With four rounds of fixtures to go before the end of the regular
World Series of Boxing (WSB) season, the race for the
quarter-finals and Group positions is truly on. For some teams this
is make or break time with so much at stake. With tense battles
throughout this weekend and some great bouts to look forward to,
the action will be electric.
The Venky's Mumbai Fighters open proceedings on Friday with the
visit of the confident Dynamo Moscow team as Paris United face a
well-equipped and hungry Mexico City Guerreros. Saturday sees the
Bangkok Elephants host their first home match against the
highflying Astana Arlans with undefeated Baku Fires battling a
resurgent Istanbul Bosphorus before Leipzig Leopards go in search
of victory as the Beijing Dragons come to town. The Dolce &
Gabbana Milano Thunder then travel to Hollywood to defend their
perfect record this season against the Los Angeles Matadors in the
final match of the weekend.
Follow all the action and get comprehensive coverage as it
happens on the WSB website. Click HERE to get in-depth information of all
matches and player line-ups as well as bios on our schedule
page.
Thrilling drama will unfold as we reach an important stage in the
race for Group positions. With some classic fights lined-up and
some serious pugilists showcasing their skills, sporting fans will
be treated to a real festival of boxing. Four matches will be
broadcasted LIVE on worldseriesboxingtv.com*
Match of the week
Having overcome huge adversity in the first weeks of the season
following the devastating floods in Thailand, WSB was delighted to
welcome back the Bangkok Elephants Franchise just
before the winter break. Now the team will fight for this first
time on home soil and in the capital at the Recreational Park as
the Astana Arlans come to town this Saturday. With
a massive boxing fan base in the country, the arena will be packed
to the rafters for this hugely anticipated battle. The venue is
also very symbolic because it was used to shelter thousands of
displaced victims during the flooding. Emotions will run high as
the athletes step onto the canvas. With the AIBA President and WSB
Board Chariman, Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu and all seven AIBA Commissions
(Athletes & Youth, Coaches, Medical, Refereeing & Judging,
Technical & Rules, Women's and WSB) in town for meetings over
the weekend, all delegates will be present ringside to savour what
promises to be a hugely entertaining match. After such an
impressive performance against Rau'Shee Warren in his last fight,
the excellent Bantamweight southpaw Donchai Thathi will be the one
to watch when he faces Astana's Rafikjon Sultonov. Wuttichai Masuk,
a 2010 Asian Games bronze medallist, will look to make the
difference in the Lightweight contest versus the 23-year-old
fleet-footed Adlet Yegizekov. All eyes will then turn to the
titanic clash between two African Heavyweights as Blaise Yepmou
Mondouo locks horns with Chouaib Bouloudinats. This should be
epic.
Fight of the week
Bunyamin Aydin of the Istanbul Bosphorus came of
age in Week 5 as the young Turk sensationally defeated last year's
WSB Lightweight Individual Champion Zhimin Wang. When his team
travels to the Azeri capital on Saturday to face the irresistible
Baku Fires, the 20-year-old Aydin will be pitted against another
orthodox fighter in the shape of the undefeated Tajik
Madadi Nagzibekov. If Aydin can once again
showcase the skills that comprehensibly beat Wang, the meeting with
Nagzibekov promises to be quality. Relive Aydin's killer
performance...
Rest of the action
The T-Box Mobile Arena at the In-Orbit Mall Malad in Mumbai, India
will once again be the setting as the Venky's Mumbai
Fighters welcome the powerful Dynamo
Moscow. The Indian outfit has openly expressed its desire
to exact revenge their 5:0 defeat the last time these two teams
met. From the five fighters taking to the ring this weekend, only
showman Siddarth Varma was part of the team that lost in Perm, he
will now face the 21-year-old Russian Adlan Abdurashidod. Debutant
Gaurav Bidhuri will look to impress in his Bantamweight contest
versus Vladimir Nikitin but the Mumbai fans will be relishing the
prospect of seeing Belarusian Leanid Charanbayeu once again
strutting his stuff in the ring after the impact he made against
the sensational Abdelhafid Benchabla. New Zealand's Uaine Fa will
make it a battle of the giants in the Heavyweight contest as he
goes toe-to-toe with Arslanbek Makhmudov. For the winner of this
Group A encounter, the points will be most valuable in the race for
quarter-final qualification.
After fighting words from their CEO, 2000 Olympic Games gold
medallist Brahim Asloum, Paris United host the
Mexico City Guerreros at the Stade
Pierre-de-Coubertin in the French capital with the sole focus of
winning this Friday. A stuttering campaign so far in Group B has
seen the reigning champions struggle to make an impact in the
competition. With the Mexican outfit yet to secure a victory on
their travels, the home team will quickly want to assert their
authority and with the experienced Olympian Abdelkader Chadi in
their ranks they have the firepower to take maximum points. The
Guerreros on the other hand are well-equipped to challenge with
Elias Emigdio and Juan Romero undefeated this season in their
respective Bantam and Lightweight categories. Cult hero Juan
Hiracheta will look to use his huge height advantage against French
newcomer Ibrahima Mariko in the Heavyweight fight. There will be an
intriguing all-Croatian contest at Light Heavy as experienced
Hrvoje Sep faces current National Champion, 21-year-old southpaw
Bojan Miskovic in a battle of pride where the title of the
country's best is at stake. This will be tight.
The huge friendship between the two countries from which these
teams fight from will be put aside as the Baku
Fires winning machine tests itself against the new-look
Istanbul Bosphorus in Group B. The Fires are just
so strong it is hard to see how the visiting Turkish outfit can get
anything out of the match. But with a renewed optimism, the
Istanbul Bosphorus will be looking to create a surprise when some
of their best national boxers don the gloves. Oleksiy Sivko is an
awesome proposition at Heavyweight and could make the difference
but Baku Fires are top of the group, have not lost this season and
are programmed to win. Magomed Abdulhamidov, top ranked Light
Heavyweight Azamat Murtuzaliyev and heavy-hitter Abdulkadir
Abdullayev are all line-up for the Fires so they will once again
look to steamroll past their opponents.
The glamorous Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder,
runaway leaders in Group A, travel to the glitz of Hollywood to
face the Los Angeles Matadors at the Avalon Club
where the atmosphere is always electric. With a setting worthy of
such an encounter, boxing fans will be treated to some of the best
of what WSB has to offer when the two take to the ring. The
Matadors will be hoping they can spring the surprise of the season
so far and readdress the balance following their 4:1 defeat in
Italy the last time these two came face-to-face. The American team
are leaving nothing to chance with opening proceedings, three-time
Olympian Rau'Shee Warren defending his undefeated Bantamweight
record against 2008 Olympic Bronze medallist Veaceslav Gojan.
Middleweight Terrell Gausha, a 2009 National champion, will then
make his Matadors debut against 2007 Panamerican Games gold
medallist before star attraction Clemente Russo of the Milano
Thunder fights the unpredictable David Imoesiri. Boxing of the
highest calibre is guaranteed.
Having started off the season so well, the Leipzig
Leopards will look to get their campaign back on track
after three successive defeats have made them look vulnerable. The
mood in the camp has been excellent recently and they have been
training even harder in preparation for this weekend's battle with
the Beijing Dragons. Cementing their second
position in Group B will be the focus and with Kevin Künzel and
stalwart Alexander Povernov leading the charges once again, the
visiting team will have to be ready for a tough encounter at the
Maritim Hotel in the centre of Halle.
Boxer to watch
Lightning-quick Middleweight Frenchman Michel
Tavares of the Paris United team is one of the stars of
WSB, his style never ceases to impress and his attitude is one of
the driving forces behind his team's success last season. The
southpaw is highly regarded and at 22 years of age will only
continue to get better. Technically gifted and classy, look out for
him to overawe his opponent in all departments on Saturday.
What was said
"We remain in a good position in our group with a match in
hand. It is true that the Baku Fires have really set the standard
but what matters is how Paris United fare come the business end of
the season. We look towards the quarter-finals with great
anticipation. Of course a lot will depend on the temperament and
the desire of athletes but we are confident in what we can achieve.
Five matches to go, yes, so we are masters of our own destiny. It
is now up to us to make it happen", stated Brahim
Asloum, Paris United CEO (Read
more)
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(*) Please note that it is WSB's goal to provide the live
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be instances where blocks on viewers will be applied in specific
territories. Stay tuned to worldseriesboxingtv.com for more
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