World Series Of Boxing, Italy and Russo hit the canvas

Azerbaijan 5-0 Italy

The World Series of Boxing (WSB) “Bad Boys”, the Azerbaijan Baku Fires threw down the gauntlet to the other teams in this first Season IV quarter-final match-up.

In an emphatic statement of intent, the Fires systematically picked the Season II Champions, the Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder apart, leaving them in need of a miracle to salvage their season. As it stands, the Fires will progress to the semi-finals unless the Thunder can win all five remaining bouts in the return leg, and even then they will have to win an additional tiebreaker. Italia fans fear that it will be almost impossible.

The Light Flyweights (46-49kg), Bantamweights (56kg), Light Welterweights (64kg), Middleweights (75kg) and Heavyweights (91kg) contested this match.

Bout of the match
Azeri Bantamweight Magomed Gurbanov found himself in all kinds of trouble early on in round one against Khedafi Djelkhir of France who was boxing for the Italia Thunder. The Fires man found himself on his back after a colossal shot early in round one and for a while it looked like we would be on the verge of witnessing a major upset. As the bout moved on however, the Azeri got himself back into contention and the Frenchman landed less frequently, whilst Gurbanov was able to put together some very fluid combinations. He hung in there to turn the bout around, and for sheer tenacity he deserves to be the Boxer of the match. But unfortunately he was piped to the post at the last moment and that accolade is reserved for…

Boxer of the match
… Abdulkadir Abdullayev, for his stunning first round knockout of World Heavyweight Champion Clemente Russo of the Italia Thunder. The Azeri dropped the great Italian at 2:36 of the very first round with an immense left hook to the body. This marked the first time in his 22 fight history in the WSB that Russo has been knocked out, meaning the London 2012 silver medallist now sees his record slip to 19-3. Abdullayev meanwhile takes his record to 9-2 and proves he is one of the WSB’s top Heavyweights. Moreover, having won five of those nine wins by TKO or KO, and averaging at least one such stoppage a season for over the last 4 years in the WSB, he must now be considered a fearsome boxer indeed. What is truly exciting is that the Fires boxer is still only 25 years old. What a prospect that makes him!

The turning point
Middleweights Khaybula Musalov and Bogdan Juratoni both looked good in the ring at Middleweight. The Azeri made it almost impossible for the Italian to off-load his punches in the first three rounds, but came off the gas in round four after comprehensively dominating the opening phases. Juratoni was unable to capitalise sufficiently though on this slow down and it was Musalov who walked out with the win.

Fact/Stat of the match
The Italia Thunder have the best home record in the WSB history, having now won over 100 bouts at home, and never having lost a match. To turn this quarter-final around in the second leg, they will need to draw on that record and produce a perfect performance, including winning a tiebreaker bout.

Wrap up
Mark Barriga of the Italia Thunder was unfortunate to see his night end as early as round two because of a cut stoppage caused by a big right hand from Khamza Nametov of the Baku Fires. The result was a good one for the Azeri, as Barriga had been seen as the Light Flyweight discovery of the season. Nametov, who now goes 3-1, with his only loss to Yasnier Toledo of Cuba, now stamps his own claim on that particular title.

Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev looked confident against Renato De Donato and secured a comfortable looking victory to take him to 4-1 in the WSB. The Azeri of course came to prominence after beating the Cuban Yasnier Toledo in Week 5. After slipping up in Week 9, this now gets him back on track. It will be interesting to see how his career develops from here.

Coming up next
The return leg will be a seriously difficult up-hill struggle for Italy on April 5 at the Casino Campione of Campione d’Italia.

Catch up!
Don’t miss out on anything with our new service AIBAboxingTV.com! Highlights are provided with commentary shortly after each match so that you can keep up with the season as it unfolds.

WSB Playoffs Time… The real business starts now!

After an enthralling Regular Season containing more ups and downs than the global financial markets since 2008, we have finally arrived at the Season IV Playoffs.

The world’s top eight teams, six of whom will be facing off this weekend, have worked hard for their places during one of the most tightly contested Regular Seasons in World Series of Boxing (WSB) history.

Azerbaijan Baku Fires vs. Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder
29/03/2014, 15:00 (GMT), Watch live or on demand on AIBAboxingTV.com

The Azerbaijan Baku Fires have been a sensation this season. Their performances have been first rate as they clocked up a notable win against the defending champions, the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan and took a point from the Cubans in Baku. If the Fires home record is exceptional, then the Italian’s has been record breaking. Thus it is critical that “Bad Boys” from Azerbaijan make the most of this opening home leg.

The Italia Thunder will start the evening with this season’s most sensational new Light Flyweight (46-49kg), the Philippines Mark Barriga, who has gone 3-0 in the WSB to claim the number two rank for the category this season. His opponent Khamza Nametov meanwhile, despite losing to number one seed and World bronze medallist Yosbany Veitia, has otherwise been unbeaten in his other two WSB bouts this season. The 21 year old is an exciting prospect and this could be a benchmark bout for the intensity of the match that is to follow. Light Welterweight (64kg) Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev of the Fires scored a major victory when he beat Cuba’s Yasnier Toledo in Week 5. Yet he then slipped up against Russia’s Maxim Dadashev in his subsequent outing. The Azerbaijan management will want to see a return for form from him against the struggling Renato De Donato.

The biggest bout of the match (in more ways than one) will be between the Heavyweights (91kg) Clemente Russo of the Thunder and Abdulkadir Abdullayev of the Fires. Indeed the word Heavyweights could also be used in more way than one here as both boxers are amongst the most experienced fighters in the WSB. Abdullayev has boxed for the Azeri team for all four seasons, clocking up eight wins in his ten bouts. He has yet to defeat one of the top draw WSB boxers however, slipping up against Filip Hrgovic and new sensation Vasilii Levit for example. He will therefore have his hands full in the current World Champion Clemente Russo from Italy. Russo’s record now stands at 19-2, but one of those losses came this season. Russo is a man whose boxing is based on total self-confidence, but has he been affected by this season’s slip up? Only time will tell.

Team Germany vs. Astana Arlans Kazakhstan
29/03/2014, 17:00 (GMT), Watch live or on demand on AIBAboxingTV.com

The German Franchise has been a solid and consistent piece of boxing machinery this season, but now they face the defending champions in what must be their toughest task so far this year. The Arlans themselves have been less dominant than in their last campaign. Yet we are now at the business end of the season; the new boys in the team have been tested, the prospects have been blooded and now it is time for the A-list boxers to take the reins.

Thus The WSB’s most successful ever boxer Sergiy Derevyanchenko will once again grace the canvas for his adopted homeland of Kazakhstan at Middleweight (75kg). His unsurpassed 21-1 record which includes wins over a Who’s Who of the WSB Middleweight category will be put on the line against a confident 21 year old in Denis Radovan. For his age, the German has plenty of experience with a record of 3-1 and is so far unbeaten this season. On paper, this is not enough to ruffle Derevyanchenko’s feathers though. But boxing is a sport that can be full of surprises. At an individual level, this is a no-lose situation for the young German. Whatever happens he will gain tremendous experience in this one… And if he causes an upset? Well that would be big news.

Ireland’s Michael Conlan and Germany’s own Artem Harutyunyan will take to the canvas at Bantamweight (56kg) and Light Welterweight respectively. Both are impressive emerging boxers in the WSB circuit. Conlan will make his first appearance in the competition since a spell in the United States last season. His opponent, Meirbolat Toitov of the Arlans, has been a solid performer since he made his first outing at the end of last year’s Regular Season and has clocked up a 4-1 record, which should make this a very close bout indeed.

Finally as we have noted from the moment of his astonishing debut… Watch out for the Arlans’ new Heavyweight Vasilii Levit! He has moved to number two in the rankings after racking up a 4-0 record so far in his first ever season. His athleticism and footwork continue to surprise us and at just 26, he has plenty of time as a heavyweight to improve further. His opponent, Germany’s Artur Mann (1-1), will have to deal with an absolute monster on Saturday.

Russian Boxing Team vs. Ukraine Otamans
31/03/2014, 16:30 (GMT), Watch live or on demand on AIBAboxingTV.com

No need to explain why this match is a little special. In the build-up to the event, the staff of both Franchises earned considerable kudos and respect for their highly professional conduct in what are clearly very difficult circumstances.

Nonetheless, some of the world’s top boxers will be doing battle in the ring in what will certainly be an incredible evening of boxing and sportsmanship. World silver medallist Vladimir Nikitin of Russia and Mykola Butsenko of the Otamans are an obvious couple to pick out for a potentially excellent bout. Butsenko has a mixed record of 4-2 across two seasons but has knockout power as he proved in Week 2 this year. He is a great front foot boxer but hasn’t yet faced anyone of the calibre of Nikitin. The Russian must have one of the hardest right hands in the Bantamweight category and has clocked up a 5-2 record across two seasons of WSB. Interestingly he hasn’t lost in the WSB since May 2012 as he sat the 2013 campaign out, before returning, unbeaten this year. The pair is ranked 6th (Nikitin) and 7th so this one could be close.

The Ukrainians possess a paper advantage at Light Welterweight and Middleweight with Denys Berinchyk and Dmytro Mytrofanov facing comparatively inexperienced opponents in the WSB. As a world bronze medallist however, Artem Chebotarev could give Mytrofanov a serious run for his money, especially when boxing at home. Thus the performance of Denys Berinchyk and Heavyweight Otamans boxer Siarhei Karneyeu could prove to be tactically pivotal factor in this match, with the other bouts extremely close on paper.

Who will win the clash of the year so far? Find out on bit.ly/AIBABoxingTV

Worlds Collide in the WSB quarter-finals

With the World Series of Boxing (WSB) Season IV quarter-finals just around the corner, we have some exciting matches coming up with some amazing bouts potentially on the cards.

Four teams stamped their authority on Group A and four more scrambled through the toughest group in WSB history in Group B, known as the “Group of Death” by the media. Now we take a look at some of the possible line-ups in this preview.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan vs. Team Germany
The defending Champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan have had a solid Regular Season. Master tactician, coach Sergiy Korchynsky has used the time to introduce exciting new talent into the ranks of the team. The Alpha Wolves finished second in Group B, right behind the Cuba Domadores, yet Korchynsky’s skilful use of squad rotation means that the Arlans are still fairly fresh coming into the Playoffs.

Germany meanwhile have been a very effective and consistent team this year. They have introduced a lot of younger boxers, but they also have a solid first team, who we can expect to see deployed in this encounter.

Dream encounters:
Fans will be excited by the possibility of seeing current World Heavyweight (91kg) bronze medallist Erik Pfeifer from Team Germany, who is unbeaten in the WSB (5-0), against Filip Hrgovic of Croatia. The Arlans boxer has four seasons of experience and a record of 18-3 in the WSB and was the 2012 WSB Individual Champion.

At Light Heavyweight (81kg), the Arlans’ second Croatian team member Hrvoje Sep (14-6) and Germany’s Serge Michel (4-3) would be an interesting prospect. The pair has fought before, with the bout finishing in the Arlans’ fighter’s favour. The German’s form has improved markedly however and he is unbeaten this season. At 25 years old, he seems to be coming into his own and won his last bout against talented Indian boxer Sumit Sangwan by a TKO. Whether this is enough to beat Sep’s four seasons of experience is the question everyone is asking.

Cuba Domadores vs. USA Knockouts
The Cuba Domadores who have only suffered one defeat so far this season will be taking on a resurgent USA Knockouts team which is packed full of young talent. It is well known that the Cuban’s line-up includes multiple World and Olympic champions but the USA talent scouts had a very productive off season and brought in a number of outstanding prospects, particularly from Latin America, who are just bursting with potential. The question is whether they are ready to take on the might of the WSB’s most dominant boxing team?

“This is going to be a historic match between our two countries. This will be the first time since at least 1962, that Cuba and the USA will be meeting head to head like this. It’s extremely exciting. We have worked hard in the last 12 months to identify and recruit some of the brightest young boxing stars. We have one eye on the future with this team and this will be an excellent opportunity for them to take on the best boxers out there. They are all excited by the prospect and I think we may see some performances that will surprise a few people”, said the USA Knockouts management.
B

“Like in past decades, there’s a lot of expectation because of how skilled the two teams are and the animosity that has existed between them over time. We took part in those bilateral matches for years and never lost. The United States only managed to tie us once. The matches were regular and awoke much interest in the public back then. Today, many people are saying the USA has no skilled Olympic-style boxers, but I believe it’s a mistake to think that. They do have talented boxers and a long history in the sport. Even though their pugilists have tended to move towards pro boxing, they have more than enough talent to give us a good fight”, stated Alcides Sagarra, Cuban boxing trainer in the Havana Times.

Dream encounters:
Nineteen year old Knockouts boxer Carlos Adames has been sensational in his debut season in the WSB. Winning three out of his four bouts, he has taken on and beaten established WSB veterans such as Algeria’s Abdelkader Chadi and Italia Thunder’s Branimir Stankovic, to find himself ranked number four at Light Welterweight (64kg). Is the Dominican ready for a shot against two-time (and current) World silver medallist and London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Yasniel Toledo? The fans think so.

Number three ranked Welterweight (69kg) Gabriel Maestre was in stunning form at last year’s World Championships and has exploded into the WSB in his debut season. A potential line-up against either number one ranked Arisnoidys Despaigne, the current World silver medallist, or Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo, the London 2012 Olympic Champion, is a mouth-watering prospect.

Russian Boxing Team vs. Ukraine Otamans
A huge clash between two of Europe’s boxing super-powers was set up after the Russians managed to inflict defeat on the Cubans in the last match of the Regular Season. The Russians have been solid performers this season in the “Group of Death” whilst the Otamans, as Season III runners-up, have dominated Group A, with only the Italia Thunder able to keep pace with them. This should be an interesting clash.

Dream encounters:
Twenty-two year old Bantamweight (56kg) Mykola Butsenko (4-2) has been in impressive form for the Otamans over the last two WSB seasons and has brought his record to 4-2 including a Knockout over Germany’s Edgar Walth in Week 2 of the Regular Season. Russia’s World silver medallist Vladimir Nikitin (5-2) meanwhile is going to be a handful for him. This match would see the number 7 (Butsenko) facing the number 6 (Nikitin) and two boxers with similar records and a comparable level of experience taking each other on in an epic clash.

Light Heavyweights (81kg) Nikita Ivanov of Russia and Oleksandr Gvozdyk of the Otamans would be another amazing encounter. The Ukrainian is unbeaten at 9-0 in the WSB and bagged the bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Ivanov meanwhile impressed at last year’s World Championships and defeated current World Champion Julio La Cruz in his WSB debut, which was quite a statement.

Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder vs. Azerbaijan Baku Fires
The Season II winners Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder have recruited heavily this season and probably now possess the most talented squad in depth in the WSB after Cuba. It is certainly the most international team with boxers from Brazil, Wales and even the Philippines filling the ranks. Their opponents, the WSB “Bad Boys” are relying on domestic talent predominantly but have been extremely impressive in the “Group of Death” this year.

Dream encounters:
World Heavyweight Champion and double Olympic silver medallist Clemente Russo of Italy has taken his WSB record to 18-2, but an early season slip up proved that he is not invincible. Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdullayev has gone to 8-2 in the WSB and potentially has the talent to cause an upset against the flamboyant Italian if he can out-muscle him and turn the bout into a scrap, which would destroy Russo’s preference to box safely.

The Thunder are blessed with two amazing Super Heavyweights in Britain’s Joe Joyce and Romania’s Mihai Nistor, either of whom would be an amazing match-up with Magomedrasul Medzhidov, the current World Champion and London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist who is 8-2 in the WSB and has only lost to Russo and Olympic Champion Oleksandr Usyk, formerly of the Ukraine Otamans. Both the Thunder’s stars have the disruptive capacity to challenge Medzhidov as they proved on separate occasions by pushing hard against Usyk last season.

Cuba vs USA in WSB quarter-finals

The World Series of Boxing (WSB) has announced an exciting line-up for the Season IV quarter-finals after ten outstanding weeks of boxing in the Regular Season.

Although there are still two matches to be contested on March 12th which may affect which teams will face each other, but their results will not impact upon which teams have made it through to the Playoffs.

We do know however that the biggest match announced will be the USA Knockouts against the Cuba Domadores which will take place on Friday March 28th (1st Leg) in Miami and Friday 4th April (2nd Leg) in Havana. The excitement around that match has already begun to rise with ESPN Deportes and Radio Habana Cuba already running features on it. The historic nature of the match, which will feature current World and Olympic Champions, is likely to generate ever more interest among boxing fans the world-over as the event draws ever nearer.

Quarter-finalists profiles
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan (will face Team Germany)
The defending Champions, the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan won Season III in imperious fashion but were pushed very close in the Finals by the Ukraine Otamans. Having won seven of their ten matches in the Regular Season, amassing 22 points in the process, the “Alpha Wolves” look like a dangerous prospect again this year. The unveiling of their latest addition to the team, World Champion and AIBA Best Boxer 2013 Daniyar Yeleussinov, in the final week of the Regular Season, has only strengthened their hand.

Team Germany (will face the Astana Arlans Kazakshtan)
Consistent, solid and a handful for anyone, the German team has been in top form this season. With 12 points from 9 matches, and with a match in hand against Ukraine, the Eagles have a strong line-up across all 10 WSB weight categories. Star Boxer Erik Pfeifer remains unbeaten at Super Heavyweight (91+kg) and the World bronze medallist will comfortable leading this team out against anyone put in front of him.

Russian Boxing Team (will face the Ukraine Otamans or Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder)
Pre-season, much to the surprise of many, most of the coaches at the Official Draw were not discussing the arrival of the highly talented Cubans, but talking in hushed tones about the risk faced by the emergence of a new refurbished and lethal looking Russian Boxing Team. Their concerns have proven to be justified. Even when the Russians allowed their fringe boxers to compete this year, they looked dangerous. They are cold and ruthless in the ring and with their take-no-prisoners style of fighting, they will represent an unpleasant night in the office for whoever is destined to face them.

Ukraine Otamans (will face the Azerbaijan Baku Fires or Russian Boxing Team)
Last Season’s runners-up pushed the eventual Champions Astana Arlans Kazakhstan to the closest ever Finals the WSB has seen. The match went right down to the wire, with it requiring nothing short of a tiebreaker bout to decide the evening. Despite all the turbulence the athletes have faced on the home-front in recent months, they have remained as clinical as ever between the ropes. This just underlines exactly how professional and focused these guys are in their approach to their ring-craft. They are just as capable as anyone else of going all the way this year.

Azerbaijan Baku Fires (will face the Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder or Ukraine Otamans)
The Azeri’s boldly stated in the pre-season that they wanted to fight the top teams in the Regular Season and insisted that they would still be good enough to go to the Playoffs. Their prediction seems to have been spot on. The WSB “Bad Boys” have earned a reputation for being willing to stand and fight anyone. They are fearless, talented (and as one of the teams to have competed in all four WSB seasons to date), experienced. This is a dangerous combination for whoever comes out against them.

Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder (will face the Azerbaijan Baku Fires of Russian Boxing Team)
If the Germans are almost stereotypically “consistent”, then the Italians are most definitely “stylish”. Featuring one of the most exciting international line-ups, the Season II winners have almost inevitably made it into the Playoffs again. With talent in their ranks from the UK, France and even as far away as the Philippines, the Group A leaders have the resources to draw upon to compete against anyone in the world. With all eyes on Kazakhstan and Cuba, it could be the Italians who surprise this season.

Cuba Domadores (will face the USA Knockouts)
Exploding into the WSB this year, the Cuba Domadores have been a boxing sensation. With a line-up comprising of multiple World and Olympic medallists, the Cubans look to be a class above the rest. Winning 39 of their 45 bouts so far, the Cubans were statistically the most successful team and they still have a match in hand. Their historic match against the USA Knockouts in the quarter-finals will have boxing fans bursting with excitement.

USA Knockouts (will face the Cuba Domadores)
The USA talent scouts were obviously hard at work in the Pre-season last year. That is the only thing that can explain the stunning emergence of such a group of young boxers and untapped talent. The US coaches, seem to have specialised in bringing in highly talented boxers who have somehow flown under the radar of other teams. World bronze medallist Gabriel Maestre is a prime example at Welterweight (69kg). The Venezuelan has shot up the WSB rankings in his debut season and is now the number three ranked boxer in the category. Can the talented young team raise their game further to defeat the unbeaten Domadores? Only time will tell.