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Three Top-Ranked Boxers in Action on Week Seven

By WSB

26, January, 2011

With six match weekends left to determine who qualifies for the play-offs in April, competition in the World Series of Boxing intensifies further this weekend with rematches of the week six encounters. Nowhere is the competition fiercer than in Europe, where Paris United and Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder, separated by only one win, once again face off in Paris on Friday in a match that will feature three of the top-ranked boxers in the competition.

Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder face another crunch match as they travel to Paris to face European conference leaders Paris United on Friday. On the previous encounter two weeks ago, Paris United’s home victory was enough to lose the Milan team the coveted best runners-up spot, which will ultimately decide the fourth and final team to go through to the play-offs.

The Paris squad chosen for this week has an impressive 11-1 WSB record and includes two top-ranked boxers, bantamweight John Joe Nevin and light heavyweight Ludovic Groguhe. Milano Thunder are replying with their own top-ranked boxer, Sergiy Derevyanchenko of the Ukraine at middleweight, and new signing Tommy McCarthy from Northern Ireland at light heavyweight, who becomes the first British national to compete in the World Series of Boxing.

Memphis Force host the Mexico City Guerreros at the Desoto Civic Center on Thursday night and will start week seven oF the competition desperately looking for a win. Their last home victory dates back to November 26 last year, since when they have dropped four events in a row. Yahman Phelps will be looking to make his mark on a rematch of his previous encounter with Angel Gutierrez in the lightweight contest, which Phelps lost by walkover last time.

The Mexico City Guerreros have a young squad in action this week, with an average age of just over 20, and will be hoping to repeat their away win against the Force in week six to move closer to Americas conference leaders the Los Angeles Matadors. The L.A. team has a six-point advantage over their rivals and will face the Miami Gallos at the Avalon Hollywood on Sunday.

Three new Russian boxers will debut for the Moscow team in Istanbul on Friday night, including 2008 Youth World Championships silver medalist Grigoriy Nikolaychuk, who will take on the unbeaten Mehmet Topcakan in the bantamweight opener. The Istanbulls also have a new signing, Ireland’s David Oliver Joyce, making his debut at lightweight. Heavyweight Mohammed Arjaoui from Morocco is the only boxer in action for the Istanbulls on Friday who has lost a bout this season.

The boxers in the Beijing Dragons squad that will host overall WSB leaders Baku Fires in Macau on Saturday have yet to win a bout between them. Baku have brought two boxers for rematches at bantamweight and lightweight, since Magomed Abdulhamidov and Ramal Amanov both beat their opponents for this week in the opening match last November. 22-year-old Abdulkadir Abdullayev makes his debut for the Baku team in this week’s heavyweight contest against 18-year-old Xiangyang Cheng.

Having leapfrogged Milano Thunder into the spot as best runners-up after their last match, the Astana Arlans will be looking to secure their position as they travel to Korea to face the re-baptised Pohang Poseidons in the Pohang Indoor Sport Gymnasium on Saturday. Moldova’s Victor Cotiujanschii will be looking to get off the mark for the home team as he faces a rematch of his week one encounter against Alibi Nurmatov in the middleweight bout. The second foreign boxer in action for the Poseidons is Algeria’s Abdelhafid Benchabla, who will face 2009 AIBA President’s Cup bronze medalist Ramzjon Ahmedov in the light heavyweight bout. Benchabla is unbeaten so far this season and is second in the individual rankings, but his position could be under threat from either of his two closest unbeaten rivals, Enrico Kolling of the Istanbulls and Zhavlonbek Usmanov of the Moscow Kremlin Bears, who face each other on Friday.

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The World Series of Boxing (WSB) officially reached the halfway point of the league’s inaugural season Saturday with the Mexico City Guerreros once again overwhelming the Memphis Force with a 5-0 win.

The Guerreros, behind three WSB newcomers, earned their first road victory of the season to move to a respectable 3-3 on the year and back into second place behind the front-running Los Angeles Matadors in WSB Americas action. The Guerreros had a similar start to the season against the Force with a 5-0 victory as well in Mexico City, November 19. Meanwhile, the Memphis Force fall to 1-5 on the year and continue to struggle having dropped four matches in a row.

Braulio Avila (Tiaxcala, Mexico) got the evening started for the Guerreros with a unanimous decision over Detelin Dalakiev (Pleven, Bulgaria) of the Memphis Force in the bantamweight/119 pounds/54kg weight class to run his record to 2-1 on the year. Dalakiev, the 2009 World Champion, is struggling in WSB action, going 1-2 in his first three bouts and loss in a unanimous decision to Avila, 49-46, 49-46, 50-45.

Josip Duric (Zagreb, Croatia) of the Guerreros defeated Chris Jones (Dallas, Texas) of the Force in his WSB debut at middleweight/161 pounds/73 kg, dropping Jones to 0-3 on the season. After losing the first round to Jones and settling in to the new format of the WSB, Duric wouldn’t lose another round the rest of the way and scored a unanimous decision over Jones, 49-45, 49-45, 49-45. A big 10-8 decision among among all three judges in the fourth round proved to be the deciding factor.

Imre Szello (Cegled, Hungary) was impressive in his first WSB bout back on November 26 and through the first round tonight, but couldn’t find the same result the last four rounds against Kennedy Katende (Sundsvall, Sweden), another new addition to the WSB field. The Swedish Olympian Katende got the better of the Hungarian Olympian Szello in a unanimous decision, 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.

The results were similar for Force boxer Cam Thompson (Uniondale, N.Y.) who was equally impressive his first time out as a WSB boxer, but was dealt a similar fate as Szello Saturday in his matchup with Jose Payares (Caracas, Venezuela) in the battle of heavyweights. Payares, a 2008 Olympian, handed Thompson a decisive unanimous decision loss by winning every round on all three judge’s score cards, 50-45, 50-45, 48-47.

There was no bout in the lightweight/61 kg division as the Memphis Force were unable to field a boxer in that weight class. Both lightweight boxers the Force have are currently serving medical suspensions including Raynell Williams (Cleveland, Ohio) and Yahman Phelps (Cincinnati, Ohio). MC Guerrero Angel Gutierrez (Queretaro, Mexico) will receive the walkover in the weight class given he makes weight on Friday.

WSB Americas action resumes January 27 featuring rematches from week six as the Force will again entertain the Guerreros while the LA Matadors (5-1) host the Miami Gallos (3-3) all on the same night.

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World Series of Boxing - Latest News and Results

Miami Gallos Seek Revenge and Begin 2011 by Defeating Memphis 4-1

By WSB

An opening bout loss at home could not discourage the Miami Gallos as they reeled off four straight wins Wednesday night to earn the easy victory against the Memphis Force and maintain their undefeated home record.

The Gallos and Force squared off at AmericanAirlines Arena in the first World Series of Boxing (WSB) bout of 2011 and the Gallos were able to reverse an earlier season loss to the Force the last time the two teams met. Once again, the home team was dominant in their home ring, a common theme throughout the first four weeks of the season, with the home team losing just once in nine contests thus far.

Starting off the evening, Ernesto Garza (Saginaw, Mich.) of the Memphis Force erased memories of a tough opening-night loss back on November 19 with an unanimous decision over Paulo Carvalho (Gandu Bahia, Brazil), the first boxer to sign a participation agreement for the WSB. The high-paced bantamweight bout didn’t come easy for Garza, with Carvalho getting Garza in trouble at least twice during the bout. Garza would prevail in the end with a majority decision victory, 48-47, 47-48, 47-48.

Lightweight (61 kg/134 lbs) Leonid Malkov (Nikolaev, Ukraine) came into the bout against Elian Dimitrov (Burgas, Bulgaria) of the Memphis Force looking to avenge his loss from Mexico City on December 17. Malkov came out strong, attacking Dimitrov with a constant barrage of punches, and continued to dominate until the referee stepped in and stopped the bout at 1:10 in the fourth round to give Malkov the technical knockout victory.

Middleweight (73 kg/160 lbs) William Williams (Conyers, Ga.) got off to a strong start against Memphis Force Terrell Gausha (Cleveland, Ohio), but started to succumb to Gausha’s brawling style in rounds three and four. But after Head Coach Pat Burns gave Williams the order that he had to win the fifth round, Williams came out in the fifth determined to win, landing straight, clean punches to Gausha’s head. Demonstrating tremendous heart, Williams was able to secure a majority decision victory, 47-48, 48-47, 48-47).

“In the first round I felt strong, but then I got a little caught up in his style,” said Williams. “I knew it was a close fight and I had to pull it out in the fifth. Coach Pat told me to just throw straight punches, and stick to the game plan, and it worked.”

Light heavyweight (85 kg/187 lbs) Sijuola Shabazz (Las Cruces, N.M.) and Robert Brant (St. Paul, Minn.) were brought together in a rematch from their bout at the 2009 USA Boxing National Championships that saw Brant continue on to win the light heavyweight title. Both were ready to go the distance tonight, and Brant started off the bout creating more angles and moving out of Shabazz’ reach. But Shabazz remained patient and picked up his pace throughout, taking advantage of Brant as he tired. All three judges would award Shabazz with the victory, 48-47, 48-47, 48-47.

“Tonight I came out more aggressive and was looking to hurt him,” said Shabazz. “After I fought Robert at the USA Boxing nationals and lost a close fight, I told him that the next time I would knock him out. I didn’t get a knockout tonight, but the win still feels great.”

Interestingly, after Brant beat Shabazz at the 2009 USA Boxing Championships and continued on to win the light heavyweight title, he would qualify to compete at the AIBA World Championships in Milan. It was there Brant found out about the WSB, and the first person he recommended as a perfect fit for the WSB was Shabazz. Shabazz said that he was grateful Brant had recommended him, and after the win tonight it looks like Shabazz is finally finding his stride after suffering two losses at the start of the season.

Heavyweight (91+ kg/201+ lbs) Donovan Dennis (Davenport, Iowa) closed the evening with a bang as he found the first knockout victory in the WSB Americas against Danny Calhoun (Chicago, Ill.). After Calhoun was called for throwing a blow below the belt during the third round, southpaw Dennis came back clearly determined to end the fight, where nearly 30 seconds later he set-up the jab and landed a right hook, straight left to the head that took Calhoun down at 2:10 in the third round.

“He was faster than I expected,” said Dennis about Calhoun. “I got caught dropping my hands, and then after he threw the low punch I was mad and I wanted to come back right away. But I listened to my coaches telling me to take as much time as I needed, and that helped me to regain my composure and come back to get the knockout.”

“I was very happy with the conditioning our fighters displayed tonight,” said Miami Gallos Head Coach Pat Burns. “They listened very well, and that, along with the conditioning were able to give us the close victories.”

The LA Matadors lead the conference standings with a 3-1 team record, with 10 points overall after taking 15 of their first 20 bouts overall. The Matadors face the Mexico City Guerreros Friday in a matchup of the league’s two top teams to close out week 5 of the inaugural WSB season. The Gallos now sit at 3-2 on the season while the Force drop to 1-4 having lost four straight matches since their home win November 26.

The Gallos will next travel to Los Angeles for a January 13 showdown with the Matadors while the Force return to the DeSoto Civic Center in Southhaven, Miss., to take on the Guerreros January 15.

Memphis Force vs. Miami Gallos, January 5, 2024 - Results

Bantamweight/54 kg: Ernesto Garza, Memphis Force, UD Paulo Carvalho, Miami Gallos, 48-47, 47-48, 47-48
Lightweight/61 kg: Leonid Malkov, Miami Gallos, TKO-4 (1:10) over Elian Dimitrov, Memphis Force

Middleweight/73 kg: William Williams, Miami Gallos, UD Terrell Gausha, Memphis Force, 47-48, 48-47, 48, 47
Light Heavyweight/87 kg:Sijuola Shabazz, Miami Gallos UD Robert Brant, Memphis Force, 48-47, 48-47, 48-47.
Heavyweight/91+ kg: Donovan Dennis, Miami Gallos KO-3 (2:10) Danny Calhoun, Memphis Force

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World Series Boxing: Matadors Earn 4-1 Victory over Memphis Force.

The Los Angeles Matadors became the first road team to secure a win away from home in the World Series of Boxing Americas conference with a convincing 4-1 victory over the Memphis Force Thursday night to begin week four in the WSB.

WSB: Article – Friday 17^th December, 2010

USA, Southaven, Mi.

With a second-straight defeat of the Force, the Matadors have won 15 of their first 20 bouts and have earned 10 points with a 3-1 record. The Force have won just six bouts on the season and sit in last place in the conference. Week four continues Friday in Mexico City as the Guerreros host the Miami Gallos at 9 p.m. CT.

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“I’m really proud of my team of coming in here and taking three points,” said Matador head coach Manny Robles. “That’s really important and puts us up in the standings, which is where we want to be. This is the start of a good thing. This is what happens when you work hard.”

Displaying the skill that has led him to two straight Olympic Games, bantamweight Rau’shee Warren moved his record to 2-0 in a showdown with 2009 World Championships bronze medalist Ronny Beblik.

But it didn’t come without some damage, however, as he suffered a cut on an accidental head butt early in the fifth round. But at that point, even the effect of the injury and resulting blood that seemed to stun Warren couldn’t upend the dominance the Cincinnati fighter had displayed through the first four rounds. His speed and the lightning-quick right hook were again his biggest weapons throughout the bout as he defeated Beblik 49-46, 49-46, 50-43.

In the battle of 2008 Olympians, Everton Lopes used an all-out assault in the second round to stun and ultimately finish Raynell Williams 2:29 into the round to improve to 2-0 as well.

After a slow start to the bout, Lopes came on strong and rocked Williams with a steady barrage of punches that dazed Williams. A standing-eight count issued by referee Roland Labbe only delayed the inevitable and the bout was called shortly thereafter.

“I knew from the first round I was going to knock him out because he would come in real tight,” Lopes said. “But when he would bring his guard back he would bring his hands down. I saw he was getting fatigued and just kept setting him up for the left hand.”

2008 Olympian Carlos Gongora used his length to fluster Terrell Gausha throughout their five-round contest. Gongora secured the match for the Matadors with a 50-45, 48-47, 48-45 unanimous decision.

Anthony Mack and Dorian Anthony engaged in what might have been the most entertaining action-packed round of the young season within the Americas conference. Mack came out aggressive in the fourth round only to stir the fire from within Anthony who came back to daze Mack in the fourth round with a brutal right hook.

A combination of punches left Mack dazed against the ropes and unable to beat referee Jose Bonet’s standing eight count. The action in-between was just as exciting with Mack working on the inside to try and counter the reach of the Matador fighter. Despite a steady barrage of upper cuts, Anthony stood his ground and used that decisive fourth round to take the decision, 48-46, 49-46, 48-42.

That fight only served as a prelude of things to come as Javier Torres and Cam Thompson gave everyone in attendance what they came to see with non-stop action through all five rounds. Making his WSB debut, Thompson seemed to be enjoying the moment and played to the crowd throughout the fight while punishing Torres with an aggressive offense that included a variety of hooks, uppercuts, precise combinations and power punches. Thompson took the bout 50-45, 49-46, 49-46.

“This was just awesome,” said a jubilant Thompson. “I knew Javier was an extremely tough fighter so I knew I had to show up in shape and work hard. I knew in the end that he would have to adjust to my style. I wanted to make that hard for him to accomplish. By the third round, I had things figured out and it was clicking that I was in the WSB and this is a new style.”

Week five of the WSB season begins in the U.S. on January 5, 2024 as the Memphis Force travel to Miami to take on the Gallos. That match will be followed with the Mexico City Guerreros hosting the Matadors on January 7.

Photo: Cam Thompson forces Javier Torres into defence.

Photo Credit: Via WSB

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Monday, 13 December 2023 - USA, Los Angeles

World Series of Boxing - Article

Bantamweight Fernando Martinez (Buenos Aires, Argentina) picked up the most impressive win of the evening as the Los Angeles Matadors battled the Memphis Force and swept all four contested bouts from the Nokia Club in downtown Los Angeles Sunday night. The Matadors move to 2-1 on the young season and assume the top spot in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Americas standings, while the Memphis Force fall to 1-3.

Martinez moved his WSB record to 2-0, but more significantly he’s defeated two Olympians in back-to-back matches to put a stamp on the bantamweight division thus far. Along with another 119-pounder and two-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren (Cincinnati, Ohio), the Matadors might have arguably the best 1-2 tandem in the league in any one weight class. Brothers Yamaguchi and Esquiva Florentino of the Mexico City Guerreros have also impressed early on this season.

After a season-opening win against 2008 Olympian Jose Luis Meza (Zamora, Ecauador) of the Miami Gallos, this time around Martinez defeated 2004 Olympian and 2009 World Champion Detelin Dalakiev, 48-47, 48-47, 49-46. Martinez was the aggressor throughout the bout with a higher volume of punches, despite a significant height and reach disadvantage, gassing Dalakliev with his up-tempo pace.

“My opponent was larger than me,” Martinez said. “So the strategy was to move around, go for the body, keep my distance from his jab and, when I had the opportunity, move inside.”

The Force loss means that the visiting team skid for WSB Americas teams now stands at six matches with no road team having earned a win away from home. The Memphis Force will look for revenge on Thursday, December 16 as the Matadors travel to Memphis for a rematch at the Desoto Civic Center in Southhaven, Miss.

The Matadors took a 2-0 lead as lightweight Eric Fowler (Houston, Texas) scored a third round TKO over Yahman Phelps (Cincinnati, Ohio), at 2:46, despite a gash on his forehead from an accidental headbutt in the first round and sustaining a cut above his left eye in the beginning of the third.

Middleweight Russell Lamour (Portland, Maine) continued the Matadors winning ways as he scored a unanimous decision over Chris Jones (Dallas, Texas), 48-47, 49-46, 48-47. Lamour opened a gash over Jones’ left eye early in the first round yet was unable to finish him. The Matador continued to pressure Jones throughout the five rounds en route to the unanimous decision.

“It feels good to pick up my second consecutive win,” Lamour said. “It puts me in perfect position for the rest of the season to help us advance to the semifinals.”

The L.A. Matadors were forced to withdraw light heavyweight Carlos Gongora (Tene Napo, Ecuador) due to him being below the minimum weight requirement. The Matadors forfeited the light heavyweight bout giving Anthony Mack (Plano, Texas) and the Memphis Force the victory in that division.

Heavyweight and Long Beach native David Imoesiri scored his first win of the season defeating Javonta Charles (Memphis, Tenn.) in a unanimous decision, 48-47.

The World Series of Boxing is a groundbreaking, international sports league with teams from three continents competing for five spots - bantamweight, lightweight, middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight, in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Boxing fans can catch WSB action on VERSUS throughout the season as the cable network will air all 24 regular-season matches for the WSB Americas to determine qualification for the finals of the World Series of Boxing. On Tuesday at 12 a.m. ET (or Monday at 9 p.m. PT), VERSUS will feature the LA Matadors and the Mexico City Guerreros from their match on November 28.

Article: WSB

Photo: David Imoesiri, LA Matadors (right) v Javonta Charles, Memphis Force

Photo Credit: Via WSB

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This past weekend saw the official launch of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) the boxing matches were spread out over three continents.

Close contests in the opening matches of the European Conference of the World Series of Boxing contrasted with shut-outs by the home teams in the American and Asian conferences this weekend as the first regular season of the World Series of Boxing started.

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Results

Milano Thunder 3 - Paris United 2

Mexico City Guerreros 5 - Memphis Force 0

Astana Arlans 5 - Incheon Red Wings 0

BeijingDragons 0 - Baku Fires 5

Istanbulls 2 - Kremlin Bears 3

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Milano Thunder & Paris United

Vs

Milano Thunder opened the action at their home venue, the Palasharp, on Friday evening, welcoming former Olympic champion Brahim Asloum’s team Paris United. The visitors were unfazed by Milan’s strong line-up, featuring two Olympians and one world champion among their national boxers alone, and made a strong start as John Joe Nevin dismissed Olympic bronze medallist Vincenzo Picardi on a unanimous decision in the bantamweight opener.

“He’s an Olympic bronze medallist and I knew I was the underdog,” Nevin said. “But I’ve got a great team looking after me at Paris United and I’ve been learning some things. It’s great to get a victory over five rounds.”

After an easy win for world champion Domenico Valentino at lightweight, Sergiy Derevyanchenko cemented the home team’s lead with a devastating performance that ended with a technical knock-out in the first round of the middleweight contest. From there the action continued apace, with Paris United’s Ludovic Groguhe edging ahead to win the evening’s closest bout at light heavyweight.

“I’ve always wanted to box pro. I think it’s my style of boxing,” said the 24 year old from Strasbourg. “I was really well prepared and my trainers have been doing a good job over the past few months. It’s great to be training as a team because we can help each other.”

Clemente Russo, 2007 World Champion and 2008 Olympic silver medallist, put in a workmanlike performance to beat Zied Jouini in the heavyweight duel and seal the 3-2

victory for the home side.

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Mexico City Guerreros & Memphis Force

Vs

Mexico City Guerreros powered ahead to a 5-0 shut-out on their opening home match, which Ivan Khodabakhsh, Chief Operating Officer for the WSB, who was in attendance, described as “an exciting start for WSB Americas”.

“The bouts were closer than the results showed and the fans got a great experience with this new, high-velocity style of boxing,” he continued. “So many people have worked tirelessly to launch the WSB and now that we’ve had two events, there’s a true sense of accomplishment. But much work remains in order for us to get where we want to be by season’s end.”

Long-time U.S. boxing analyst and former lightweight world champion Sean O’Grady had a front row seat to the WSB launch in Mexico City and claimed it a success: “I’ve been waiting 30 years for something like this to come along in this sport,” he proclaimed.

Led by head coach Francisco Bonilla, the Mexico City Guerreros featured a team comprised of four Mexican fighters, Brazilian Yamaguchi Florentino and a supportive mariachi band.

“In the beginning I was very nervous,” said Avila, who got the shutout started for the Guerreros. “It took me a moment to get through the emotions of the first couple rounds and adjust to this new style. All of this is very exciting with the music, format and all of our fans, but it’s a new experience. By the end, I felt strong.”

The Memphis Force had difficulty adjusting to the extreme altitude of Mexico City (7,350 feet) compared to Memphis which sits at 331 feet above sea level. Many of the Force boxers opened leads the first two rounds only to watch them disappear as the fights entered the latter rounds. Boxing for the Force were four U.S. fighters and Mongolian Olympian Munkh Erdene Uranchimeg.

“Guys had fights they could have won,” said Memphis Force head coach Anthony Bradley. “We learned a hard lesson tonight that this isn’t amateur boxing anymore and there’s a big difference in this type of style from what they are used to. They might have been good amateurs, but they now have to prove themselves in this new format. The altitude was a big factor but you can blame us for not doing the technical things to win the fights. We’ll be much better our next time out.”

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Astana Arlans & Incheon Red Wings

Vs

The weekend’s third match saw another shut-out, as the Astana Arlans exploited their home advantage to the full against the Incheon Red Wings with five clear wins on points. Astana’s heavyweight international boxers completed the strong home contingent, with Ghana’s Maxwell Amponsah continuing his success from last month’s WSB Exhibition Match and Hungary’s Istvan Bernath getting his first taste of this new style of boxing in the heavyweight bout.

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Beijing Dragons & Baku Fires

Vs

The Beijing Dragons got off to a shaky start on their first weekend, competing away to the Baku Fires at the Serhedchi Sport Complex in Baku. The team were unable to field the mandatory international boxer, having been unable to secure a re-entry visa to China for any of their international boxers three days before their opening bout - the deadline for team entries. To compound their problems, their light heavyweight Xuezhi Jiao came in a full 1.2 kilos under the minimum weight for the 80-85kg category.

This meant one walkover for Beijing after Magomed Abuldhamidov and Ramal Amanov had already taken the lead for the home team in the first two bouts. But in the end all three remaining bouts were adjudicated walkovers in favor of the Baku Fires after the Beijing boxers failed to enter the ring, handing the home team three points and putting them joint top of the Asia Conference with the Astana Arlans.

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Istanbulls & Kremlin Bears

Vs

The final match of the weekend pitched the Istanbulls away to Moscow’s Kremlin Bears at the Barvikha Luxury Village on the outskirts of Moscow. The Istanbulls handed 18-year-old Selcuk Eker the responsibility of opening the action in the bantamweight contest. Eker opened with a win but the home team responded with two technical knock-outs in the lightweight and light heavyweight bouts and a win on points for Aptil Ustarhanov in the middleweight contest to give the Bears a 3-1 lead going into the heavyweight finale. But the Istanbulls’ Sivko Oleksiy salvaged a valuable point for the visitors by beating the 2009 Youth World Championship silver medalist, Arbi Madaev.

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The first match week of the regular season will be completed on Tuesday evening at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, where the home team Miami Gallos welcome the Los Angeles Matadors.

World Series of Boxing

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World-class Boxers in the Mix for the First WSB Matches Worldwide

WSB Report: November 2010 - Switzerland, Lausanne.

The World Series of Boxing debuts this weekend with six matches being held across three continents. The Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder team has the honor of hosting the first-ever match this Friday evening against Paris United at the Palasharp on the outskirts of Milan. The Mexico City Guerreros will welcome Memphis Force hours later in the first match of the Americas conference. On Saturday, Moscow’s Kremlin bears host the Istanbulls at the Barvikha Luxury village and the first two matches in the Asia conference will take place, with the Astana Arlans taking on the Incheon Red Wings at home and the Beijing Dragons travelling to Azerbaijan to face the Baku Fires.

Milan has made a strong opening gambit, announcing a team that includes two Olympic medalists and a world champion - all of them Italian: Vincenzo Picardi (bantamweight), Domenico Valentino (lightweight) and Clemente Russo (heavyweight). Head coach Francesco Damiani has added two of his international contingent into the mix: Sergiy Derevyanchenko of the Ukraine and Nikolajs Grisunins of Latvia, who will be competing at middleweight (73kg) and light heavyweight (85kg) respectively.

Moscow’s Kremlin Bears take on the Istanbulls at the Barvikha Luxury Village on Saturday evening. The Moscow squad is the perfect WSB mix of experience and new talent, with heavyweight Arbi Madaev, silver medalist at the 2009 European Youth Championships and light heavyweight Zhavlonbek Usmanov, bronze medalist at the 2006 World Junior Championships 2006, joined by three young Russian boxers looking to make their international debut with the World Series of Boxing.

In the first WSB match in the Americas conference, the Mexico City Guerreros will welcome the Memphis Force to the World Trade Center for their first home match on Friday evening. Head coach Francisco Bonilla has chosen a young squad for the first encounter, but one in which the boxers nevertheless hold three medals from this year’s American Continental Championships between them. The second match in the Americas conference takes place next Tuesday, meaning that under WSB rules the Miami Gallos and Los Angeles Matadors have until Friday night to name their five-man selections for their encounter at the American Airlines Arena.

Ghana’s Maxwell Amponsah is destined for fame in Kazakhstan. After winning over the home crowd at the WSB Exhibition Match against the Istanbulls last month, the 24-year-old light heavyweight has been selected for the team’s first home match in the Asia Conference on Saturday against the Incheon Red Wings. While Amponsah is the only African competing in this weekend’s matches, Dongsik Seo is the only Korean in the Incheon side chosen for the opening match. Competing at bantamweight, he will be joined by an Uzbek, Bahodirjon Sultonov, at lightweight, two Moldovans, Victor Cotiujanschii and Mihael Muntean, at middleweight and heavyweight respectively, and Kiwi Reece Papuni, a quarter-finalist at this year’s Commonwealth Games in Delhi, at light heavyweight as the Incheon Red Wings pool their international talent.

The second match in the Asia conference sees the Beijing Dragons travel to Azerbaijan, where they will take on the Baku Fires at the Sarhadchi Olympic Center on Saturday evening. The home team’s line-up includes the Ukraine’s Denys Poyatsyka, bronze medalist at this year’s European Championships, as its mandatory international boxer, as well as two newly naturalized Azeri citizens. Middleweight Soltan Migitinov and heavyweight Magomedrasul Medzhidov have both competed for Russia, Medzhiov taking the gold medal at the 11th Umakhanov Memorial tournament in Makhachkala, Russia, last year.

The Beijing team is putting a firm emphasis on young talent, with the oldest member of its squad only 23 years old. Unfortunately, due to visa issues the team has been unable to field an international boxer and will therefore forfeit one bout under WSB rule 2.1.5, which requires at least one international boxer to compete for a team at each match.

WSB Article

Photo Credit: WSB

Photo: World Champion, Domenico Valentino

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