tactic was to stay calm, and just do what I had to do at close distance. I am very happy to get the gold, but I do not think I will have much celebration at home in Sacramento as I will continue my hard training,” said Guadelupe Gutierrez after her gold medal in the Junior Lightweight class (60 kg).

Stat/Fact of the day

Russia topped the Junior medal rankings with four golds in Taipei, while the United States of America and India both claimed three gold medals in this section of the Championships.

Results of the junior finals

46 kg:  Won Un Gyong PRK –  Beyza Saracoglu TUR 3:0

48 kg:  Heaven Garcia USA –  Soniya IND 2:1

50 kg:  Savita IND –  Kateryna Rohova UKR 2:1

52 kg:  Mandeep Kaur Sandu IND –  Niamh Earley IRL 3:0

54 kg:  Sakshi IND –  Yarisel Ramirez USA 3:0

57 kg:  Zhane Crockett USA –  Liudmilla Vorontsova RUS 2:1

60 kg:  Guadelupe Gutierrez USA –  Donjeta Sadiku KOS 3:0

63 kg:  Yu Lisai CHN –  Laila Kussainova KAZ 3:0

66 kg:  Nadezhda Ryabets KAZ –  Kylie Hall USA 2:1

70 kg:  Anastasia Sigayeva RUS –  Niharika Gonella IND 3:0

75 kg:  Anastasia Shamonova RUS –  Karolina Makhno UKR 3:0

80 kg:  Elena Litvinova RUS –  Dina Islambekova KAZ TKO 2nd round

+80 kg:  Kristina Tkacheva RUS –  Jessica Morka GER 2:1

Medallists of the AIBA Women’s Junior Boxing Championships

AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015: Youth Winners Announced

The Youth finals of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015 was held this afternoon at the Xinzhuang Stadium, where the talented boxers finished the tournament in style.

Bout of the day

China’s Chang Yuan defeated Chinese Taipei’s Huang Hsiao Wen on the way to claiming a gold medal at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, and their rematch in Taipei was one of the greatest contents of the entire tournament.

Both boxers came into this match on top form, but it was the Chinese southpaw who began strongly as her fast punches from range stood out.

Huang was undeterred, and supported passionately by the local crowd soaked up the early pressure by countering Yuan’s output with accurate shots.

Signifying her Champion status, Yuan came out in the second round with renewed vigour, and began to include vicious uppercuts in her repertoire

After the closing bell rang at the end of their breathtaking battle, Yuan claimed the Youth Flyweight class (51 kg) gold medal via a split decision verdict.

Team of the day

Five Russian Youth boxers were involved in finals on the last day of competition, and four  walked away with gold medals in the event.

Nations Women’s Youth Cup winner Yuliya Chumgalakova arrived to the Championships as the main favourite of the Youth Light Flyweight class (48 kg), and the 17-year-old lived up to the hype after defeating DPR Korea’s Youth National Champion Kim Un Jong.

Two-time Russian National Champion Daria Semashko moved down one weight class before the start of the tournament, and her decision paid off as she outpointed Kazakhstan’s Bayan Akbayeva to secure the second Russian Youth gold.

AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion Vlada Kalacheva then beat China’s Nations Women’s Junior Cup silver medallist Zhang Jie at the Youth Light Heavyweight class (81 kg), while Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska was unfit to box in the final of the Youth Heavyweight class (+81 kg) due a shoulder injury, so AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion Maria Shishmareva took Russia’s fourth Youth gold medal in Taipei.

Surprise of the day

Italy’s Concetta Marchese eliminated Ukraine’s Valeriya Manchak  in the quarter-finals of the Youth Bantamweight class (54 kg) in a huge shock, but the EUBC European Women’s Junior Continental Champion could not win her final against Kazakhstan’s AIBA Women’s Junior World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Balaussa Muzdiman.

Marchese began the fight with excellent footwork which frustrated her opponent, but after the Italian began to tire, Muzdiman turned up the pressure and the split decision win was awarded to her.

Ones to watch

Italy’s AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion and Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Irma Testa won an entertaining final over Ukraine’s Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympian Anhelina Bondarenko to signify her undoubted dominance of the Featherweight class (57 kg).

Testa is tall for the weight, and uses her height advantage very well as she boxes with a smart counter-attacking style which is very enjoyable to watch.

American star Jajaira Gonzalez began this tournament undefeated, and the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist continues her winning streak at its close as well.

The Lightweight class (60 kg) boxer put Sweden’s Stephanie Thour under incredible pressure from the opening seconds, and Gonzalez continued to attack until the very end as well.

Facts of the day

Russia’s four Youth golds enabled them to top the medal standings at the Junior level, while they also finished top of the Junior section of the tournament.

Elsewhere, two Italian boxers won gold, while host nation Chinese Taipei claimed one silver and three bronze medals on home soil.

Dominican Republic and Greece both secured their first ever medal in the history of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships.

Results of the finals

48 kg:  Yuliya Chumgalakova RUS –  Kim Un Jong PRK 2:0

51 kg:  Chang Yuan CHN –  Huang Hsiao Wen TPE 2:1

54 kg:  Balaussa Muzdiman KAZ –  Concetta Marchese ITA 2:1

57 kg:  Irma Testa ITA –  Anhelina Bondarenko UKR 3:0

60 kg:  Jajaira Gonzalez USA –  Stephanie Thour SWE 3:0

64 kg:  Angela Carini ITA –  Elizaveta Nemtseva RUS 3:0

69 kg:  Daria Semashko RUS –  Bayan Akbayeva KAZ 3:0

75 kg:  Busenaz Surmeneli TUR –  Zheng Lu CHN 2:0

81 kg:  Vlada Kalacheva RUS –  Zhang Jie CHN 3:0

+81 kg:  Maria Shishmareva RUS –  Agata Kaczmarska POL WO

Medallists of the AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships