LIGHT FLY 49 KG – SATURDAY, 6 JUNE AND SUNDAY, 7 JUNE
Location: Guyiang – Venue: Guiyang International Conference & Exhibition Cent
Carlos Quipo upsets Zhonglin Wu in Light Flyweight classic
Two nights of outstanding AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) light flyweight (49 kg) action took place this weekend in Guiyang, China, where Ecuador’s Carlos Quipo defeated China’s own Zhonglin Wu in the headline bout.
This was the second meeting of the two boxers in APB, and after the Chinese star won their first contest on points, Quipo earned victory in their rematch after making some excellent adjustments.
A frenetic pace was set over all eight rounds as each boxer controlled certain parts of the fight, but it was Quipo whose punches were more accurate, and he gained in confidence and swagger as the bout progressed.
Many light flyweight contests often involve a lot of movement, yet in this fight there was plenty of action in the middle of the ring, with the two boxers going toe-to-toe as they attempted to impress the judges.
Quipo’s left hooks often stopped Zhonglin from producing his own shots at the right time, and despite the adulation from his home crowd, the Chinese fighter could not produce his best work in Guiyang.
After eight rounds of extreme intensity Quipo’s hand was raised with his success sealed, and he will now meet current AIBA World Champion Birzhan Zhakypov in Cycle I Round 2 after he defeated Patrick Lourenco for the third time in APB.
Two more light flyweight matches took place on Sunday in China, beginning with Mongolia’s Ariunbold Ganselem who surprisingly defeated two-time European Champion David Ayrapetyan, while Leandro Blanc outpointed Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Fazil Juma Kaggwa.
Match schedule Saturday:
Patrick LOURENCO (BRA) vs Birzhan ZHAKYPOV (KAZ) W.P. (74:78/73:79/75:77)
WU (CHN) vs Carlos QUIPO (ECU) W.P. (78:74/74:78/76:76)
Match schedule Sunday:
Ariunbold GANSELEM (MGL) TKO R5 vs David AYRAPETYAN (RUS)
Leandro BLANC (ARG) W.P. (78:74/78:73/76:76) vs Fazil KAGGWA (UGA)
FLY 52 KG – SATURDAY, 6 JUNE
Location: Sofia – Venue: Sofia Hall
Fearless Flyweights Aleksandrov and Mohammadpour shine in Sofia
The first two flyweight (52 kg) AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) Cycle I Round 1 matches took place on Saturday night from Sofia, Bulgaria, headlined by local legend Aleksandar Aleksandrov winning an epic contest.
Bulgarian hero Aleksandrov reached the quarter-finals of the London 2012 Olympic Games, but his performance against Redouane Asloum will live long in the memory as they engaged in a classic bout.
Aleksandrov competed wearing camouflage shorts, and his style in Sofia had a military precision, with focused attacks and a tight defence his main weapons.
Asloum was composed in response despite fighting in hostile territory, with his combination punching was particularly impressive.
The momentum swung throughout each round, and after the completion of all eight frames, the judges awarded the victory to Aleksandrov as a result of his cleaner work.
He will now meet Sajad Mohammadpour in Cycle I Round 2, after the Iranian debutant sensationally defeated AIBA World Championships silver medalist Mohamed Flissi.
Mohammadpour’s punches startled Flissi on several occasions in their bout, and his relentless energy also confounded the decorated Algerian fighter.
Two further flyweight matches will take place on June 10 in Mexico City, Mexico.
Match schedule:
Mohammed FLISSI (ALG) vs Sajad MOHAMMADPOUR (IRI) W.P.
Alexandar ALEKSANDROV (BUL) vs Redouane ASLOUM (FRA)
BANTAM 56 KG – SATURDAY, 6 JUNE AND SUNDAY, 7 JUNE
Location: Guyiang – Venue: Guiyang International Conference & Exhibition Cent
Melian and Njangiru both earn important Bantamweight victories in Guiyang
China’s Guiyang International Conference & Exhibition Centre was the venue for the AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) bantamweight (56 kg) Cycle I Round 1 matches this weekend, with four excellent contests impressing the watching fans around the world.
The home fans in attendance were left disappointed after the main event however, as Chinese star and two-time Asian Games silver medalist Jiawei Zhang lost to Kenya’s Benson Gicharu Njangiru via a second round technical decision.
Njangiru will now meet Alberto Melian in Cycle I Round 2 after the Argentine boxer defeated reigning AIBA World Champion Javid Chalabiyev in Guiyang.
Although Chalabiyev won the first round of their contest, Melian recovered well and began to impress from the second frame onwards.
When on form, Melian is one of the best boxers to watch in APB as he has a very exciting style which is also incredibly disciplined, and his sharp jabs and solid movement caused constant chaos for Chalabiyev who was unable to utilise his own tactics in the match.
The decorate Azeri athlete did claim some success in the latter stages of the bout, but the rounds that Melian had already accumulated proved to be too much, and the South American star claimed the victory on two scorecards, with the third judge considering the contest a draw.
Two other bantamweight bouts took place this weekend, as Germany’s Hakan Erseker defeated Venezuela’s Yoni Blanco, while Sangmyeong Ham outclassed Finland’s Matti Koota.
Match schedule Saturday:
Yoni BLANCO (ECU) vs Hakan ERSEKER (GER) W.O.
Sangmyeong HAM (KOR) TKO R.7 vs Matti KOOTA (FIN)
Match schedule Sunday:
Alberto MELIAN (ARG)W.P. (77:75/76:76/75:77) vs Javid CHALABIYEV (AZE)
Jiawei ZHANG (CHN) vs Benson NJANGIRU (KEN) T.D. R2
LIGHT HEAVY 81 KG – SATURDAY, 6 JUNE
Location: Sofia – Venue: Sofia Hall
Spas Genov produces his Bulgarian best after success in Sofia
Two world class AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) light heavyweight (81 kg) contests took place on Saturday in Sofia, Bulgaria as the weight class began its round of Cycle I Round 1 matches.
In the main event of the evening, Bulgaria’s own Spas Genov enjoyed a decisive points victory over 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medalist Kennedy St Pierre after an excellent performance.
Genov stopped six of his seven opponents during his stint in professional boxing, but his style has improved even further in APB as he now displays a wonderful full range of boxing ability to go along with his much vaunted power.
The Bulgarian star was cheered like a conquering hero when he made his way to the ring, and the adulation continued throughout the bout as he constantly pressured St Pierre with sharp shots and frequent combinations.
St Pierre is a rugged and tough competitor, but with the exception of impressing in rounds four and five, the Mauritian star could not find a successful way into the fight.
Genov stepped up the compression in the latter rounds of the fight, with his energy and stamina another decisive attribute.
After the completion of all eight rounds, Genov was named the winner by unanimous decision, and he will now meet Mathieu Bauderlique in Cycle I Round 2 after the French boxer surprisingly stopped Ireland’s Joseph Ward in Sofia.
It was a remarkable result as Ward looked comfortable and dominant in the first two rounds, with his jab working especially well.
Everything changed in round three however when Bauderlique began to find his best form, and a ferocious barrage of punches forced the referee to stop the contest in the next frame because a dazed Ward was unable to fight back.
Two more light heavyweight matches will take place in a fortnight in Guiyang China.
Match schedule:
Mathieu BAUDERLIQUE (FRA) TKO R4 vs Joseph WARD (IRL)
Kennedy ST PIERRE (MRI) vs Spas GENOV (BUL) W.P. (79:73/79:72/78:74)
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