After months of fierce competition the final of the World Series of Boxing took place at the Sport Palace in Astana as the Cuba Domadores took on the Astana Arlans with both sides looking to claim the WSB trophy for a 3rd time.

Kicking off proceedings were the Light flyweights (49kg) as Temirtas Zhussupov faced Johanys Argilagos. It was a real game of cat and mouse between them with neither man wanting to overcommit and make mistakes over the first 2 rounds. Argilagos landed more to take round 3 and Zhussupov’s slightly higher work rate saw him win the 4th. The Cuban needed a big last round but that never looked likely and Zhussupov won the unanimous decision to give his team the ideal start.

Next up at bantamweight (56kg) Ilyas Suleimenov was up against Javier Ibanez. Suleimenov made an aggressive start landing some clubbing blows to the body in an action packed opening round. Both had their successes in round 2 but the Kazak’s punches had more of an effect. Ibanez enjoyed a good round 3 and managed to keep Suleimenov at bay but he couldn’t really sustain the momentum and Suleimenov’s right hands were having far more of an impact. Despite the Kazak showing signs of fatigue in the final round he did more than enough to claim the unanimous decision to send the Arlans 2 nil up.

In a switch to the scheduled order the Heavyweights (91kg) were next in the ring as Anton Pinchuk had the dubious task of facing Erislandy Savon. Savon controlled the opening stanza with the jab and opened up more offensively in round 2 leaving Pinchuk with a mountain to climb. Pinchuk ploughed on gamely but simply wasn’t in the same league as Savon who strolled to a unanimous points victory giving the Domadores their first point of the final.

The 4th contest saw Dilmurat Mizhitov squaring off against the supremely gifted Andy Cruz at Light welterweight (64kg). Cruz easily swept the opening round and although Mizhitov showed more intent in the second he was simply unable to cope with the outstanding ability and class of the Cuban. Mizhitov managed to sustain a decent tempo in round 3 to make it competitive and the Kazak continued to pour on the pressure in round 4 however, Cruz was just too good and he got the deserved split decision leaving the match all square.

In what looked a fascinating bout at Middleweight (75kg) exciting Arlans youngster Abilkhan Amankul tangled with reigning Olympic and world champion Arlen Lopez. Lopez, whose form has been patchy in this season’s WSB shaded a tight first 3 minutes and the Cuban landed some nice body shots in round 2 but there was little to separate the pair. Lopez loaded up a lot in the 3rd and Amankul scored with a nice combination towards the end of the round. With it all to play for the penultimate round was desperately close before Lopez just did enough in the last to gain the narrow unanimous decision leaving the Cuban’s 3-2 up going in to the break.

The action then resumed with the Light heavyweights (81kg) as Arman Rysbek went up against the formidable Julio La Cruz. Rysbek was on the front foot in round 1 with La Cruz countering his Kazak opponent. Rysbek landed a nice right hand at the start of round 2 before La Cruz began to find his timing. Rysbek was made to miss on multiple occasions in round 3 and by now La Cruz was in full control of the contest. The pattern of the fight never altered and La Cruz sauntered to a wide unanimous decision and the Domadores were now 4-2 up.

It was now rather important for Olzhas Sattibayev to pull off the win against Yosbany Veitia at flyweight (52kg). Veitia landed the cleaner shots in a tight opening round and again the Cuban edged round 2 but neither man was scoring with many punches of significance. Sattibayev threw more punches in the 3rd but simply wasn’t hitting the target often enough. Sattibayev managed to close the distance more effectively in round 4 but Veitia won the final round to take the unanimous decision the leave the Arlans staring down the barrel at 5-2 down.

It was a case of must win for Super heavyweight (91+kg) Olzhas Bukayev against Yoandry Toirac. Toirac made a fast start and landed a number of solid shots in the opening round. Bukayev enjoyed far more success in the 2nd but Toirac was still scoring with some excellent combinations of his own. Toirac was deducted a point in round 3 for holding and was now up against it. The crowd really got behind Bukayev who responded accordingly and Toirac was fading in round 4. There was no doubt of the winner and Bukayev had given the Arlans a much needed life line.
Next to take to the ring at lightweight (60kg) Zakir Safiullin simply had to beat Lazaro Alvarez. Both had their moments in the first round with Alvarez scoring with the left hand and Safiullin landing with the right hand and to the body. Alvarez was the busier in round 2 and at times Safiullin was waiting too long to throw his punches and was struggling a bit to deal with the volume from the Cuban. After a close 4th, Safiullin rocked Alvarez at the start of the 5th and the pair engaged in a highly entertaining last 3 minutes. We went to the cards and despite 2 point deductions Safiullin got the split decision to leave things beautifully poised at 5-4 to the Domadores.

In a high pressure clash at welterweight (69kg) Aslambek Shymbergenov took on Roniel Iglesias. Shymbergenov flew out of the traps early on in the opening stanza before Iglesias came back in to things as the round progressed. After an absorbing 2nd round which could have gone either way Shymbergenov won the 3rd with the right hand to the body proving to be a fruitful punch for the Kazak. Shymbergenov continued to pepper the body of Iglesias and was now taking full command of the contest. Going in to the last Iglesias needed a huge turn around but it never looked like materialising and the unanimous point’s victory for Shymbergenov completed a stunning comeback from the Arlans to send us in to a tie-breaker at flyweight (52kg).

The decider was contested between debutant Olzhas Bainiyazov and Frank Zaldivar. Zaldivar got off to a positive start and it seemed he may be a bit too much for Bainiyazov after the opening round. To his credit Bainiyazov responded well and outworked Zaldivar in round 2. The bout was now being fought mostly on the inside with both leaving it all in the ring. Bainiyazov had a terrific 4th round once again doing far more than his Cuban opponent and the Kazak remain composed to seal the victory via split decision and not only complete a phenomenal turn around but also giving the Astana Arlans their 3rd WSB trophy.

Over the last week the Asian Youth Championships have been taking place in Bangkok and today saw the 10 finals take place.

First up at light flyweight (49kg) Sachin Siwach was looking to add to his world Youth gold but the Indian had to be content with Silver as Uzbekistan’s Samanda Kholmurodov took gold via a unanimous decision.

At flyweight (52kg) Japan’s Ryutaro Makagaki won a split decision over Uzbek Abdunalik Khalokov.

It was then on to the bantamweights (56kg) and Hayato Tsutsumi gave Japan their second gold with a split victory over Thailand’s Pluem Wannglaklang. Tsutsumi won world Youth gold at flyweight and looks to be the next young phenom from the land of the rising sun.

At lightweight (60kg) Kazak Samatali Toltayev overcame home boxer Sakda Ruantham on a split decision.

In the light welterweight division at (64kg) Sanatali Toltayev, twin brother of Samatali also captured gold with a split verdict over Uzbek Bilolbek Mirzarakhimov.

The host’s last chance of a gold medal came in the welterweight (69kg) division but it wasn’t to be as Farrukh Ilkhomov from Uzbekistan defeated Phiraphat Yiasungnoen via split decision.

It was then time for the middleweights (75kg) and Uzbekistan’s Rajabboy Atanazarov prevailed over China’s Zhu Chao by split decision.

At light heavyweight (81kg) Iran’s Reza Hassan Nia pulled off a sensational win as he beat Timur Ergashev from Uzbekistan on a split point’s decision.

In the heavyweight (91kg) weight category it was a Kazak Uzbek showdown and it was Profsor Rorinsha from Uzbekistan who was victorious over Danila Semenov by split verdict.

The final bout of proceedings saw the super heavyweights (+91kg) take to the ring and in another Kazak Uzbek battle Lazizbek Mullojonov claimed the unanimous decision win over his Kazak opponent Nurdaulet Ulanuly.

Ed's note - Tsutsumi was later awarded the MVP award as the boxer of the tournament, and once again a huge thanks to Marcus for doing this for us!

The Astana Arlans took a 4-1 lead in to the second leg of their WSB semi-final encounter versus the British Lionhearts at the prestigious York Hall in London.

First up at flyweight (52kg) debutant Niall Farrell took on Olzhas Sattibayev. Not much of note was landed by either man in a tentative opening round but Farrell didn’t seem overawed. At times Farrell stayed in the pocket a bit too long allowing Sattibayev to score with combinations but the Lionhearts youngster finished round 2 strongly and was still in the fight. Farrell had great success with the right hand in round 3 before Sattibayev edged a close 4th with the fight still in the balance. There was lots of endeavour from both boxers in the last round but it was Sattibayev who gained the split decision in a highly enjoyable bout where Farrell made a real impression and announced himself as a talent for the future.

In a now must win scenario at lightweight (60kg) Kiwi Chad Milnes was up against experienced operator Zakir Safiullin. Milnes made a confident start but Safiullin’s punches began to have an effect and a beautiful right hand put Milnes down near the end of the opening round. The Kazak upped the tempo and utterly dominated his opponent in round 2 and Milnes was wisely pulled out before the third, giving Safiullin the victory and securing the Arlans spot in the WSB final.

There were still 3 bouts left and India’s Manoj Kumar faced Aslambek Shymbergenov at welterweight (69kg). Shymbergenov won the opening stanza scoring well with the jab and the right hand. Despite a small cut and the occasional success from Kumar Shymbergenov continued to control the action over the next 2 rounds. Kumar put forth a real big effort and pulled Shymbergenov in to a toe-to-toe scrap in round 4 before Shymbergenov responded in the 5th to claim the unanimous decision.
​
The penultimate contest was at light heavyweight (81kg) with Tom Whittaker-Hart squaring off against Arman Rysbek. Rysbek started quickly before Whittaker-Hart managed to establish the distance in the second half of the first round. Whittaker-Hart moved well to begin round 2 but Rysbek landed some solid shots in the later stages. The Kazak built on his success and bullied the Lionheart in round 3. Whittaker-Hart produced more movement and good footwork to take the 4th and although Rysbek never stopped applying pressure it wasn’t enough with Whittaker-Hart prevailing via split decision to give the Lionhearts their first win of the evening.

The final fight of the night saw Super heavyweights (+91kg) Patrick Mailata and Nursultan Amanzholov take to the ring. Mailata’s quick hands saw him win the opening round and the man from New Zealand easily out landed his Kazak opponent in round 2. Amanzholov had no answers and a big left hand from Mailata put him down and the corner brought a halt to the contest in round 3. The Arlans won 7-3 after both legs and will face either the Cuba Domadores or the Colombia Heroicos in the final.

 The semi-finals of the WSB commenced at the Kostanay Sport Palace in Kostanay as the Astana Arlans hosted the British Lionhearts.

Kicking off the action were the Light flyweights (49kg) with Temirtas Zhussupov versus Kiaran Macdonald. Neither man threw much in a very quiet opening round. Zhussupov got the better of round 2 with both choosing wisely when to let their hands go. The Kazak again shaded proceedings in the third with Macdonald simply not throwing enough punches. Zhussupov’s experience began to tell and despite a respectable effort from the WSB debutant it wasn’t enough and Zhussupov won a clean sweep on the cards putting the Arlans 1 up.

Next up in the Bantamweight (56kg) division experienced Ilyas Suleimenov was up against Christopher Bourke who was making his WSB debut. Bourke landed some nice body shots in a tight opening 3 minutes. Suleimenov upped the ante a touch in round 2 but Bourke finished well and wasn’t looking out of his depth. Bourke had some success in round 3 but Suleimenov never looked in any trouble and was in control. Bourke enjoyed a decent first minute of the 4th but Suleimenov scored with some hurtful punches which lead to a badly damaged nose and Bourke was wisely retired by his corner at the start of the last round.

In what looked on paper to be a potentially exciting contest at light welterweight (64kg) Dilnurat Mizhitov squared off against Conor Loftus. The styles gelled nicely in an entertaining opening stanza with Mizhitov picking off Loftus as he came in. Loftus showed some good movement and targeted the body well in round 2 as the pair were happy to trade and let go with plenty of punches. Mizhitov clearly won round 3 and was having the last word in the exchanges. Loftus scored with some good left hands in the 4th and the pair engaged in some terrific toe-to-toe action. Loftus was again competitive in the final round but couldn’t sustain it for long enough and Mizhitov claimed the shutout victory to leave the Lionhearts staring down the barrel at 3 nil down.

It was then on to the Middleweights (75kg) as Abilkhan Amankul faced Nikita Ababiy. Amankul, who has been one of the finds of this season’s tournament made a confident start and landed with the more telling blows in round 1. Ababiy showed good intent but Amankul remain composed and picked his man off in round 2. Ababiy continued to be aggressive in round 3 but Amankul’s extra size and strength was beginning to tell. Ababiy continued to press and maintained an excellent work rate in the penultimate round. Amankul had his opponent on the ropes for spots in the last round and despite Ababiy being on the front foot throughout the contest it was the Kazak who was declared the winner via unanimous decision to give the Arlans a 4 nil lead.

The final bout of the evening was at heavyweight (91kg) as Anton Pinchuk took on David Nyika. There wasn’t much to split them over the first 2 rounds with Pinchuk inching forward and Nyika aiming to keep the fight at range. Nyika used the jab to great effect in round 3 as Pinchuk was made to fall short with many of his attempted combinations. A point deduction and blood pouring from the nose added to Pinchuk’s issues in round 4 and by now Nyika was in full command. The home man needed a miracle to turn things around but that never looked likely and Nyika cruised to a wide point’s victory to give the Lionhearts a glimmer of hope going in to the second leg in London on Thursday.

We’ve now reached the quarter-final stages of the World Series of Boxing and it was 2 familiar foes who met at the Arena Sports and Entertainment Complex in Kemerovo as the Patriot Boxing Team took on the Astana Arlans.

First in the ring at light flyweight (49kg) Bator Sagaluev was up against Temirtas Zhussupov. Sagaluev used his quick feet to dart in and out to win the opening round. Zhussupov had more success in round 2 by targeting the body and the Kazak established range and landed with straight shots in round 3. Zhussupov continued to find a home for his long straight punches in round 4 before things became rather untidy in round 5. We went to the cards and it was the Russian who won a unanimous decision to give his team the perfect start.

It was then on to the Bantamweights (56kg) as debutant Maksim Chernyshev faced the highly experienced Ilyas Suleimenov. Chernyshev began brightly before Suleimenov responded in an entertaining opening stanza. Chernyshev again came out with positive intent but Suleimenov picked off his man with good right hands and body shots. The Russian pushed his opponent back and managed to sustain his attacks in round 3 before a closely fought round 4 left the contest in the balance. With it all to play for both men gave it all they had but it was the cleaner work of Suleimenov that won him the unanimous decision to level things up.

At light welterweight (64kg) Aleksei Mazur was up against Dilmurat Mizhitov. The pair exchanged shots in the opening round with Mazur fighting well off the back foot. Mizhitov got through with some good body shots in round 2 but Mazur remained composed and boxed and moved really effectively. Mizhitov’s come forward style began to pay dividends in round 3 with Mazur being forced to fight at close quarters. The Kazak continued to pile on the pressure and hammer away at the body in round 4 and it was definitely now Mizhitov’s kind of fight. The last round was rather scrappy with not much of note landed but it was Mizhitov who claimed the split decision to put the Arlans 2-1 up.

The penultimate bout was at Middleweight (75kg) with Andrey Kovalchuk taking on Saparbay Aidarov. There was very little to separate them in a quiet opening stanza and an accidental clash of heads caused a cut on the right eye of Aidarov. Neither man landed much of consequence in round 2 but the Kazak was just about getting the better of things. Aidarov demonstrated some nice movement to pinch round 3 but Kovalchuk responded to take the 4th and make things interesting going in to the last round. There was plenty of effort but until late on accuracy was lacking from both but Aidarov won the unanimous point’s victory to hand the Astana Arlans the first leg win.

The final fight saw Ilia Kvasmikov face Anton Pinchuk at heavyweight (91kg). Kvasnikov was quick out the blocks early on and a big left hand had Pinchuk in all sorts of trouble and an 8 count was administered by the referee. With his nose bleeding profusely Pinchuk was unable to continue and Kvasnikov recorded the TKO win to give the Russian’s some hope going in to the second leg.

In a salivating quarter-final powerhouses Cuban Domadores and Uzbek Tigers met in the first leg at the Anphitheater in Mojiza, Samarkand. Both sides fielded star-studded line-ups making their intentions to become WSB champions abundantly clear.

The action kicked off at light flyweight (49kg) with Olympic champion Hasanboy Dusmatov up against current world champion Johanys Argilagos. Dusmatov, who was brimming with confidence after winning the Asian championships continued that supreme form by putting on a tremendous boxing display throughout against the Cuban. The Uzbek was on the front foot using his lightning fast hands to score with combinations against Argilagos who was always a step behind. At the final bell it was Dusmatov who won the unanimous decision to give his team the ideal start.

In the battle of the Bantamweights (56kg) recently crowned Asian champion Murodjon Akhmadaliev tussled with Javier Ibanez. Neither man wanted to give an inch in a hotly contested opening round and the toe to toe action carried on in round 2 with Ibanez just shading proceedings although Akhmadaliev was having more than his fair share of success. After a frantic first 6 minutes the pace unsurprisingly slowed with both looking to box more and pick their punches more wisely. The tempo increased in round 4 as furious exchanges lead to a pulsating 3 minutes of action. After a wonderful final round where both landed with hard combinations it was Akhmadaliev who won the split decision in what was a superb advert for WSB boxing between 2 bonified high quality fighters.

With the Tigers now 2 nil up light welterweight (64kg) Ikboljon Kholdarov had the chance to put the first leg beyond doubt against Andy Cruz. Both were looking to counted which resulted in a tactical opening stanza. Kholdarov had some joy in round 2 but Cruz was comfortable with the pace and style of the contest. The Cuban won round 3 and even worked well inside which isn’t his natural game. The action opened up slightly in the last 2 rounds but there was no doubt of the winner with Cruz claiming the unanimous decision and putting the Domadores right back in to the contest.

In what looked a potentially explosive encounter at Middleweight (75kg) Israil Madrimov squared off against Arlen Lopez. Lopez took his time in the opening round with Madrimov moving forward and pressing the action. The Uzbek really grew in confidence in round 2 and beat the Cuban to the punch and simply outworked him. Madrimov was in full control over the next 2 rounds and although he did tire in the final stages he’d done more than enough to pull off a fantastic victory over the reigning Olympic gold Medallist whose display was lacklustre to say the least.

Finally in the Heavyweight (91kg) division Sanjar Tursunov went up against Erislandy Savon. Savon maintained distance to win the opening round and the Cuban again controlled proceedings with the jab in round 2 as Tursunov was unable to get inside. The home man had some occasional moments but wasn’t able to sustain the momentum for any prolonged period. Tursunov caught Savon with a decent shot but the Cuban, somewhat annoyed at having taken a solid punch reasserted his dominance for the rest of the 4th. Savon avoided any dramas in the last round and prevailed via unanimous decision to leave the tie beautifully poised with the Tigers 3-2 up ahead of the second leg.

The final days action from the Uzbekistan Sports Complex in Tashkent saw the other 5 gold Medals being decided and also the remaining 10 box offs with world championship places also on the line.

The action commenced with the light flyweight (49kg) box offs as Kazakhstan’s Zhomart Yerzhan was up against Indonesia’s Cornelis Kwangu Langu. Kwangu Langu began brightly but as the opening round progressed the straight punches of Zhomart drove his opponent backwards. The pair engaged in a highly entertaining second round where both scored with plenty of shots. Yerzhan came out fast to start the final stanza but Kwangu Langu responded with some cracking left hooks as a real war broke out with both boxers desperate to secure their places in Hamburg. At the final bell it was Kwangu Langu who got the split decision in what was a superb 9 minutes of non-stop action.

The other box off was contested between China’s He Junjun and Syria’s Hussin Al Masri. A good right hand from He was the most memorable action from the opening round. Al Masri struggled with his accuracy as he simply was throwing his punches from too far out therefore making it straight forward for He to counter him. The counter right hand proved to be a fruitful shot for He but it was Al Masri who claimed the unanimous decision in a rather ungainly and messy fight.

The atmosphere then reached fever pitch as local superstar Hasanboy Dusmatov took on Mongolia’s Erdeen Gan-Gankhuyag in the light flyweight final. Dusmatov’s quick hands and quick feet were on full display in round 1 but Gankhuyag had his moments when he managed to close the distance. Gankhuyag was unable to sustain any sort of momentum as the mesmeric movement and boxing skills of Dusmatov were now taking over. Not much of significance was landed in round 3 but there was no doubt of the winner as the Uzbek retained his Asian crown with the unanimous decision sparking celebrations in the crowd.

We moved to the flyweight (52kg) division and in the first box off India’s Kavinder Singh won his bout against Abdul Salam Kasim via walk over.

The other box off saw Sri Lanka’s Seneviratne Bandara up against Japan’s Ryusei Baba. Baba was completely right hand happy but it worked as he caught Bandara with the shot time after time during the first 2 rounds. A point off for not keeping his head up slightly complicated things for Baba in round 3 but the man from Japan did enough to claim the deserved split decision and book his spot at the world championships.

The gold medal bout saw Uzbek Jasurbek Latipov face Korea’s Kim Inkyu. Kim was in charge for much of the opening round, tagging his man as he came forward but Latipov managed to find his range in the last 30 seconds or so. Latipov scored with 2 excellent single shots to begin round 2 and he hit the target fairly frequently throughout the whole 3 minutes. Kim came out with aggressive intent but the final round was blighted by much holding and clinching. At the final bell it was Latipov who was declared the winner, taking Asian gold with the judges all favouring him on the cards.

Next up at light welterweight (64kg) the first box off saw Indonesia’s Saraogatua Lumbantobin face Wang Gang from China. It was Wang who booked his world championship spot in terrific style as he drilled the Indonesian with hard shots to both body and head and Lumbantobin was dumped on the canvas in the first round with the contest being rightly stopped.

The second box off saw Sri Lanka’s Dushan Saparamadu claim his place in Germany with a walk over result over Chinese Taipei’s Pan Hung-Ming.

Mongolia’s Chinzorig Baatarsukh squared off against home man Ikboljon Kholdarov in the light welterweight final. Baatarsukh came out all guns blazing and drilled Kholdarov with a crunching right hand as he seem to dominate round 1. The second round was a lot more competitive with both men landing in a cracking 3 minutes of action. Baatarsukh, knowing he needed to make it a conclusive victory chin checked Kholdarov with some hard right hands once again in round 3 with the Uzbek showing he had good whiskers to his credit. The Mongolian looked to have done more than enough to win gold however, the judges disagreed and Kholdarov won the unanimous decision, giving Uzbekistan their 7th gold medal in this tournament.

The last session began with the welterweight (69kg) box offs with Koreas Lee Seunghyeon versus Syria’s Ahmad Ghosson. Both were looking to counter in the opening round but a right hand from Lee put Ghosson down but it was ruled a slip with Lee unfortunate not to have been awarded a knockdown. Ghosson got to grips with proceedings and had an excellent round 2. 2 point deductions for careless use of the head in round 3 left Lee with an impossible task and it was Ghosson who prevailed via unanimous decision and went through to the world championships.

The other box off saw India’s Manoj Kumar face China’s Liu Wei. Kumar wanted to box from range with Liu attempting to close the distance and it was a tight opening round. Liu had some more success on the inside in round 2 but a point deduction for use of the head undid any good work he may have had. Knowing he needed a huge round Liu poured it on constantly throwing hard punches but Kumar used his left jab to great effect. Liu never stopped coming forward and a late point loss for Kumar left the fight right in the balance but it was Kumar who grabbed the split decision to guarantee his world championship birth.

The welterweight final saw Uzbek Shakhram Giyasov tackle Kazak Ablaikhan Zhussupov. It was a rapid start to the contest with both fighters letting their hands go before Giyasov put Zhussupov down with a right hand in the opening round but to his credit Zhussupov recovered well and scored with some solid southpaw lefts of his own. The pace slowed in round 2 but it was Giyasov who got home with the more telling blows. Zhussupov did his best to turn things around but it was the Uzbek who won the unanimous decision giving his country their 8th Asian gold.

The super heavyweights (91+kg) then took to the ring with Korea’s Kim Dohyeon victorious in his box off over Sri Lanka’s Duwaneka Addurakaram via walk over.
The final box off was between India’s Satish Kumar and China’s MuHaipeng. Kumar produced an outstanding performance to completely out box his opponent who was left confused and bewildered. Mu never got anything going due to Kumar’s terrific foot work and straight punches and the Indian prevailed via unanimous decision and booked his place in Germany with a stylish display.

The final bout of proceedings was the contest to decide super heavyweight gold as Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov squared off against Kazakhstan’s Kanshybek Kunkabayev. Both scored with significant punches in a closely fought opening stanza. Kunkabayev was forcing his opponent to retreat in round 2 but a point off for holding put him in a precarious position. Kunkabayev continued to pour forward but Jalolov landed some stinging left hands in the final round as both boxers felt the effects of a hard fought encounter. It was Jalolov who was victorious on points meaning Uzbekistan came away with 9 gold Medals from the championships, the most any nation has ever claimed.

A few overall thoughts from the last week’s events and as expected Uzbekistan reigned supreme with Kazakhstan not too far behind them. India continue to make great strides forward and Mongolia, China and the Philippines can be fairly satisfied with their weeks work. It was wonderful to see the encouraging signs for the future from Syria and Indonesia however, Japan will be disappointed not to have come away with any medals and Thailand had a tournament to forget with no boxers through to the world championships.

After a day of terrific semi-final action at the Uzbekistan Sports Complex in Tashkent it was on to the finals with gold Medals at stake. In addition there were box offs with the chance for the 4 losing quarter finalists to secure 2 world championship places.

The first bout was a box off at bantamweight (56kg) with Bhutan’s Nima Jordi versus Indonesia’s Simon Makarawe. In a really entertaining opening round both landed with left hooks and hard combinations. The excellent action continued in round 2 but Dorji had a point deducted for use of the head which in a close fight was a disaster. Dorji began to rapidly fade in the last round and was holding on for dear life and swinging for the fences. Makarawe, who was feeling the effects of a tough fight himself had just that bit more in the tank to secure the points win and book his spot at the world championships in Hamburg.

The second bantamweight box off saw Ryomei Tanaka of Japan face India’s Gaurav Bidhuri. Tanaka flew out of the traps and consistently landed with blistering combinations through the first round. Bidhuri managed to fight his way back in to proceedings but it proved not to be enough as Tanaka claimed the split decision and earned his world championship place in the process.

Still at bantamweight it was time to decide the gold Medallist as Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev took on China’s Zhang Jiawei. Akhmadaliev has been in frightening form during the tournament and the Uzbek totally dominated the opening round. Zhang attempted to turn things around but it was to prove a thankless task and Akhmadaliev was the better fighter in every department winning on points and becoming Asian champion.

Up at lightweight (60kg) a world championship spot was on the line as Kazakhstan’s Adilet Kurrmetov took on LaiChu-En from Chinese Taipei. Kurrmetov scored with some nice combinations towards the end of the opening round. The Kazak controlled things and won via unanimous decision to seal his place in Hamburg.

The other box off at lightweight saw Arashi Morisaka from Japan clash with Farrand Papendang from Indonesia. It was the man from Japan who came through the bout to win on points and make it 2 fighters from the land of the rising sun who will compete at the upcoming world championships.

The lightweight final was an intriguing prospect as India’s Shiva Thapa went up against Uzbek Elnur Abduraimov in a contest of 2 high quality boxers. In a keenly contested opening round where Thapa and Abduraimov scored with single shots a clash of heads which left Thapa unable to continue brought the bout to an end. Abduraimov was declared the victor on the cards but in all honesty the fighters and the public were robbed of what was shaping up to be a fantastic tussle between 2 terrific operators.

The middleweights (75kg) then took center stage with Indonesia’s Brama Betaubun vying for a world championship birth against Aziz Achilov from Turkmenistan. Achilov stamped his authority on the contest early on, forcing Betaubun to take a standing 8 count and then a crushing right hook left the Indonesian down and out with Achilov winning in devastating style.

The other box off saw Syria’s Abdul Mouen Aziz tangle with Filipino Eumir Marcial. Both were looking for openings but Marcial hurt Aziz with a cracking left hand and had it come earlier on in the round it could have been curtains for Aziz. Marcial, who was now brimming with confidence once again had Aziz on shaky legs and patiently picked his punches in a dominant second round for the Filipino. The left hand stunned Aziz at the start of the third and the Syrian had a second point docked for use of the head. Marcial could have easily went for the stoppage but he was content to coast home to a wide points win in what was a power packed display from the 21-year-old.

The middleweight final saw Lee Dongyun from Korean up against it with Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov in the other corner. Lee scored with a decent body shot but Madrimov soon opened up, letting rip with his customary explosive combinations and he looked in the mood to do some serious damage. Frustratingly a cut behind the ear opened up resulting in Madrimov being unable to continue leaving the verdict in the hands of the judges and the home man was victorious on a split decision sending the Tashkent crowd in to wild celebrations for the third time.

The second session of the day began with the light heavyweight (81kg) box offs as Shabbos Negmatulloev from Tajikistan faced Malaysia’s Hafidz Adli Mohd Pauzi. Mohd Pauzi took an absolute hammering in the opening round with Negmatulloev bullying him back to the ropes. The bombardment continued in round 2 and a warning for excessive holding followed by 2 more standing 8 counts finally brought a conclusion to what was a very one sided fight.

The other box off saw India’s Manish Panwar take on Pakistan’s Awais Ali Khan. The first round was pretty devoid of quality with more punches missing than landed. Both men enjoyed success in round 2 in what was a competitive bout. Khan caught Panwar with a big right hand at the start of the final round and unloaded on his opponent. The pair then furiously let their hands go giving it everything they had but at the final bell it was Khan who prevailed via split decision to book his place in Germany.

It was then on to the gold medal bout with local star Bektemir Melikuziev versus Yerik Alzhanov from Kazakhstan. Melikuziev showed his class in the opening stanza but Alzhanov hadn’t just come to make up the numbers and the Uzbek suffered a cut on his eye. Alzhanov continued to press forward but Melikuziev went through the gears displaying his full repertoire of skills. Despite being cut on both eyes Melikuziev continued to box superbly and the 21-year-old had clinched the Asian title winning a clear unanimous decision.

The first light heavyweight (91kg) box off was between Sanjar Tursunov of Uzbekistan and Salar Gholami of Iran. Gholami controlled the distance pretty well in round 1 with Tursunov struggling to cut off the ring for much of the 3 minutes. Things became very untidy with a lot of holding and clinching on the inside and Tursunov lost a point which left him in a tricky position. The ugly nature of the bout carried on in to round 3 with both boxers losing a point but it was Tursunov who was awarded the split decision in an incident filled contest.

The other box off saw China’s Yu Fengkai prevail by walk over versus Mehmood Sanaull of Pakistan.

The final bout of the day was between Kazakhstan’s Vassiliy Levit up against India’s Sumit Sangwan to decide who would take gold. Both landed with jabs early on but as the round progressed Levit began to take the ascendancy and forced his man backwards. Sangwan caught Levit with a nice right hand in round 2 but a right hand response came immediately from Levit. The pair exchange more jabs in round 3 but it was Levit’s greater volume of harder shots that saw him deservedly crowned Asian champion via unanimous decision.

This past week has seen the Asian Boxing Championships taking place in Tashkent at the Uzbekistan Sports Complex and today it was the semi-finals.

First up at flyweight (52kg) local man Jasurbek Latipov took on Kazakhstan’s Azamat Issakulov. Latipov was happy to fight on the back foot and wait for countering opportunities and the Uzbek landed the better shots in a foul filled encounter which saw both men docked points and Latipov won via split decision.

The second semi saw Filipino Daniel Maamo face Koreas Kim Inkyu. Kim came out all guns blazing and took the fight to Maamo who struggled to cope with the pressure and volume of his opponent. Maamo was then buzzed by a right hand at the start of round 2 but the Filipino came back in to things as the stanza progressed. Maamo came out fast at the beginning of round 3 as the pair went to war in a furious 3 minutes of action. At the final bell it was Kim who was awarded the split verdict in a highly entertaining contest.

Up at bantamweight (56kg) Olympic and world Medallist Murodjon Akhmadaliev faced Ham Younghun. Akhmadaliev, who has been in dynamic form during this tournament had his way with his Korean opponent and it really was man versus boy for the whole fight. The Uzbek pummelled Ham in round 1 and knocked him through the ropes with the Korean turning his back. The one way traffic continue before wisely Ham was pulled out in round 2.

The other semi saw Kairat Yeraliyev of Kazakhstan take on Chinas Zhang Jiawei. Both men enjoyed success in what was a close and technical opening round. It was again pretty hard to split them in round 2 with Zhang just shading proceedings with some nice jabs. There were some neat bursts of quality punches from both in round 3 as things got slightly untidy but it was Zhang who was victorious via split decision in an engaging but not pulsating bout.

Up at lightweight (60kg) Mongolia’s Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu took on India’s Shiva Thapa. Not much of significance was landed in the opening round. Thapa then picked up the pace in the next 2 rounds to grab a thoroughly deserved split decision over Dorjnyambuu in without doubt the Indians best display since moving up from bantamweight.

The second lightweight semi saw Chinas Shan Jun square off against home favourite Elnur Abduraimov. Both had put on sparkling displays in Tashkent but it was Abduraimov who prevailed via unanimous decision.

With the bout between Vikas Krishan and Lee Dongyun not taking place with the Korean winning via walk over, the other middleweight (75kg) semi-final saw Kazakhstan’s Abilkhan Amankul up against Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov. With a real contrast of styles there was much intrigue in this contest of 2 young prodigious talents but it was Madrimov who won the unanimous decision and booked his place in the final.

It was then on to the light heavyweights as Uzbek Bektemir Melikuziev took on Chinas Huang Jiabin. Huang proved to be well out of his depth as the Olympic and world silver Medallist dispatched his opponent inside a round in an authoritative manor. Turkmenistan’s Nuryagdy Nuryadyyev faced Kazakhstan’s Yerik Alzhanov in the other semi. Unfortunately an accidental clash of heads brought an early end to proceedings with Alzhanov winning a split decision on the cards.

The supreme Vassiliy Levit of Kazakhstan was up against Syria’s Alaa Eldin Ghoussoun in the heavyweight (91kg) category. In a pretty quiet opening round Ghoussoun suffered a cut to his right eye and was unable to continue with Levit gaining the unanimous points victory.

India’s Sumit Sangwan squared off against Jakhon Qurbonov of Tajikistan in the other semi. Sangwan peppered Qurbonov with left hands in the opening round and the Indian’s superb foot work saw him continue to dominate throughout round 2. Qurbonov had some minor success in round 3 but it was nowhere near enough and Sangwan was declared the unanimous point’s victor in what was a fabulous display and a real treat to watch.

The second session began with the light flyweights (49kg) as local hero Hasanboy Dusmatov clashed with India’s Amit Kumar. Given Dusmatov’s elite capabilities Kumar was always going to be up against it but the Indian wasn’t to be intimidated and he held his own against the reigning Olympic champion throughout. The defences of both men were extremely good which meant clean blows landed were at a premium in the first 2 rounds. Kumar landed some nice single shots in round 3 but it was the greater clusters from Dusmatov which saw him claim the unanimous decision but Kumar proved his quality and the 21-year-old looks a bright talent for the future.

The other semi was contested between Erdeen Gan-Gankhuyag from Mongolia and Rogen Ladon from the Philippines. The pair traded heavy leather in the opening round with Ladon seemingly getting the better of proceedings with some big southpaw left hands. Gankhuyag responded well in round scoring with some big right hands as neither man refused to give an inch and there were some afters at the bell. The rough and tough nature of the contest continued but the Mongolian landed with the eye catching shots in the final round to earn a split decision in a really physical encounter.

Next up it was the light welterweights (64kg) with Chinzorig Baatarsukh from Mongolia versus Nurlan Kobashev from Kirgizstan. Kobashev was the boxer on the front foot but Baatarsukh countered with ease in the first round and despite Kobashev’s further attempts at pinning his man down the Mongolian remained composed picking off his opponent with quality combinations. The fight continued in a similar pattern with Baatarsukh cruising home to a unanimous decision.

It was a clash of the youngsters as Ikboljon Kholdarov from Uzbekistan went up against Bekdaulet Ibragimov from Kazakhstan. Kholdarov was looking to maintain distance and move around the ring whilst Ibragimov wanted things at close quarters and both had success in the opening stanza. Kholdarov took charge in round 2 and was even on the front foot in a highly entertaining 3 minutes of action. The fast pace continued and it was a real war of attrition as both boxers left it all on the line. At the final bell it was Kholdarov who was awarded the win via split decision in what was an absolute pleasure to have watched.

The welterweights (69kg) then took to the ring with Shakhram Giyasov from Uzbekistan taking on Iran’s Sajjad Kazemzkdehposhtiri. Kazemzkdehposhtiri began brightly, managing to cut off the ring and land on the fleet footed Giyasov. The Iranian attempted to keep up his momentum in round 2 but Giyasov found his range and dug in but the Uzbek was deducted a point for use of the head. Kazemzkdehposhtiri landed a big right hand to start round 3 before a furious exchange took place between the pair. Giyasov then used his greater variety to take a unanimous decision in what was a tough bout for both boxers.

The other semi saw Tuvshinbat Byanba from Mongolia facing Kazakhstan’s Ablaikhan Zhussupov. Zhussupov boxed beautifully in the opening stanza, scoring with southpaw jabs and bringing the left hand in to play in the later stages of the round. Round 2 was far more competitive but clashes of heads became fairly frequent and Byamba was deducted a point leaving him with a mountain to climb. Zhussupov was then docked a point for holding and a cut on the Kazak’s eye brought a premature finish to the contest with the judge’s verdict falling in favour of Zhussupov.

Lastly it was the super heavyweights in action with Uzbekistan’s Bakhodir Jalolov tackling Mohamad Mulayes. Jalolov obliterated Mulayes, hammering away with straight shots and thankfully the mismatch was stopped in the opening round.

The final bout saw Kazak Kanshybek Kunkabayev square off against Hussein Iashaish from Jordan. The first round was devoid of much action before Iashaish had a point taken off in round 2 for punches behind the head and the Jordanians problems were increased as he was deducted another point for use of the inside of the glove. Iashaish came out needing a KO but a third infringement for use of the head saw him disqualified giving Kunkabayev the victory.

It was the final round of group fixtures in season 7 of the WSB and there were still quarter-final places up for grabs in all 3 groups.

With not much other than pride at stake the China Dragons hosted the Astana Arlans at The Mangrove in Sanya.

The evening’s action kicked off at flyweight (52kg) with Zhang Guo taking on Anvar Muzaparov. Guo began extremely well, scoring with some excellent combinations to give himself an early lead. Muzaparov attempted to close the distance and turn the tied but Guo remained in control and took a deserved points win to give the Dragons a 1 nil lead.

Next up at lightweight (60kg) Wang Sen was up against Zakir Safiullin. Safiullin has been in terrific form in this season’s competition and despite a good start from Sen the Kazaks strength, experience and class saw him take over as the fight progressed and he won a split decision to even things up.

With the scores level, welterweights (69kg) Hu Richabilige and Aslanbek Shymbergenov had the chance the seas the advantage for their team. Richabilige rose to the challenge and prevailed on points in an exciting encounter.

The penultimate bout featured light heavyweights (81kg) Wang Lida and Arman Rysbek. Lida came in when a knockout reputation but he was on the end of a hammering from Rysbek who scored a KO inside a round to level things up once again.

It was now left to the super heavyweights +91kg) to decide things as Wang Zhibao faced Olzhas Bukayev. A highly entertaining contest was unfortunately halted with Zhibao suffering a cut and Bukayev was declared the winner giving the Arlans the 3-2 victory and securing their 5th win of the season as they topped the group and progressed to the quarter-finals.

It was a winner takes all clash at the Sukharev Sport Complex in Perm as the Russian Patriot Boxing Team squared off against the Uzbek Tigers with a guaranteed quarter-final place up for grabs.

First up at flyweight (52kg) Viacheslav Tashkarakov took on Abrorjon Kodirov. Tashkarakov was the man coming forward with Kodirov landing the more eye catching shots in an evenly contested first 3 rounds. The momentum continued to swing this way then that but it was Kodirov’s greater quality that earned him the unanimous point’s verdict.

Next up at lightweight (60kg) Konstantin Bogomazov clashed with Ulugbek Dusmuradov. With it being Bogomazov’s first WSB contest for some considerable time and the debut of Dusmuradov both men were cautious early on and similar to the opening contest there was little to separate the pair. Dusmuradov enjoyed an excellent last 30 seconds to pinch round 3 but Bogomazov managed to establish distance and a knockdown in round 5 sealed a unanimous decision victory for the Russian.

With scores level it was the turn of the welterweights (69kg) with Artem Zaytsev versus newcomer Odiljon Aslonov. Aslonov showed no nerves and began with intent with Zaytsev happy to wait for scoring opportunities. Zaytsev made his man miss more regularly and landed with cute counters in the process. Aslonov never stopped pressing forward and wasn’t discouraged but Zaytsev’s superior all round boxing skills and a standing 8 count in the last round gave him the unanimous points victory.
Light heavyweights (81kg) Pavel Silyagin and Madiyar Saidrakhimov then entered the ring. Silyagin was one step ahead of his debuting opponent over the first 2 rounds but the home man was wobbled in round 3 with Saidrakhimov gaining in confidence. Silyagin managed to regain control of proceedings and prevailed via split decision in a thoroughly enjoyable bout giving the Patriots an unassailable 3-1 lead.

Lastly at super heavyweight (+91kg) Artem Suslenkov faced Mirzobek Khasanov. Khasanov was the fluid and relaxed fighter with Suslenkov possibly feeling some nerves on his first WSB appearance. As the pace began to slow Suslenkov enjoyed some fleeting success but in the main Khasanov did as he pleased and the Uzbek boxed his way to a unanimous decision win to pull it back to 3-2 with both sides safely making it through to the last 8.

The quarter-final line up is as follows with the home and away fixtures to be played over the weekends of 12-13 and 19-20 May.
Cuba Domadores v Uzbek Tigers.
French Fighting Roosters v British Lionhearts.
Colombia Heroicos v Italia Thunder.
Astana Arlans v Patriot Boxing Team.