The 2017 Trampoline Gymnastics World Championships and 2018 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships will be held in Sofia (BUL). The International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) Executive Committee attributed these two major competitions in the 2017-2020 Olympic cycle to the Bulgarian Gymnastics Federation at its trimestral meeting this week in Lausanne.
Bulgaria’s capital city already has solid experience in organising important Gymnastics competitions. Most recently, it welcomed the 2013 Trampoline Worlds at the Arena Armeec, the same venue that will host gymnasts in 2017 and 2018. Sofia will be a familiar destination for many Rhythmic competitors, having been a stop on the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup circuit since 2011.
“Bulgaria has a long and historic Gymnastics tradition, especially in Rhythmic Gymnastics, and it is a pleasure to see that the federation continues to take the initiative in organising World Championship competitions,” said Bruno Grandi, President of the FIG. “With these two World Championships, Sofia really puts itself on the Gymnastics map for the next Olympic cycle.”
Mark Allen won his first title in 15 months by beating Ryan Day 4-0 in the final of the Victoria Bulgaria Open in Sofia.
World number ten Allen dominated the final in the Bulgarian capital to take the 25,000 Euro top prize at the season’s fourth Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour event. The 29-year-old from Antrim won his first title since last year’s Paul Hunter Classic.
Allen also earns a place at the 188BET Champion of Champions, which starts in Coventry on Tuesday, and will face Barry Hawkins on the first round on Friday.
Two-time ranking event winner Allen had a disappointing 2014/15 season but has since been reunited with coach and mentor Terry Griffiths and showed signs of a return to form in reaching the semi-finals of the Shanghai Masters and quarter-finals of the International Championship. And he has now added to his silverware collection having won seven matches in Sofia.
Breaks of 65 and 76 put him 2-0 up on Welshman Day and he made a 56 in the next before securing it on the final pink. Day, who was trying to win a title carrying ranking points for the first time in his career, had chances in frame four but couldn’t take advantage and Allen cleared from yellow to pink to secure the trophy.
“I’m very happy to get another tournament win under my belt,” said the Northern Irishman. “To win 4-0 in the final is a good way to do it and shows my game is in good shape. I haven’t been too happy with my performances this season even though I’ve been winning matches, but now I’m getting closer to where I want to be.
“To get a place in the Champion of Champions is a massive bonus and I’ll be going into next week with a lot of confidence having won here.”
The Kreativ Dental Clinic European Tour is a series of six events across the continent, with the top 24 on the final Order of Merit to qualify for the Players Championship. The next event is the Gibraltar Open from December 9-13.
Last 16
Sam Baird 4-3 Jimmy Robertson
Judd Trump 4-2 Fergal O’Brien
Mark Selby 4-2 Dominic Dale
Ryan Day 4-3 Mark Joyce Mark Allen 4-0 Michael Holt
Mike Dunn 4-0 Daniel Wells
Mark Williams 4-0 John Higgins
Shaun Murphy 4-1 Stuart Carrington
Quarter-finals
Baird 4-1 Trump
Day 4-0 Selby Allen 4-3 Dunn
Williams 4-3 Murphy
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
Charly SUAREZ (PHI) vs Magomedrashid DZHABRAILOV (RUS),
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
Hurshid TOJIBAEV (UZB) vs David JOYCE (IRL),
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
Artur BRIL (GER) vs Domenico VALENTINO (ITA)
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)
After the initial Pre-Ranking Competitions, the historical first Cycle of AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) Matches will begin today, May 30, starting from holding its 60kg matches in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
The launch of APB Cycle I Round 1 will be a key moment for the sport of boxing bringing together the world’s top 90 boxers from all four corners of the world to compete in 10 weight categories which represents the pinnacle program at all levels of the sport of boxing.
“The launch of the APB Cycle I is a thrilling moment for the world boxing movement and the whole of sports worldwide. We are creating a truly global revolution in boxing and are providing to the world’s best boxers stable and transparent professional careers. This is a historical moment in many aspects as Cycle is the beginning of great boxing showcases with the skill and power of AIBA boxers with professional competition styles for the first time ever in global boxing realm”, said the AIBA President Dr Ching Kuo-Wu.
APB Cycle I Matches will consist of Round 1, Round 2 (Olympic Qualification Round) and World Title Matches. All matches represent 8 rounds of competitions which will take place until mid-September.
APB Cycle I Matches will be available live on APB YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/AIBAproboxingTV) as well as on local TV channels in some territories, such as Arryadia TV (Morocco), Guizhou TV, CCTV5 (China), Deejay TV (Italy) and MTRK TV (Uzbekistan).
Detail Locations and Match Ups
Round 1 of Cycle I will consist of 40 matches in 10 weight categories. Across two nights on June 6-7, Guyiang in China will host four matches in the Light Flyweight (49 kg) division such as Wu Zhonglin (CHI) vs Carlos Quipo (ECU), Birzhan Zhakypov (KAZ) vs Patrick Lourenco (BRA), Leandro Blanc (ARG) vs Fazil Kaggwa (UGA) and David Ayrapetyan (RUS) vs Ariunbold Ganselem (MGL).
The Flyweight (52 kg) division will meet on June 6 in Sofia, Bulgaria and on June 10 in Mexico City, Mexico with matches involving Elias Emigdio (MEX) vs Fernando Martínez (ARG), Jasurbek Latipov (UZB) vs Ilyas Suleimenov (KAZ), Mohamed Flissi (ALG) vs Sajad Mohammadpour (IRI) and Redouane Asloum (FRA) vs Aleksandar Aleksandrov (BUL).
Guyiang, China will also host four world class Bantamweight (56 kg) contests with Alberto Melian (ARG) vs reigning AIBA World Champion Javid Chalabiyev (AZE), Benson Njangiru (KEN) vs Jiawei Zhang (CHN), Sangmyeong Ham (KOR) vs Matti Koota (FIN) and Hakan Erseker (GER) vs Yoni Blanco (VEN) on June 6 and 7.
APB “Inaugural Title Match” Welter (69 kg) Weight In (Baku)
On May 30, the Lightweight (60 kg) division will meet in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with four matches including Hurshid Tojibaev (UZE) vs David Joyce (IRL), Dmitry Polyanskiy (RUS) vs Robson Conceição (BRA), Charly Suarez (PHI) vs Magomedrashid Dzhabrailov (RUS) and Domenico Valentino (ITA) vs Artur Bril (GER).
Guyiang, China and Mexico City, Mexico will be the distinguished locations for the Light Welterweight (64 kg) boxers on June 10 and June 20 respectively, where four major bouts will take place across two continents headlined by Artem Harutyunyan (GER) vs Evaldas Petrauskas (LTU). There will also be additional bouts between Carlos Aquino (ARG) vs Abdelkader Chadi (ALG), Juan Romero (MEX) vs Chabane Fehim (FRA) and Vyacheslav Kyslytsyn (UKR) vs Livan Navarro (CUB).
On June 19, Russia will welcome the Welterweight (69 kg) division to Moscow, with Rayton Okwiri (KEN) vs Gyula Kate (HUN), Eimantas Stanionis (LTU) vs Andrey Zamkovoy (RUS), Arajik Marutjan (GER) vs Amin Ghasemi Pour (IRI), and Ariosdeny Despaigne (CUB) vs veteran Dimitrios Tsagkrakos (GRE).
The Middleweights (75 kg) will meet on July 17 in Saratov, Russia, highlighted by Russia’s Artem Chebotarev vs Bogdan Juratoni (ROU), with three more matches involving Michel Tavares (FRA) vs Dmytro Mytrofanov (UKR), Hosam Abdin (EGY) vs Xhek Paskali (GER) and Nickson Abaka (KEN) vs Marlo Delgado (ECU).
Two venues in Sofia, Bulgaria and Guyiang, China will welcome four Light Heavyweight (81 kg) matches on June 6 and June 20 respectively, which will feature Commonwealth Games silver medalist Kennedy St Pierre (MRI) vs Spas Genov (BUL), Joseph Ward (IRL) vs Mathieu Bauderlique (FRA), 2013 European Champion Nikita Ivanov (RUS) vs Abdelhafid Benchabla (ALG), and Serge Michel (GER) vs Oybek Mamazulunov (UZB).
On June 5, the Heavyweight (91 kg) boxers will meet in Milan, Italy, headlined by two-time AIBA World Champion Clemente Russo (ITA) vs Roman Golovashchenko (UKR). Also competing will be Chouaib Bouloudinats (ALG) vs Anton Pinchuk (KAZ), Yamil Peralta (ARG) vs David Graf (GER) and Tervel Pulev (BUL) vs Marko Calic (CRO).
The Super Heavyweights (91+ kg) will battle for supremacy in Marrakech, Morocco on the same day, with Mohammed Arjaoui (MAR) vs Magomedrasul Medzhidov (AZE), Magomed Omarov (RUS) vs Mihai Nistor (ROU), Tony Yoka (FRA) vs Ali Eren Demirezen (TUR) and debutant Frank Sanchez (CUB) vs Ali Kiydin (GER).
Following the first three AIBA Pro Boxing Inaugural Title Events on 23 and 24 January, the next five title matches will take place on 30 and 31 January 2015 in Caserta, Novosibirsk, Sofia and Almaty, according to the match schedule below.
APB “Inaugural Title Match” Super Heavy (91+ Kg) Match (Baku)
HEAVY 91 KG – FRIDAY, 30 JANUARY (21:00 GMT+1)
Location: Catania – Venue: PalaCatania
Italian icon Clemente Russo will fight against Russia’s undefeated Aleksei Egorov for the APB Inaugural Title. Two-time AIBA World Championships gold medallist, and two-time Olympic Games silver medallist Russo has been one of the greatest fighters on the planet over the past ten years, but the number one seeded Heavyweight comes into this title match with a previous loss against the man he is facing.
After winning his opening week match by knocking out Ukraine’s Roman Golovashchenko, Russo lost his week two bout against Egorov, with two judges scoring the fight for the Russian, with the third seeing it as a draw. Russo bounced back in week three, and successfully qualified for the title match as he won a clear points victory over Anton Pinchuk, taking the undefeated record of his opponent in the process.
2013 European Champion Aleksei Egorov still maintains a 3-0 record in APB, having won his first fight against Chouaib Bouloudintas. After defeating Russo in Italy, Egorov made sure of his role in the title match when he beat Germany’s Emir Ahmatovic on points.
Match schedule:
21:00: Charles JAVONTA (USA) vs Yamil PERALTA (ARG) W.O. (Exhibition Match: Marco CALIC (CRO) vs Yamil PERALTA (ARG))
21:30: Emir AHMATOVIC (GER) vs Anton PINCHUK (KAZ)
22:00: Chouaib BOULOUDINATS (MAR) vs Roman GOLOVASHCHENKO (UKR)
22:30: Clemente RUSSO (ITA) vs Aleksey EGOROV (RUS) (APB Inaugural Title Match)
APB “Inaugural Title Match” Middle (75 Kg) Weight In (Istanbul) AIBA
FLY 52 KG – FRIDAY, 30 JANUARY (19:00 GMT+6)
Location: Novosibirsk – Venue: SKK Server
Home favourite Mikhail Aloian and Mexico’s Elias Emigdio will clash for the APB Flyweight Inaugural Title match.
Aloian was the number one seed coming into the competition, and has lived up to expectations in APB, having won all of his matches. An opening win over Vincenzo Picardi expressed his dominance, and that was followed up with victory against Aleksandar Aleksandrov in week two. In the third round Aloian won via walkover against Mohamed Flissi.
His opponent in the title match has also had injury problems in APB so far, but has managed to stay undefeated. Perhaps the best Mexican fighter in the history of the World Series of Boxing (WSB), Emigdio defeated Argentina’s Fernando Martínez in week one in a very entertaining contest.
The Mexican missed week two due to an injury, but superbly qualified for the title bout in the Matches for Champions, enjoying an amazing win in a close match against the formerly undefeated Kazakh Ilyas Suleimenov who was ranked second.
Match schedule:
19:00: Redouane ASLOUM (FRA) W.O. vs Vincezo PICARDI (ITA)
19:30: Mohammed FLISSI (ALG) vs Ilyas SULEIMENOV (KAZ)
20:00: Fernando MARTÍNEZ (ARG) vs Jabursek LATIPOV (UZB)
20:30: Misha ALOIAN (RUS) vs Elias EMIGDIO (MEX) (APB Inaugural Title Match)
Aiba, APB “Inaugural Title Match” Middle (75 Kg) Weight In (Istanbul)
LIGHT 60 KG – FRIDAY, 30 JANUARY (19:30 GMT+6)
Location: Almaty – Venue: Daulet Sports Complex
Two undefeated Lightweights (60 kg) compete in the AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) Inaugural Title Match, home favourite, and number one seed Berik Abdrakhmanov against Uzbekistan’s Hurshid Tojibaev.
The 3-0 Abdrakhmanov won his opening APB contest when he defeated Ireland’s David Oliver Joyce in a very close fight, and followed that up by taking the undefeated record of Charly Suarez in week two. In the Matches for Champions series he won a tight match over Robson Conceicao.
Tojibaev began his APB career with a comfortable win against Russia’s Dmitry Polyanskiy, and in week two he lost the first two rounds on all the scorecards against Brazil’s Robson Conceição, but his experience in the longer rounds saw him turn the fight around and defeat the AIBA World Championships silver medalist by split decision and maintain his undefeated record. He then went 3-0 in the Matches for Champions with a close victory against Charly Suarez.
Match schedule:
19:30: Artur BRIL (GER) vs Domenico VALENTINO (ITA)
20:00: Robson CONCEICAO (BRA) vs Charly SUAREZ (PHI)
20:30: David JOYCE (IRL) vs Dmitry POLYANSKIY (RUS)
21:00: Berik ABDRAKHMANOV vs Hurshid TOJIBAEV (UZB) (APB Inaugural Title Match)
APB “Inaugural Title Match” Welter (69 kg) Weight In (Baku)
LIGHT HEAVY 81 KG – FRIDAY, 30 JANUARY (20:00 GMT+2)
Location: Sofia – Venue: Universiada Hall
Sofia hosts the APB Inaugural Title Match between 2-1 London 2012 Olympian Ehsan Rouzbahani against number one seed and Commonwealth Games silver medalist Kennedy St Pierre.
Iran’s Rouzbahani defeated Uzbekistan’s Oybek Mamazulunov in a very exciting match during the first week of APB action, but lost his second contest against Russia’s Nikita Ivanov. With everything on the line in the Matches for Champions series, Rouzbahani produced perhaps the best win of his career as he defeated French undefeated professional boxer Mathieu Bauderlique, and claimed his place in the title match.
St Pierre was upset by Germany’s Serge Michel in the first week of action, and was then defeated in week two by Mathieu Bauderlique to leave his qualification chances slim. However, the Mauritian displayed the mark of a potential champion in week three, as he sensationally knocked out the previously undefeated Russian Russia’s Nikita Ivanov in the fifth round of their bout.
Match schedule:
20:00: Oybek MAMAZULUNOV (UZB) vs Serge MICHEL (GER)
20:30: Mathieu BAUDERLIQUE (FRA) vs Nikita IVANOV (RUS)
21:00: Spas GENOV (BUL) vs Joseph WARD (IRL)
21:30: Ehsan ROUZBAHANI (IRI) vs Kennedy St PIERRE (MRI) (APB Inaugural Title Match)
AIBA APB “Inaugural Title Match” Middle (75 Kg) Weight In (Istanbul)
LIGHT WELTER 64 KG – SATURDAY, 31 JANUARY (17:00 GMT+6)
Location: Novosibirsk – Venue: SKK Server
Home favourite and 2013 European Champion Artem Zakaryan faces the rising German star Artem Harutyunyan for the second time in APB.
Zakaryan destroyed Ukraine’s Vyacheslav Kyslytsyn in week one, with the result of 60-54 on two scorecards, while the English judge had it 60-53 for the ruthless Russian. He made it 2-0 in week two when he defeated Artem Harutyunyan, again dropping zero rounds en route to a crushing victory. In week three, Zakaryan won by walkover against Juan Pablo Romero, which established his place in the title match.
Artem Harutyunyan claimed a bronze medal at the 2013 European Championships, and the German opened his APB account with a win over Olympic bronze medalist Boris Georgiev. His week two match was the resounding defeat to Zakaryan, but he rallied well in the Matches for Champions series when he beat Abdelkader Chadi on points.
Zakaryan has yet to drop a round in APB, and having already beaten Harutyunyan, he will be the overwhelming favourite, but on his day the German can beat anyone, and their title match will be full of intrigue regardless of past results.
Match schedule:
17:00: Boris GEROGIEV (BUL) vs Vyacheslav KYSLYTSYN (UKR)
17:30: Juan Pablo ROMERO (MEX)vs Abdelkader CHADI (ALG)
18:00: Evaldas PETRAUSKAS (LTU) vs Carlos AQUINO (ARG)
18:30: Armen ZAKARYAN (RUS) vs Artem HARUTYUNYAN (GER) (APB Inaugural Title Match)
Istanbul, Caserta and Sofia hosted the APB Ranking Round 3 matches for the Middleweight, Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight categories with the following results:
MIDDLE 75 KG – FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER (21:00 GMT +2)
Location: Istanbul, Venue: Caferaga Spor Salonu
Home star and World Championships bronze medalist Adem Kilicci defeated Egypt’s All-Africa Games bronze medallist Hosam Abdin on points to continue his undefeated start to the competition.
European Boxing Champion Artem Chebotarev also defeated Dmytro Mytrofanov on points, and he will face Kilicci in the next Round for the Ranking Title.
Match Results:
Marlo DELG ADO (ECU) vs Michel TAVARES (FRA) W.P.
Nickson ABAKA (KEN) vs Bogdan JURATONI (BUL) W.P.
Artem CHEBOTAREV (RUS) W.P. vs Dmytro MYTROFANOV (UKR)
Adem KILICCI (TUR) W.P. vs Hosam ABDIN (EGY)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 81 KG – FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER (19:30 GMT +2)
Location: Sofia – Venue: Universiada Hall
London 2012 Olympian Ehsan Rouzbahani, defeated undefeated professional boxer Mathieu Bauderlique (FRA), and Russia’s Nikita Ivanov, the 2013 European Boxing Champion lost his first APB bout against Kennedy St Pierre.
The results mean Rouzbahani and St Pierre will fight in the next Round for the Light Heavyweight Ranking Title.
Match results:
Serge MICHEL (GER) vs Joe WARD (IRE) W.P. (54:60/ 54:60/ 54:60)
Location: Castel Morrone, Caserta – Venue: Palamaggio
Italian icon and two-time World Champion Clemente Russo defeated Asian Boxing Champion Anton Pinchuk (KAZ) on points.
Germany’s Emir Ahmatovic lost against the Russian Aleksey Egorov on points, which means Russo and Egorov will fight in the next Round for the Ranking Title.
Match results:
Chouaib BOULOUDINATS (ALG) T.K.O. (R3 2:50) vs Javonta CHARLES (USA)
Roman GOLOVASHCHENKO (UKR) W.P. (59:55/ 59:55/ 59:55) vs Yamil PERALTA (ARG)
AIBA Pro Boxing has announced the first 3 matches of the Ranking Phase Round 3 that will take place this Friday December 12 in Istanbul (Turkey), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Caserta (Italy) according to the following schedule:
(Match-ups based on Week 1 and 2 Rankings)
MIDDLE 75 KG – FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER (21:00 GMT+2)
Location: Istanbul – Venue: Caferaga Spor Salonu
Adem Kilicci, bronze medallist in the AIBA World Boxing Championship 2007, will face Hosam Abdin, All-Africa Games 2007 bronze medallist.
Artem Chebotarev, European Boxing Champion 2013, fights against Dmytro Mytrofanov, Summer Universiade 2013 gold medallist.
Both bouts give the opportunity to fight for the Title in the next Round.
Match schedule:
Marlo DELGADO (ECU) vs Michel TAVARES (FRA)
Nickson ABAKA (KEN) vs Bogdan JURATONI (BUL)
Artem CHEBOTAREV (RUS) vs Dmytro MYTROFANOV (UKR)
Adem KILICCI (TUR) vs Hosam ABDIN (EGY)
LIGHT HEAVY 81 KG – FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER (19:30 GMT+2)
Location: Sofia – Venue: Universiada Hall
Mathieu Bauderlique, French National Champion 2011, who won his two ranking bouts in APB, will fight against Ehsan Rouzbahani, London 2012 Olympian, for a place in the Title Match.
The second place is reserved to the winner of the bout between Kennedy St Pierre, Vice Commonwealth Games Champion 2014, and Nikita Ivanov, European Boxing Champion 2013.
Match schedule:
Serge MICHEL (GER) vs Joe WARD (IRE)
Mathieu Bauderlique (FRA) vs Ehsan Rouzbahani (IRI)
Kennedy ST Pierre (MRI) vs Nikita IVANOV (RUS)
Spas GENOV (BUL) vs Oybek MAMAZULUNOV (UZB)
HEAVY 91 KG – FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER (21:00 GMT+1)
Location: Castel Morrone, Caserta – Venue: Palamaggio
After losing his second bout, Clemente Russo, twice World Boxing Champion, will fight against Anton Pinchuk, Asian Boxing Champion 2013, to keep safe his Title options.
Javonta Charles (USA), undefeated pro boxer, returns the competition in Round 3 against Chouaib Bouloudinats, All-Africa Games 2013 gold medallist.
Match schedule:
Chouaib BOULOUDINATS (ALG) vs Javonta CHARLES (USA)
Roman GOLOVASHCHENKO (UKR) vs Yamil PERALTA (ARG)
Aleksey EGOROV (RUS) vs Emir AHMATOVIC (GER)
Clemente RUSSO (ITA) vs Anton PINCHUK (KAZ)
Universiada Hall in Sofia was the venue for the memorable and emotional night of Light Heavyweights (81kg) competing in Round 2 of AIBA Pro Boxing’s (APB) Pre-Ranking phase.
The bulgarian boxing icon Spas Genov comfortably won his first APB clash against fellow debutant Dzemal Bosnjak.
Starting the fight in front of countless Bulgarian flags and an incredible noise, Genov soaked up the atmosphere and channeled it into non-stop aggression, as he dropped just one round on one scorecard.
Both boxers worked hard, but it was the Bulgarian brawler who just about edged the action in each stanza, with the defter punches and the better movement.
In the bout of the night Russia’s Nikita Ivanov defeated Iran’s Ehsan Rouzbahani. Ivanov looks to be the heaviest hitter across all of the light heavyweight’s, and every punch seemed to hurt his Iranian opponent, who never gave up, but could never get into the contest.
Genov (BUL) vs Bosnjak (BIH) AIBA Pro Boxing
The Russian is now 2-0 in APB, and many boxing fans are already looking forward to his future clash with Mathieu Bauderlique.
Kennedy St Pierre surprisingly lost his opening APB clash, and he fell to 0-2 in the competition as he was defeated by France’s Mathieu Bauderlique in week two.
Both Ireland’s Joseph Ward and Uzbekistan’s Oybek Mamazulunov lost their week one matches, and it was the Irish star who won their key clash in Sofia, dropping just one round on two scorecards, and two on the third
The President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA) Dr Ching-Kuo Wu was conferred today the Honorary Doctorate from the Bulgarian National Sports Academy “Vassil Levski” (NSA) in Sofia.
In his Honorary Doctorate Acceptance Speech Dr. Wu, who also serves as the Executive Board member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), thanked the Academic Council and underlined that by instilling the Olympic values and culture in the young generation, this educational institution not only produces the best ambassadors of these values, but also fosters better members of our society.
“At a very early stage in my life, I found a language that helped me connect to the world and other people, other nations. This was and still is the language of the sport. This is a language without boundaries and it travels freely and safely among the people of the world,” said the AIBA President.
Attending the momentous occasion included the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport Mr. Yorgan Yevchev, the Bulgarian Olympic Committee General Secretary Mr. Belcho Goranov, and the Bulgarian Boxing Federation President Mr Krasimir Ininski.
The National Sports Academy plays a fundamental role in developing the potential and talent of thousands of students of Bulgaria, and since 1942 has become one of the most important promoters of sporting values in the country, as well as at the international level.
The “Vassil Levski” Academy awards with Doctor Honoris Causa an honorary degree to prominent public and sport-engaged persons, with special contributions to the development of sport education, Olympism and to preserving the values of youth civil and social integration.
This ceremony first took place in 1996, when the Academic Council of the NSA made the decision for conferring the title as a way of honouring distinguished people.
Since then, the honorary sign has been bestowed to 18 world sport and public leaders, among them the former IOC Presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch and Dr. Jacques Rogge.
The AIBA President is visiting Sofia this week on the occasion of the 2014 Youth World Boxing Championships, which is being hosted in the Bulgarian capital.
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