Uzbekistan shine and Qatar make history on an action-packed second day of the AIBA World Championships

The second day of the AIBA World Boxing Championships saw 44 bouts of top-quality boxing and a very special guest at Doha’s Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, with the winners in five categories going through to the last 16.

As the total number of match-ups over the opening two days of competition reached 83, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, President of the Association of National Olympic Committees, was welcomed to ringside by AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.

Uzbekistan shine and Qatar make history on an action-packed second day of the AIBA World Championships

Emphatic flyweight performances by Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Sattibayev and Venezuela’s Yoel Finol were superseded by a pair of crowd-pleasing knockouts midway through the first session of the day.

Egyptian Walid Said Mohamed’s had Eumir Marcial on the canvas in the very first round of their bout, and the Filipino welterweight couldn’t get back up before the referee’s ten-count. Morroccco’s super heavyweight Mohammed Arjaoui then scored a technical knockout in the third round of their super heavyweight bout.

One of the day’s big surprises came late on, as US national champion Steve Nelson was knocked out of the light heavyweight competition by Morrocco’s Hassan Saada, but the day belonged to Uzbekistan. The strong team secured three victories in total, including Elshod Rasulov’s amazing battle with Venezuela’s AMBC American Champion Albert Ramirez.

“I know it was only my first fight here in the championships, but I am happy to beat such a big rival as the Venezuelan. I’ve had some injuries in recent years but now I feel in top form. The atmosphere of the championships is excellent and I hope I can reach my goals in Doha,” said Rasulov after the bout.

Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Russia are the only countries to remain unbeaten after two days of competition, while hosts Qatar have now notched up two World Championship wins for the first time following Nuraydin’s victory over Bosnia’s Bosnjak.

Thursday sees the second preliminary round get underway, with all eyes on the big match-up between Cuba’s 2015 Panamerican Games winner Andy Cruz and Russia’s European Games gold medallist Bakhtovar Nazirov.

Global Boxing Elite In Awe Of ‘Spectacular’ Doha

258 boxers from 74 countries have arrived in Doha for the first-ever AIBA World Boxing Championships held in the Middle East for the very first time, and with competition officially starting on Tuesday 5th october, the best boxers on the planet are raring to go.

Several of the leading contenders for world titles got to see the state-of-the-art Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena in Al Sadd for the first time on Saturday, the venue in which they will compete for gold medals and the ultimate prize of qualification to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games between 5-15 October.

GLOBAL BOXING ELITE: Germany’s Hamza Touba (left), next to Artur Biyarslanov and his coach from Canada, Egypt’s Hussein Bakr Abdin Hosam with his father and coach, Mohammed Flissi and his coach from Algeria, super heavyweight favorite Joe Joyce from Great Britain next to his coach, Qatar’s Hzam Nabah and coach Juan Carlos Gonzalez, and Team US far right, with Nico Hernandez in the middle behind the flag.

Nico Hernandez (USA) and his teammates were impressed by the beautiful venue and training facilities. “I am here to fight and win. I am ready for my first fight on Tuesday. Everything has been done to provide optimal conditions for boxers to perform to the best of their ability”, says the bronze medalist at the American Confederation Boxing Championships in Vargas.

“We arrived 3 days ago and were amazed by the venue and the state of the art training facilities which will give us the perfect conditions to box”, says Hamza Touba (GER), 52kg who won the bronze medal at the European Games in Baku this. “I came here to win and to qualify to Rio”, adds the 23 years old boxer.

One of the highlights of Doha 2015 will be the bouts in the super heavyweight category. Joe Joyce, representing Team Great Britain, is chasing his country’s first gold medal since 2007 in Doha: “To walk in here and see the sheer scale of this arena is amazing. Everything here is top-notch, all shiny and spectacular. It’s going to be great to see this place packed with people, and I hope to put on a real show. Hopefully I’ll perform to my potential, and get to leave Qatar with a gold medal in the bag.”

Tickets are priced between QR10-50 and can be purchased online at http://www.virgintickets.qa and in Virgin Megastores in Villaggio Mall and Landmark Mall, as well as at the venue throughout the World Championships.

Seconds Out Before Doha 2015 As 260 Boxers Are Gearing Up For Gold

Today was announced the official list of confirmed boxers who will be competing in AIBA World Boxing Championships in Doha on 5-15 October 2015 following in the footsteps of legends Félix Savon and Zhou Shiming. Top boxers in ten weight categories from 73 countries will be contesting World Champions titles.

“This edition of the AIBA World Boxing Championships will be a key event in the run up to Rio 2016 Olympic Games as the top boxers from all five continents converge in Doha, Qatar, to compete in an astounding venue. For the 1st time, all boxers had to qualify to the World Championships ensuring that boxing fans will enjoy the most remarkable show the Elite of the boxing world has to offer“, said AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.

Kicking off on 5 October at the state-of-the-art Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, the World Boxing Championships represent ten days of boxing action with 260 boxers taking part in this historic event, including 94 boxers from Europe, 66 from Asia, 51 from Americas, 32 from Africa and 17 boxers from Oceania region. Beyond the iconic gold medal, boxers will also be competing for 23 Olympic quota places to Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The current medal table leader Cuba are coming to the World Championships with a ten-men-strong squad, while Russia will be looking for more medals with seven boxers representing their team. Amongst the headliners in Doha boxing fans will be able to witness reigning champions Lázaro Alvarez (60kg), Daniyar Yeleussinov (69kg), Zhanibek Alimkhanuly (75kg), Julio César la Cruz (81kg) and Mahammadrasul Majidov (91+kg).

Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiya Arena

“Doha is ready to welcome all of the boxers and officials to AIBA World Boxing Championships Doha 2015 and we are confident that the event will be held at the highest level. Local fans are looking forward to the event, which demonstrates the vitality of boxing in our region”, said Qatar Boxing Federation (QBF) President Yousuf Ali Al Kazim.

The first World Boxing Championships were held in Havana, Cuba in 1974 and a total number of 274 boxers from 45 countries entered the competition where 11 World Champions were crowned while Cuba and Soviet Union won eight medals respectively.

AIBA World Boxing Championships will be broadcast live in key markets on free-to-air channels, including BBC, Fox Africa and RAI Italy.

Doha 2015 World Boxing Championships Plans On Track – AIBA

The International Boxing Association Executive Committee meeting closed in Doha, Qatar today following a vast number of discussions and plans delivered throughout two days of working sessions.
AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu said: “I am very happy with the progress that we have been able to see in Doha in terms of the preparations to the AIBA World Boxing Championships. Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena is a state of the art venue and I am confident that we will witness an excellent event here”.

AIBA’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program ‘HeadsUp!’ was presented by the AIBA Executive Director, and it is due to be officially launched at the World Boxing Championships in Doha.

“Boxer’s health is a key priority for the International Boxing Association. The decision to remove headguards for all AIBA elite competitions was made following the vast number of studies on the boxers’ safety. However it is very important to continue educate our athletes and officials on the benefits of this rule change and this is why AIBA is going to launch ‘Heads Up!” campaign”, said AIBA Executive Director Mr Karim Bouzidi.

On the eve of the 90 Days To Go milestone to the AIBA World Boxing Champions Doha 2015, which will be marked on 11 July 2015, the progress report on its preparation was delivered by the Local Organising Committee during the Executive Committee meeting.

Qatar will be ready to deliver the AIBA World Boxing Championships on 8-18 October at Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena, Qatar Boxing Federation (QBF) President Mr Yusuf Ali Al Kadim informed the Executive Committee: “The Local Organizing Committee is working day and night in a remarkable team spirit among its staff members,” he said.

“This is reflected in the progress reports that we receive regularly and which indicate that we are on time as set in our plans.” he added.

The boxers will be able to qualify to AIBA World Boxing Championships Doha 2015 by competing in the following continental competitions – EUBC European Confederation Boxing Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria (August 7 – 15), AMBC American Confederation Boxing Championships in Vargas, Venezuela (August 17 – 22); OCBC Oceania Confederation Boxing Championships in Canberra, Australia (August 29 – September 1), ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships in Bangkok, Thailand (August 26 – September 5) and AFBC African Confederation Boxing Championships in Casablanca, Morocco (August 18 – 22).