By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout)
In September Indian boxer Vikas Krishan announced he would be turning professional and late last week it was officially confirmed that he had signed with US outfit Top Rank and would be making his debut on January 18 2019 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The 26-year-old southpaw will be trained by Wali Moses, the grandfather of unbeaten Shakur Stevenson. A 3-time national champion at lightweight, welterweight and middleweight, a 2-time Olympian, a 2018 Commonwealth gold Medallist, a 2011 world championship Bronze medallist and a double Asian Championship medallist, Krishan’s amateur achievements speak for themselves and he also reached the podium at the last 3 Asian Games. Krishan can coast at times during fights, but he is an excellent and vicious body puncher and likes to use uppercuts and he certainly possesses enough traits to have a successful pro career. Top Rank and especially Bob Arum have always been way ahead of the game in exploring and attempting to open up new markets and embracing the globalisation of boxing. Of course we saw Top Ranks venture into China with double Olympic gold Medallist Zou Shiming heading the charge and big cards in Macao featuring the likes of Manny Pacquiao. People will correctly point out that Shiming’s professional career was a bit of a busted flush but winning a world title was a good achievement given his limitations and hopefully he can inspire the next generation of boxers from his country. Many may compare China and India but there are major differences between the 2 countries boxing and sporting cultures. Whilst India doesn’t have the infrastructure such as professional gyms and coaches compared to China, their amateur system is churning out so much more talent and the results have shown that in the last couple of years at senior, youth and junior level in both men’s and women’s boxing. India also generates an atmosphere at sporting events that is unrivalled anywhere in the world and given the mind boggling sums paid for IPL and Indian home cricket rites, if boxing can generate just a fraction of that interest then the sky’s the limit. Vijender Singh has been an important cog in putting the key in the lock to try to swing the door wide open for Indian professional boxing and he has now signed a multi-year agreement with Top Rank and will make his US debut sometime in early 2019. With his last bout coming last December and a proposed July Commonwealth title fight being cancelled, Singh’s career had ground to a halt but hopefully this new deal can breathe new life into it. With his notable profile and popularity and his last 4 contests all taking place in India and being broadcast on either Star Sports and Sony, a potential clash with WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez would be a truly historic event. If Top Rank can secure a long term deal with either of the previously mentioned TV channels to broadcast Krishan and Singh’s fights then not only does that give them a chance to build professional boxing in India but it also potentially opens up the biggest untapped market on the planet for the rest of their fighters. Lastly, another intriguing intangible is the ongoing saga between AIBA and the IOC which has left boxing’s place at the Tokyo Olympics hanging by a thread. If boxing is ditched and a rival body isn’t established to cobble together an Olympic tournament then with no real professional scene to speak of, the Indian amateurs could be in limbo but with Top Rank now showing interest, this could be a much needed gateway for the nations numerous talented pugilists to pursue.
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By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout)
If it wasn’t so serious it would be hilarious. Yes, I am referring to the recent events involving AIBA, the governors of amateur boxing which held their Congress in Moscow this past weekend which saw a new permanent President elected. You may have read on this site just over a week ago that Serik Konakbayev was awaiting a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport regarding his being able to run against Gafur Rakhimov, well the Kazak received the nod from the CAS and we had a contest between the pair for the Presidency. The first day of the congress on Friday November 2 saw Rakhimov put forward a proposal that a President could temporarily step aside for up to a year and with a successor appointed by the AIBA ruler Executive Committee. Rakhimov would have remained on the Executive Committee whilst also retaining full voting rights however, he fell 2 votes short of the 2-thirds majority needed to push through the proposal. Let’s be honest this would have been a complete fudge, a way to kick the can down the road and a blatant attempt to sweep the matter under the carpet and this wouldn’t have washed with the IOC anyway. The next day saw the election take place in what was more resembling of a comedy show rather than a crucial demonstration of the competence of AIBA to the world and more importantly the IOC. The electronic voting system failed to work despite several attempts and despite the protests of the Konakbayev team and the Kazakh federation eventually a paper ballot was hastily organised. Several delegates disappeared and failed to vote including India but Rakhimov was victorious, receiving 86 out of the 134 votes. It’s hard to work out whether it was arrogance personified or utter stupidity that lead the 86 federations to choose Rakhimov but the farcical and chaotic nature of proceedings will have only raised more concerns from the IOC. Shortly afterwards a statement from the IOC was sent to the brilliant insidethegames with Presidential spokesman Mark Adams stating “We take note of decisions taken by the AIBA Congress in Moscow.” The IOC has made it clear from the outset that there are issues of grave concern with AIBA regarding judging, finance, and the anti- doping programme, and with governance – which includes but is not limited to the election of the AIBA President.” “As planned, we will now carefully evaluate all these areas at the next IOC Executive Board meeting in Tokyo on the 30 November – 2 December.” Rumblings of a breakaway organisation possibly headed by Konakbayev being given IOC ratification to organise the boxing in Tokyo have begun to emerge and the IOC once again stated their desire to protect the athletes. Putting this into practise however, presents an uphill task given the short period of time. Finally if you missed my piece on the potential ramifications of no Olympic boxing in Tokyo then it can be read here - The dire consequences if, no Olympic Boxing in Tokyo By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout)
The last couple of years have been turbulent times for amateur boxing with scandals and squabbles completely overshadowing any action that has taken place in the ring. Expulsion from the Tokyo Olympics is now a real possibility as the sport is now at a critical tipping point and arguably the most defining phase in its illustrious history. Before we get into the wide ranging ramifications here is a brief timeline of events that have lead us to this point for those who haven’t kept up to date or have simply got lost with the goings on. The boxing at the 2016 Olympics in Rio was marred by controversial judging decisions with all 36 officials and referees suspended for alleged bout-fixing and it was clear changes needed to be made. After much wrangling and bitter infighting long time AIBA president CK Wu was forced out last November due to allegations of financial mismanagement within the organisation. Gafur Rakhimov, described by the US Treasury as “one of Uzbekistan’s leading criminals” was installed as interim president in January. Rakhimov as strenuously denied the claims but by now the International Olympic Committee (IOC) were showing concern. An important report from AIBA regarding governance and reforms were submitted in April but IOC president Thomas Bach stated in May “This report shows some progress and goodwill but still lacks execution and substance in some areas,” “Therefore we retain our right to exclude boxing from Tokyo 2020.” Further controversial judging verdicts blighted this year’s Asian Games in Jakarta with a couple of team officials escorted out of the arena with AIBA promising to reintroduce an appeals process. The crisis dramatically deepened at the beginning of October as Gafur Rakhimov was announced as the only presidential candidate at the AIBA congress in Moscow on November 2 and 3 with Serik Konakbayev supposedly not receiving enough support from the federations and not submitting this support within the stated deadline. Konakbayev, the head of the Asian Boxing Confederation (ASBC) has launched an appeal to the court of Arbitration for Sport claiming that his candidacy should be allowed to stand under Swiss law as the Sep 23 deadline was a Sunday therefore not a working day. The outcome of the CAS appeal should be known on October 30 and in the meantime Konakbayev has been allowed to continue campaigning. The IOC have made it abundantly clear that if Rakhimov is elected that boxing’s future at the Tokyo games is in real jeopardy. Rakhimov had stood firm but has softened his stance in recent times and has said he would step aside if necessary. In a startling release on October 3, the IOC Executive Board stated “The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) today expressed its ongoing extreme concern with the grave situation within the International Boxing Association (AIBA) and its current governance.” “These include the circumstances of the establishment of the election list and the misleading communication within the AIBA membership regarding the IOC’s position. “Such behaviour is affecting not just the reputation of AIBA and boxing but of sport in general. “Therefore, the IOC reiterates its clear position that if the governance issues are not properly addressed to the satisfaction of the IOC at the forthcoming AIBA congress, the existence of boxing on the Olympic programme and even the recognition of AIBA as an international federation recognised by the IOC are under threat. “At the same time, we would like to reassure the athletes that the IOC will – as it has always done in such situations and is currently doing at the Youth Olympic Games Buenos Aires 2018 – do its upmost to ensure that the athletes do not suffer under these circumstances and that we will protect their Olympic dream. Pretty damming words and anyone who had underestimated the seriousness of the situation should now be left in no doubt. Whilst the last part of the statement referring to the athletes not suffering and Olympic dreams being kept alive is well meaning but if AIBA were to be expelled then organising the various continental championships, World Series of Boxing which has Olympic places and the other qualifiers would be an unwanted headache for the IOC and seems pretty farfetched. Rumours have swirled of a professional body being put in charge of this process if necessary but of course nothing official has been confirmed. The funding or at least part of it, for most federations around the world hinges on Olympic participation so if the worst were to happen and boxing is kicked off the Tokyo roster then the very grassroots of the sport will be directly affected and future generations could be lost to other sports. Every 4 years the Olympics acts as a shop window, not only for amateur boxing itself with worldwide coverage available but the boxers themselves who first have dreams of reaching the podium but then afterwards securing a big professional contract. Winning an Olympic medal isn’t the be all and end all as showing some charisma or a style that maybe more suited to the professional ranks can be enough to seal a lucrative deal with Michael Conlan, Errol Spence and Oscar Valdez being 3 good examples of this in recent times. Without Olympic boxing fighters will be turning pro at a financial disadvantage and displaying their skills on such a major platform also gives them a taster of possible future big nights in the professional arena. Of course turning professional isn’t an option for everyone with Cuba being the obvious example with fighters having to defect from the country which is often a harrowing process. From an Asian prospective we’ve seen numerous Uzbek and Kazak pugilists transition over to the professional side of the sport in recent months but make no mistake about it, their success is completely down to the heavy investment in the amateur programme that has made both countries the powerhouses in amateur boxing along with Cuba. Given the deep love and passion Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan could probably soak up a lost Olympics but a drain in talent to the pros would surely be inevitable at least in the near future. Fighters from the Philippines and Thailand often benefit from more financial stability by staying amateur as pro boxing in both nations can be a lottery at times. The reputation of amateur boxing in Japan has taken a battering in 2018 with president of the JABF Akira Yamane forced to resign due to allegations of misappropriation of funds to boxers and gang ties. If the once in a lifetime opportunity to campaign in a home Olympics were to be snatched away then the public’s view of the sport would only further sour and all at a time when the land of the rising sun is producing elite young talent by the truck load. Mongolia, which time and time again punches above its weight for such a small nation would almost certainly lose all its top stars and would need time to try and rebuild. Arguably the most affected member of the continent would be India, whilst making huge strides in the last 2 years at all levels, with no pro scene to speak of it would be an uncertain future for the many gifted boxers and the potential growth in one of the 2 most populated nations on earth could severely regress. Finally the biggest impact of no Olympic boxing in Tokyo would be on women’s boxing at all levels. Despite making solid progress over the last several years the biggest issue in women’s professional boxing is a lack of depth at another 2 or 3 Olympic cycles is the integral ingredient for remedying this. It’s highly unlikely that Claressa Shields, Katie Taylor and Nicola Adams would have been signed to professional contracts without their performances at London and Rio respectively and the Olympics is an essential gateway to attempt to inspire young girls to take up the sport and without it women’s boxing could go back decades. By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout) The last week has been a hectic one across Asia with major world title clashes, regional bouts and fighters looking to move onto bigger things whilst making a statement. The only place to start is in Nagoya where we got easily one of the best fights of the year and an all Japanese world title clash to savour as Sho Kimura defended his WBO flyweight strap against mandatory challenger Kosei Tanaka. Coming in there were questions about Tanaka’s ability to cope with the brute strength and amazing stamina of Kimura whilst the defending champion had to try to get to grips with the speed of the challenger. There was no scouting mission from either man as we had a war from the outset with Tanaka seemingly hurting Kimura a couple of times in the first quarter. Kimura was never going to wilt so easily and he managed to drag Tanaka into a tussle at close quarters. Eventually Tanaka boxed and moved effectively but his insatiable lust for a tear up kicked in as he hunted for the knockout which lead to a pulsating last 2 rounds. Tanaka won the majority verdict and showed a bit of everything, the ability to box which he’s always had and also the grit and chin to hold his own in the trenches against a big strong flyweight. With the win Tanaka became a 3-weight world champion in just 12 fights, equalling the feat of Vasyl Lomachenko and whilst this is highly impressive, the 23-year-old really needs to cement his spot at 112 lb and all the unifications are makeable. As for Kimura, a good rest is needed after just a couple of month’s gap between the contests with Froilan Saludar and Tanaka but he can certainly come again and would present real headaches for any of the other flyweight belt holders. Due to struggles in making the 105 lb limit Hiroto Kyoguchi vacated his IBF crown and moved up to the loaded light flyweight division and took on unbeaten Tibo Monabesa. It looked an intriguing contest on paper but the reality was that Kyoguchi ploughed his way through the Indonesian, flooring him 3 times on the way to a 4th round stoppage. Kyoguchi’s next bout is up in the air but the aim is a world title tilt almost certainly to be on a Watanabe show on New Year’s Eve with some salivating possibilities. Tsubasa Koura has been in the strawweight mix for the last year or so and is now ready to challenge for a world title and would have a great chance against any of the 105 lb titlists. The 23-year-old displayed his power against Jaysever Abcede, the stamina to go 12 rounds against a quality operator like Masataka Taniguchi and in his 3rd OPBF defense he showed the ability to outbox the undefeated Daiki Tomita. Koura’s next move isn’t known as yet and he isn’t affiliated with any of the big Japanese TV channels so all options are open for him. Over in California Jerwin Ancajas made the 6th defense of his IBF super flyweight strap but really failed to impress as he was held to a split draw by unheralded Mexican Alejandro Santiago Barrios. The challenger proved to be better than his record suggested but Ancajas should be dealing a lot better with these kind of opponents if he’s to mix it with the rest of the top fighters at 115 lbs. The Filipino southpaw is headed out to Thailand to view WBC champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai’s 3rd defense against Iran Diaz and there is talk of a possible unification but Ancajas would be a significant underdog against the powerful Thai. The press in the Philippines have also suggested a bout with Japan’s Ryuichi Funai could be next but whoever his next foe is it’s clear that Ancajas needs to re-establish the buzz that he had coming into 2018. Finally in Quezon City on a card that was broadcast by ESPN5 4 talented Filipinos scored straight forward wins over overmatched Tanzanian visitors. It was great to see forma WBO bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales return after a 17 month absence as he blasted out Goodluck Mrema in the opening round and let’s just hope he can be nice and active as his inactivity have possibly contributed to his struggles making weight which saw him lose his world title on the scales. Another man who prevailed in the opening round was Reymart Gaballo with Julias Kisarawe being no match at all and a bout with Liborio Solis has been muted for November and this would really tell us how good Gaballo really is. Dave and Carlo Penalosa picked up 2nd and 3rd round knockouts respectively and should be moved up in levels soon. ESPN5’s introduction into boxing has been invaluable in giving exposure to Pinoy boxers and hopefully as the interest continues to grow we see more competitive matchups on these shows to test the many talented pugilists from the Philippines. (Image courtesy of boxmob.jp) By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout)
It was time to decide who would take home the World Series of Boxing trophy as the Cuba Domadores went into the second leg 3-2 up against the Astana Arlans in JiJiang, China. Kicking off the action at flyweight (52kg) it was Jorge Grinan versus Saken Bibossinov. The opening round was evenly matched with Grinan beginning brightly before Bibossinov finished slightly the stronger. Round 2 was another close one with Bibossinov slightly the more accurate. Bibossinov landed well to the body in the 3rd as Grinan was repeatedly caught on the way in. Bibossinov looked to load up a bit in the last couple of rounds but the Kazak safely brought it home, taking the unanimous decision to level up proceedings at 3-3. In a rematch from last year’s final at lightweight (60kg) Lazaro Alvarez faced Zakir Safiullin. Nothing of any note was landed in the first 3 minutes with Alvarez possibly the slightly busier of the 2. Alvarez out landed Safiullin in the 2nd but this was developing into a contest that was far too close to call. Safiullin attempted to close the distance in the 3rd but found the Cuban a difficult target to pin down. Safiullin continued to try and apply intelligent pressure but it simply wasn’t enough and Alvarez got the unanimous verdict to put the Domadores 4-3 up. Up at welterweight (69kg) Roniel Iglesias squared off against Aslambek Shymbergenov. Iglesias looked sharp from the off and scored with the better shots in the opening stanza. Round 2 was a physical affair as Shymbergenov tried to rough up Iglesias and make him feel uncomfortable. The tactics from Shymbergenov were proving fruitful and Iglesias was really feeling the pace at the end of the 4th. The Kazak flew out of the blocks at the start of the 5th, forcing the Cuban to hold on and although both began to tire it was Iglesias who somewhat surprisingly claimed the unanimous decision to leave the Domadores 1 win away from victory. In now a pivotal bout at light heavyweight (81kg) Julio La Cruz had the chance the seal the win for his side if he could overcome Bek Nurmaganbet. Round 1 was really what we’ve been accustomed to seeing from La Cruz as he controlled the tempo and the distance. Nurmaganbet had more success in the 2nd but La Cruz was still landing the cleaner punches. Nurmaganbet did his best to try and turn things around but it was La Cruz who got the unanimous points win to give his team an unassailable 6-3 lead. Rounding off this season’s competition at super heavyweight (+91kg) Jose Larduet took on Kanshybek Kunkabayev. Larduet imposed himself on Kunkabayev in the opening stanza and he continued to bang away with clubbing blows to the body in round 2. Round 3 was rather untidy but a few big shots from Larduet were the highlight. The Kazak continued to eat some more heavy leather as Larduet powered his way to a unanimous decision to put the icing on the cake for the Cuba Domadores. By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout) The first leg of the World Series of Boxing final took place today in Xiamen, China as the Astana Arlans squared off against the Cuba Domadores. Opening up proceedings were the light flyweights (49kg) as Temirtas Zhussupov was up against Damian Arce. Very little on ote was landed in the opening 3 minutes with Arce the aggressor whilst Zhussupov attempted to fight at range. Again Arce pressed his man throughout round 2 with Zhussupov landing the occasional combination. The extra bit of quality came from Zhussupov in round 3 and he controlled the range pretty well in the 4th although again quality scoring punches were at a premium. Zhussupov used clever foot work to evade the attacks of Arce and it was the Kazak who prevailed via unanimous decision to give his side the early lead. Next up at bantamweight (56kg) Ilyas Suleimenov faced Osvel Caballero. A very untidy first round saw Suleimenov attempt to bully Caballero who to his credit responded well near the end of the opening stanza. Caballero continued his impressive end from round 1 into round 2, using an excellent jab and quick hands. Suleimenov carried on going forward but again the extra quality was coming from the Cuban in the 3rd. The 4th was a bit of a war of attrition as Suleimenov tried to rough up his opponent who stuck to his task and showed great resilience. Caballero’s extra class again proved the difference in the final 3 minutes and he deservedly took the unanimous verdict to level up the scores. In the light welterweight division (64kg) Dilmurat Mizhitov was up against the formidable Andy Cruz. Despite the best efforts of Mizhitov, Cruz eased through the opening round and also ttok the 2nd even though the Kazak did have a bit more success. Cruz landed with some fabulous chopping right hands in the 3rd and was proving to be a level above Mizhitov. Fair play to the Kazak who never gave in but Cruz got the split decision to put the Domadores 2-1 up. It really must be said that the judge who scored it for Mizhitov really needs to take a long hard look at themselves as it was an absurd a card as you will ever see. In now a crucial clash at middleweight (75kg) Abilkhan Amankul went up against Osleys Iglesias. A very entertaining opening round could have gone either way with both landing with the jab as well as some solid shots. Iglesias scored with some good right hands but Amankul dug in some hard body shots in round 2. The next 2 rounds were again close with Amankuk just doing that little bit extra. The Cuban had a good final stanza but it was Amankul who won the unanimous decision to once again level up the scores. The final bout of the evening came at heavyweight (91kg) with Nurbol Altayev coming up against reigning world champion Erislandy Savon. From the opening seconds Savon really had his way with Altayev who looked out of his depth. Round 2 was again target practise for the Cuban who did as he pleased. The one way traffic continued in round 3 with Altayev receiving a standing 8 count and the corner really should have pulled him out at this stage. Altayev bravely clung on until the end but Savon was the unanimous victor giving the Domadores the slender 3-2 lead, setting things up wonderfully for Fridays second leg. (Image courtesy of WSB Press Service) By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout) The boxing at the Asian Games took place from August 24 to September 1 in Jakarta, Indonesia and it was a tournament full of surprises, shocks and upsets with new faces as well as established names making their mark. We begin our recap in the men’s competition where there were 7 weights being contested from light flyweight to middleweight. Despite losing the services of elite duo Shakhram Giyasov and Murodjon Akhmadaliev with both turning pro, Uzbekistan performed out of their skin with all 7 of their male boxers reaching the final and bringing home a medal. Middleweight Israil Madrimov, light welterweight Ikboljon Kholdarov and flyweight Jasurbek Latipov all came away with gold and are now regular members of the Uzbek team so expectations are high for this trio. Light flyweight Hasanboy Dusmatov only coming away with silver was a slight surprise and the Olympic champion has suffered a few defeats in recent times. More encouragingly were the performances of bantamweight Mirazizbek Mirzakhlilov, welterweight Bobousmon Boturov who claimed gold and lightweight Shunkor Abdurasulov who took silver with all 3 making their debut in a major tournament and this bodes very well for the future. Fellow Asian powerhouse Kazakhstan left with a paltry 2 silver’s which was completely unexpected with welterweight Aslambek Shymbergenov and middleweight Abilkhan Amankul the only medallists. Amankul lost to Israil Madrimov in the final and fitness and form permitting expect this rivalry to continue right until the Tokyo Olympics. The Kazak squad selected was a mixture of youth and experience but current world champion Kairat Yeraliyev being knocked out in his first contest by Chatchai Butdee wouldn’t have been in the script. With a copious amount of depth and options available don’t expect such a medal drought in future major competitions. Mongolia should be delighted with their gold and silver tally as this tiny country with a population of around 3 million continues to defy the odds. Lightweight Erdenbaat Tsendbaatar topped the podium and the 21-year-old is just getting better and better and is a genuine medal prospect for the 2020 Olympics. Light welterweight Chinzorig Battarsukh came up short against Ikboljon Kholdarov in the final but this experienced campaigner will compete with most fighters in the world and is no easy out. A silver and 2 bronze presents an excellent achievement for the Philippines and it could have been even better as all 3 boxers lost out in tight contests. Flyweight Rogen Ladon was especially hard done by as his bout with Jasurbek Latipov came to an inconclusive end after just a round with Ladon arguably doing more than enough to claim victory. Light flyweight Carlo Paalam and middleweight Eumir Marcial lost close semi-finals but both are talented pugilists who are more than capable of mixing it at the highest level. Despite Chatchai Butdee bowing out in the quarter-finals in the bantamweight division Thailand still managed to bring home 4 bronze medals marking a significant improvement from recent major tournaments. China grabbing a trio of bronze medals also represents a vast improvement as for whatever reason the country has been performing poorly at the senior, youth and junior levels. After all of their 8 male boxers won a medal at this year’s Commonwealth Games confidence in the Indian camp would have been sky high but the harsh reality is that the standard of competition in Indonesia was levels above what they faced in Australia. Still, a gold and a bronze is a solid effort with middleweight Vikas Krishan taking bronze and light flyweight Amit Panghal bringing joy to his nation as he overcame Hasanboy Dusmatov. Amit had given the Uzbek 2 competitive fights in last year’s Asian and World Championships but going one better should give him so much belief and added to his Commonwealth silver, 2018 has been a fabulous one for Amit. Daisuke Narimatsu is one of the most fan friendly fighters around and given the revelations of funds not being given to him coming to light recently it was very pleasing that this Japanese warrior brought home a very credible bronze at light welterweight. Unfortunately bantamweight Hayato Tsutsumi went out after his first outing but make no mistake this young man is a star of the future and should only grow from his first experience at a major senior event. Finally Jordan, Kyrgyzstan North Korea and Indonesia all picked up a single medal each. Onto the women’s bracket and the 3 weights on show were flyweight, featherweight at lightweight. China came away from Jakarta with 2 golds as Chang Yuan prevailed at flyweight and Yin Junhua was victorious at featherweight. The lightweight final was won by South Korea’s Oh Yeon-Ji. The other medals were shared out between Thailand who won a silver and a bronze, Chinese Taipei 2 bronze, North Korea 2 silver and a bronze and Vietnam and Indonesia a bronze. Surprisingly both India and Kazakhstan came away empty handed but given the outstanding crop of young female talent coming through expect both country’s to be back in the medals in the not so distant future. Lastly it has subsequently been revealed that AIBA will be reintroducing Judging protests after ugly scenes marred the women’s flyweight final as 2 North Korean coaches refused to leave the ring and had to be escorted away by police. The organisation is under intense scrutiny as the threat of boxing being expelled from the Tokyo Olympics is still a possibility if AIBA doesn’t get its house in order. By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout) The recently concluded World Youth Championships in Hungary proved to be another fruitful one for Asia, with 35 of the available 80 medals being claimed therefore further cementing its position as the number 1 continent in amateur boxing. In the men’s tournament Kazakhstan lead the way with 6 medals, 1 gold, 4 silvers and a bronze. Given their extremely high standards just 1 gold maybe a disappointment but there were a number of close bouts against Russian opposition that could have gone either way. Asian Youth champion Ermakhan Zhakpekov who won silver impressed yet again and the youngster will be aiming to continue the rich Kazak tradition in the welterweight division. Uzbekistan captured a gold and 2 bronze but Asian Youth flyweight champion Samandar Kholmurodov coming home empty handed was a huge surprise as he was defeated by eventual gold medallist Asa Stevens of the USA in the quarter-finals. Abdumalik Khalokov was able to match his victory at the Asian Youth Championships as he took gold at bantamweight. The standout Asian nation were undoubtedly Thailand who produced some outstanding displays to win 2 gold and 2 bronze medals. It could have actually been even better had Asian Youth flyweight champion Sukthet Sarawut not been drawn against Samandar Kholmurodov in the early stages. The success also proved that their high medal tally at home in the Asian Youth Championships this year was no fluke. Arguably the best Asian fighter at the Championships was lightweight Atichai Phoensap who had to overcome home man Adrian Orban in the final and the teenager is now World and Asian Youth champion and could very well be the next star to come from the land of smiles. India should be fairly satisfied with their 2 bronze medals from flyweight Bhavesh Kattimani and Ankit at lightweight and light flyweight Barun Singh went down in the quarter-finals to eventual victor Thitisan Panmod. Japan’s Sho Usami showed real potential to win a bronze at welterweight and Ryonsuke Tsutsumi, brother of Hayato also showed real promise at lightweight, eventually going out in the last 8 to Atichai Phoensap however, light welterweight Sora Tanaka going out in the first round will have been a big disappointment. Finally Christian Pitt laurente won a bronze at bantamweight from the Philippines and Jordan’s light welterweight Bader Osman Majed Samreen came away with Bronze in a quite remarkable achievement. India topped the medal charts in the women’s competition with 2 gold, 2 silvers and 4 bronze as the country continues to make a case for being the number 1 super power in women’s boxing with Russia, England USA and Thailand also achieving great success in Budapest. The success for India backs up an incredible 7 golds claimed at last year’s World Youth Championships in Guwahati and Nitu retained her light flyweight crown. Featherweight Sakshi was highly impressive stopping Croatia’s Nikolina Cachic in the final. Kazakhstan took home a gold, 2 silver and 2 Bronze and Japan’s Sena Irie won a very credible bronze at featherweight. Finally Thailand again produced excellent results with a silver and 2 bronze but there was no one on the podium from China or either of the Koreas which was maybe a bit of a surprise. (Image courtesy of AIBA) By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout)
It was the final day’s action from the Duna Arena in Budapest, Hungary and the other 10 World Youth Championship finals took place with plenty of Asian fighters going for gold. In the men’s lightweight (60kg) category Atichai Phoensap of Thailand pulled off a brilliant victory, taking the split decision over home man Adrian Orban of Hungary. Up at welterweight (69kg) Yermankhan Zhakpekov of Kazakhstan went down via split verdict to Russian Dzhambulat Bizhanov. At light heavyweight (81kg) Ruslan Kolesnikov of Russia claimed the split decision victory over Sagyndyk Togambay of Kazakhstan. In the super heavyweight (+91kg) division in yet another Russia Kazakhstan clash it was Russia who prevailed once again as Aleksei Dronov stopped Damir Toibay in the opening round. In the women’s flyweight (51kg) Heaven Garcia of the USA won gold taking the split point’s victory versus Ananika of India. At featherweight (57kg) India’s Sakshi produced a brilliant display to stop Nikolina Cacic of Croatia in the third round. Up at light welterweight (64kg) Manisha of India was defeated by unanimous decision against England’s Gemma Richardson. Finally at heavyweight (+81kg) Kazakhstan’s Dina Islambekova prevailed on a split point’s verdict against Ukraine’s Mariia Lovchynska. Part 1 of Marcus's results can be found here 2018 World Youth Championships Finals Part 1 By Marcus Bellinger (@marcusknockout)
It was now time to decide the gold medallists at the 2018 World Youth Championships at the Duno Arena in Budapest, Hungary with the first 10 finals taking place today and still plenty of Asian interest. First up in the men’s light flyweight (49kg) division Puerto Rico’s Jean Paul Rivera was defeated via unanimous decision by Thitisan Panmod of Thailand. At bantamweight (56kg) Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan took gold with a unanimous point’s victory over Vsevolod Shunkov of Russia. Up at middleweight (75kg) Daniil Teterev of Russia was defeated by Kazakhstan’s Nurbek Oralbay via split decision. At heavyweight (91kg) Aibek Oralbay of Kazakhstan was beaten via split verdict by Russian Igor Fedorov. In the women’s light flyweight (48kg) category Thailand’s Nillada Meekoon was defeated as Nitu of India prevailed by split decision. At bantamweight (54kg) Iyana Verduzco of the USA was victorious via split decision versus Aizada Yeslyangali of Kazakhstan. Finally in the women’s light heavyweight (81kg) weight class Kazakhstan were denied another gold as Guzal Sadykova lost a split decision to Anastasiia Rybak of Russia. |
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