A weekend of upsets in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with the
Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder tasting defeat for the first
time this season as Los Angeles Matadors triumph at home. The
Mexico City Guerreros beat their travel blues to impose themselves
against Paris United and Astana Arlans stun Bangkok Elephants by
taking late victory. Venky's Mumbai Fighters continue to struggle
with Dynamo Moscow taking the win in India, Baku Fires dish out the
punishment to Istanbul Bosphorus and Leipzig Leopards overwhelm the
Beijing Dragons in top quality weekend of action.
Full results and rankings
Schedule
Relive all the matches on www.worldseriesboxingtv.com
Match of the week
In front of the watching AIBA President and WSB Board Chariman,
Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu and all seven AIBA Commissions members (Athletes
& Youth, Coaches, Medical, Refereeing & Judging, Technical
& Rules, Women's and WSB), the Bangkok
Elephants looked to be on course for a famous win but the
visiting Astana Arlans had other ideas. The
excellent southpaw Wuttichai Masuk had the thousands of fans in
delirium as he gave the home team the early advantage with a
resounding win as he outboxed Adlet Yegizekov in the opening
Lightweight contest. Daniyar Ustembayev levelled the score after a
solid points win against the experienced Kriangkai Sukkhum as the
Light Heavyweights showcased their skills. Highly anticipated, the
clash between Cameroon's Blaise Yepmou Mendouo of the Bangkok
Elephants and the hard-hitting Algerian Chouaib Bouloudinats had
the crowds on the edge of their seats as the pair slugged it out
for five nail-biting rounds. In the end of this hotly contested
Heavyweight fight where two African Champions came head-to-head, it
was Bouloudinats who triumphed by split decision. A more aggressive
approach could have turned the match in favour of the impressive
Mendouo, but in any case the Bangkok fans had a new hero. Another
exciting southpaw, this time Bantamweight Donchai Thathi, did not
disappoint in his bout as he put in an intelligent display against
the tough Uzbek Rafikjon Sultonov. Perfectly poised then, it was
the turn of the Middleweight decider. Up-and-coming 21-year-old
Kazak Miras Bairkhanov imposed himself to ensure a 3:2 win for the
visitors with a thumping TKO victory, cementing in the process his
team's second place in Group A. So close yet so far for Bangkok
Elephants, but they will have taken great heart from this
performance.
Thrashing of the week
Can anyone stop the Baku Fires this season? Once
again the Azeri outfit was too strong for their opponents as they
completely overpowered the visiting Istanbul
Bosphorus to win 5:0. Still unbeaten and looking better
every week, they are frighteningly good this season. With a bulging
squad that is full of power and quality, the Baku Fires are now one
win away from guaranteeing top spot in Group B. The night's first
two contests saw points victories each for Magomed Abdulhamidov and
Madadi Nagzibekov. However with a combined ten rounds and three
judges' scorecards, only one round was scored against them, an
impressive statistic that set the tone for the evening. The home
team then cranked up the pressure in ruthless style as first
Middleweight Hebulla Mursalov, then Azamat Murtuzaliyev and finally
Abdulkadir Abdullayev all recorded TKOs in their fights. It was a
truly spectacular show of strength by the Baku Fires who delight
their expectant fans.
Watch this match again on WSB TV
Rest of the action
Los Angeles Matadors sprung the surprise of the
weekend by beating the highflying Dolce & Gabbana
Milano Thunder at the packed Avalon Club in Hollywood.
Unstoppable Rau'Shee Warren once again proved his class and
extended his unbeaten WSB record to eight fights after a clear
victory over 2008 Olympic Games bronze medallist, Veaceslav Gojan.
Terrell Gausha and Vyacheslav Shabranskyy then comprehensively
defeated Brazilian pair Pedro Lima and namesake Rafael Duarte Lima
in the Middle and Light Heavyweight contests respectively. Top
ranked Italian Heavyweight superstar Clemente Russo reduced the
deficit for the Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder as he
outmanoeuvred the American David Imoesiri to protect his perfect
record. The scoreline was surprise and this win by Los Angeles has
now opened up the race for final positions in Group A with the
Italian outfit travelling to Astana next with a win needed or else
their status as leaders will be in serious jeopardy.
Watch this match again on WSB TV
The Leipzig Leopards put a nightmare run of three
successive defeats to bed with a confident performance against the
Beijing Dragons in Group B. The German trio of
Middleweight Denis Robert Radovan, Kevin Künzel and 33-year-old
Alexander Povernov were the leading lights as the German outfit
recorded a clinical 5:0 victory. This moral boasting win for the
home team should get their campaign back on track following a run
of results that had looked like derailing what had been an
excellent debut season in WSB. With a tricky trip to Istanbul up
next and then the visit of the Baku Fires winning machine, a win
from one of these matches should prove enough to guarantee
qualification to the quarter-final stages. However in order to
avoid the big guns from the other group they will need to
consolidate their second position.
Watch this match again on WSB TV
Huge upset in the French capital as the Mexico City
Guerreros defeated Paris United at the
Stade Pierre-de-Coubertin 3:2. The reigning Champions had come out
with fighting words following a stuttering start to the defence of
their title and with the Guerreros notoriously inconsistent on
their travels; many predicted Paris United to conquer their
opponents in this one. The Mexican team knew this was a defining
match in their season so came equipped with some of their best
boxers to face the French outfit. As predicted Bantamweight Elias
Emigdio and Lightweight Juan Romero ensured a perfect start as they
dominated Geoffrey Dos Santos and Abdelkadir Chadi to send the
Guerreros into an early lead. French southpaw Michel Tavares showed
his prowess to win but in the all-Croatian battle it was Bojan
Miskovic who tasted glory against Hrvoje Sep to give the visitors
an unassailable lead in the match. Ibrahima Mariko won the
Heavyweight contest against Juan Hiracheta but it was too little
too late as Paris United suffered their fourth defeat of the
season.
Watch this match again on WSB TV
Venky's Mumbai Fighters vs. Dynamo
Moscow was a must win for the Indian Franchise in Group A
but after a strong start by debutant Gaurav Bidhuri winning his
Bantamweight contest, they then flattered to deceive. Showman
Siddarth Varma lived up to his reputation and with the home fighter
more intent on entertaining the crowd, his lack of movement left
him exposed as Moscow's Adlan Abdurashidov completely outboxed him
to tie the match at 1:1. Sanjin-Pol Vrgoc had no response to the
power of Maxim Gazizov and Leanid Charnabayeu looked devoid of
ideas as Vladimir Sheles outpointed him to give Dynamo Moscow the
overall victory. New Zealand newcomer Uaine Fa sent the fans home
happy with a win in the evening's Heavyweight contest.
Watch this match again on WSB TV
Boxer of the week
Kevin Künzel continues to impress in his first
season. The 23-year-old Leipzig Leopards orthodox fighter wowed the
crowds at the Maritim Hotel in Halle with a sublime first round
demolition of the much taller Beijing Dragons' Yunlong Shi. Künzel
has looked razor sharp in each of his bouts and he was once again
out of the like a flash in this fight, stamping his authority from
the first bell. Extremely positive, the German then unleashed a
fierce left-right combination with the left hook catching the
Chinese southpaw right on the temple and sending him straight to
the canvas. Although Shi managed to get back up, Künzel immediately
pounced and let fly from all angles and within seconds the Chinese
corner threw in the towel. Compact and mobile, the Leipzig Leopard
could really be a force in the Light Heavyweight division; however
he will need to prove himself against the best of the best in one
of the most exciting and hotly contested weight classes in the
competition.
What was said
"It was a great match. I am very glad that our boxers
showcased their skills. I think our fans went home extremely
satisfied; they were also a huge factor in our victory. The
Istanbul Bosphorus were confident before the match, having notched
up two consecutive victories. They travelled with a strong team but
our fighters were absolutely awesome tonight. We are now guaranteed
a place in the quarter-finals but we want first place in the Group.
Looking to the future, it would be very interesting to a final
between the Baku Fires and the leaders of Group A, the Dolce &
Gabbana Milano Thunder. I think that would be the final that all
boxing fans would like to see", stated Gamzat Agaev, Baku
Fires Sports Manager
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