With another day over at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Almaty 2013, we take a few moments to catch our breath and look at this evening’s events.
As you would expect at a tournament of this level, there was some top draw boxing on display. None of the shocks and upsets that beset yesterday’s boxing repeated themselves today, but there was drama galore nonetheless. Today we had the first Light Flyweights (49kg), the Welterweights (69kg) and the Light Heavyweights (81kg) showing their stuff in front of an appreciative crowd in this boxing loving country.
Bouts of the session
This was was certainly the battle between Korean Hyeongkyu Kim and Aolin Zhang of China at Light Heavyweight. This was an epic bout with the Chinese boxer surging forward in bursts and the Korean willing to welcome him in. The Korean boxer fired off his jab from a very low position initially; almost from waist height and relied on his right hand to cover. This made it his punch hard to spot and meant his jab scored frequently but the tactic carried fairly obvious defensive consequences at times as well. With 50 seconds left in the third round the Korean dropped the Chinese boxer with a good uppercut. This was probably the deciding factor in the Korean taking the win.
Perhaps not the most stylish bout of the session though also notable was the fight between Tanes Ongjunta from Thailand and Joshua English of Australia at Light Flyweight. This bout stood out for the sheer graft and hard work both boxers put in. They worked on each other with the same ferocious intensity for all three rounds. Neither fighter held anything back and the control of the fight went back and forth like a rocking chair supper-charged by a petrol engine. In general, the Thai team is looking great this year and it was indeed the Thai fighter that took the bout, though credit must be given to the Australian for pushing him all the way to the final bell.
Tuvshinbat Byamba took on Qiong Maimaitituersun of China in our second epic Asian clash of the day. The Mongolian Welterweight (69kg), heavily supported by the Kazakh audience, came forward very aggressively and was throwing everything he had at the Chinese boxer. This continued throughout the second and the third rounds with Byamba seeming to be yet another Mongolian with knockout power in his hands. In the end he had to settle for a clear 3:0 victory, but he certainly looks dangerous. Credit is also due to the Chinese boxer for making this such an interesting bout, he was certainly no pushover.
The Welterweight match-up between Cuba’s Arisnoidys Despaigne and Hurshidbek Normatov from Uzbekistan was another great one today. A technical bout from the beginning, the orthodox Cuban lined up against the southpaw Uzbek. Most of the action took place when the boxers were in close where it was really blow for blow. The Cuban however showed much more aggression coming forward and he insisted on hunting his man down. This was probably what gave him the edge in the judge’s minds and he won the bout.
Ones to watch
Russia’s Belik Galanov looked very sharp at Light Flyweight against Vadym Kudryakov of Ukraine. Galanov has an unusual style of boxing but it seems to work for him, standing orthodox but with a long stance he often drops his hands below his waist to invite the punch so he can lean back and counter. The length of his stance gives him space to do this. He looked very comfortable against his Ukrainian opponent and while we didn’t see enough of him to make any firm predictions, it will be interesting to see how he develops over the competition. Will he retain this exposed stance or will he get punished for it.
Mongolian Erdenebayer Sandagsuren may also shock some people this year. Certainly he shocked the American team and Geremias Torres, whose coach felt obliged to throw the towel in to protect his fighter in the final round. With the American taking two eight counts in the first and another in the third, the power and accuracy in the Mongolian’s hands was noteworthy. Watch this space.
Mbachi Kaonga from Zambia looked good against Brighton Masiyambumbi of Zimbabwe in an all-African clash at Welterweight, which was full of explosive action. The Zambian scored a decisive knock down in round three with 1:49 remaining on the clock to seal the deal. He could be one to keep an eye on through later stages of the competition.
Armenian boxer Aram Amirkhanyan was impressive against Artem Masily of Israel. The Welterweight appeared extremely difficult to hit with tremendous evasive powers. As a southpaw he would sometimes circle a full 180 degrees in a single pivot to avoid the rush of the oncoming Israeli boxer. Whilst accomplishing this matador-like feat he was also peppering the Israeli with his jab and right hook to take an easy 3:0 win.
Surprises of the session
Kenyan Welterweight boxer Rayton Okwiri took on Australia’s Daniel Lewis and looked good doing it. Whenever an Australian has taken to the ring so far this tournament, it has meant a serious battle for whoever is standing in front of them. Lewis kept this tradition alive by proving to be as rugged as his compatriots. The Kenyan however seems to possess a nice blend of skill, athleticism and a willingness to go forward and mix it up as required. He earned a well-deserved victory, and the support of the crowd.
Quotes of the session
“AIBA really made me who I am today because I’ve been to all the “Road to” training camps. Italy, Baku, Wales… And now I’m here. It’s helping me because I’m the only Elite boxer in my country, so I don’t get decent sparring, and the training facilities are really bad so thanks to the AIBA program I was able to come here two weeks before, get good time with other countries and get a good training program” – Carl Hield, Bahamas and Road to Dream boxer.
“I loved fighting for the German Eagles in the WSB last season. We are discussing next year now and I really hope I am part of the team. That would really please me” – Serge Michel Germany
Tomorrow
Upcoming we have Bantamweight (56kg) and Middleweights (75kg) with around 35 bouts across the two weight categories
