It is getting serious now with so much at stake and what a
weekend of World Series of Boxing action we have in prospect as the
big guns once again take centre stage. Some awesome bouts lined-up
with teams fighting for final league positions and also the
sub-plot with the race for the Individual Championships now truly
on.
The mouth-watering Astana Arlans vs. Dolce & Gabbana Milano
Thunder fight kick-starts a series of five power packed matches as
the Venky's Mumbai Fighters host the Bangkok Elephants and Istanbul
Bosphorus reserve a hot reception for the visiting Leipzig
Leopards. Dynamo Moscow face the Los Angeles Matadors before Paris
United make the trip to the Azeri capital to challenge the
undefeated runaway Group B leaders, the Baku Fires.
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.
Compelling viewing for all avid boxing fans this weekend with
heavy-hitters showcasing their skills in five high-octane battles
to decide who really is the best of the best. Do not miss any of
the action with all matches broadcast LIVE on www.worldseriesboxingtv.com.
Match of the week
It does not get any bigger than this, with the Astana
Arlans seeking to reign supreme in Group A, as they host
the Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder at the
Almaty Sports Palace on Friday. Not only will this be a titanic
struggle between two of the biggest teams in the competition, but
some of the stellar names of this exciting WSB will strut their
stuff on the canvas as the race for Individual ranking positions
hots up. Sparks will fly from the off, with Bantamweight Ukrainian
southpaw, Vitaliy Volkov looking to make his experience count and
give the Italian outfit the early advantage. Astana's Merey
Akshalov, who has been exceptional so far this season, will then
look to assert his authority against Miklos Varga in the
Lightweight contest before all eyes turn to the eagerly anticipated
match-up between knock-out king Kanat Slam and Middleweight
Champion Sergiy Derevyanchenko. This monumental battle is sure to
get the fans up on their feet from the first bell. The spectators
will be treated to a festival of boxing all evening, as the action
intensifies when fierce rivals Abdelhafid
Benchabla and Ludovic Groguhé once again
lock horns in the night's Light Heavyweight contest. This one will
be on a knife edge.
Fight of the week
With so much quality throughout this weekend, it was hard to pick
a single contest. However the explosiveness of the Heavyweights is
always a big crowd pleaser so we are very excited about the
prospect of seeing Istanbul Bosphorus' Belarusian southpaw
Viktar Zuyev go toe-to-toe with the imposing
Alexander Povernov of the Leipzig Leopards. Both
are undefeated mean fighting machines, so fireworks should be in
store for this one.
Watch Zuyev's masterclass against Filip
Hrgovic
Rest of the action
Venky's Mumbai Fighters host the Bangkok
Elephants in a crucial match for both teams. The Indian
Franchise needs the win to stay within touching distance of
quarter-final qualification from Group B, they, however, face a
confident Bangkok team. Once again the T-Box Mobile Arena at the
In-Orbit Mall in Mumbai will be the setting for this sure-to-be
tightly contested match. With five foreign boxers representing the
home team, the Fighters will be relying on Belarusian Light
Heavyweight Leanid Charnabayeu and the imposing 22-year-old
Heavyweight Uaine Fa to lead the charges and take the win in front
of their fans.
Dynamo Moscow have been solid this year and have
been quietly going about their business in Group A and will surely
have too much firepower when the Los Angeles
Matadors come to town. In their ranks will be 2011 AIBA
World Championships bronze medallist Anvar Yusunov, the excellent
21-year-old Adlan Abdurashidov and most importantly the solid
Middleweight Aleksandr Ivanov who was so impressive in his victory
against Kanat Slam. We have been looking forward to seeing the
classy 26-year-old orthodox Ivanov once again demonstrating his
repertoire of stinging shots.
The Baku Fires can ensure top spot in Group B if
they can defeat the visiting Paris United on
Saturday. Once again the Azeri outfit have four undefeated boxers
stepping through the ropes with a combined 20 fights experience, of
which top ranked Bantamweight Gairbek Germakhanov, top ranked
Lightweight Madadi Nagzibekov, Light Heavyweight No.2 Ramazan
Magomedau and fresh form dishing out a TKO to his last opponent,
the impressive Heavyweight Abdulkadir Abdullayev. The beacons of
hope for Paris United will be fleet-footed southpaw Michel Tavares
taking on the Middleweight challenge with Croatian duo Hrvoje Sep
and Filip Hrgovic putting up the resistance in the Light Heavy and
Heavyweight fights respectively. This should be a cracker.
Two teams that have a lot to prove following some unconvincing
performances this year are Istanbul Bosphorus and
Leipzig Leopards who will come face-to-face at the
Bagcilar Olimpik Spor Kompleksi. The Turkish Franchise will be
counting on the power of Jaba Khositashvili and, above all, crowd
pleaser and local hero Bahram Muzaffer. Bantamweight stalwart
Huseyin Dundar was impressive in his last bout, so will look to
ensure a win for the home team. The Leopards will be banking on the
prowess of Rashid Kassem, triple National Champion Patrick Wojcicki
and the hard-hitting 21-year-old German Enrico Kölling who has a
point to prove. Kölling will have the opportunity of exacting
revenge on Muzaffer who defeated him earlier this season. The
atmosphere is sure to be electric for this clash.
Boxer to watch
Look out for 24-year-old Cameroonian Romarcik Ngoula Tangoum of
the Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder as he faces Astana Arlans'
Ruslan Myrsatayev in the Heavyweight division. We have been
informed that this orthodox fighter is absolutely awesome and is
driven by an innate hunger and desire to become the best in the
world. He has been training hard all winter to be at his peak for
his debut.
What was said...
"I feel great; I am ready to take my revenge on Groguhé. Last time
I lost because I had no grip on my shoes, not because he is a
better fighter. I know his tactics and I have the weapons to
overawe him. I am here to win", declared Abdelhafid
Benchabla.
"I do not feel any great pressure for this match; I know what I
have to do to win. Of course, Benchabla is a great opponent and he
has defeated me before, but I would not talk of a rivalry. We know
each other well and have a great deal of mutual respect. I am
focused and know the importance of the result for team so it will
be a good show", stressed Ludovic Groguhé.
"My objective is also the WSB Individual Championships; I just
missed out last season so am working even harder this time around.
The coach is right behind me on this one so I hope I can get there
come May", added Paris United's Michel Tavares as a win could
secure him a place at the Individual Finals.
Uaine Fa said, after making himself an instant Mumbai Fighters
fan's favourite, "I surprised myself in my debut to be honest. This
time around, I am much better prepared and will put on a show for
the supporters."
The Mexico City Guerreros vs. Beijing Dragons tie has been
postponed due to problems with the issuing of visas for the
visiting team. A new date for the match will be announced
shortly.
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