Morocco’s Mohammed Rabii Named AIBA October Boxer Of The Month

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) has named Moroccan welterweight Mohammed Rabii its Boxer of the Month for October. The 22 year old became Africa’s first ever gold medallist at the AIBA World Boxing Championships held in Doha earlier in the month, continuing an impressive run of form that included an unbeaten World Series of Boxing Season V with Morocco Atlas Lions team.

Moroccan welterweight Mohammed Rabii is AIBA Boxer of the Month

“It was an incredible feeling to win the gold in Doha after a lot of hard work and an intense training schedule, and I am honoured that AIBA have recognised that effort, too”, said Mohammed Rabii following the announcement.

An AIBA panel created the shortlist of boxers all of whom had put in exceptional performances in Doha, with the responsibility passed to AIBA’s social media followers to vote for their Boxer of the Month. Irish star Michael Conlan and French super heavyweight champion Tony Yoka were close seconds, but Rabii’s efforts had clearly captured the public’s imagination.

“Congratulations to Mohammed Rabii on his achievements in Doha and winning AIBA Boxer of the Month for October. It is with great pleasure that we saw the reaction of Morocco’s boxing fans to his gold medal win, which I have no doubt will help inspire Africa’s boxers to further success”, said AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu.

Moroccan welterweight Mohammed Rabii with AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu

WSB Regular Season Week 2 (24 – 25 January): Results

Cuba Domadores Remain Perfect In Wsb After Victory Against Algeria Desert Hawks

After a dominant 5-0 week one victory over Morocco Atlas Lions, the defending World Series of Boxing (WSB) Champions Cuba Domadores maintained their perfect start to Season V with another shutout victory over Algeria Desert Hawks.

This time, the Domadores traveled to Africa, but they maintained their high standards from the very beginning against the Desert Hawks who were making their first appearance of the season.

Flyweight (52 kg) Yosbany Veitia is one of Cuba’s best boxers, and the superstar took his overall WSB record to 9-0 as he defeated Abdelhakim El Barka.

Lightweight (60 kg) Domadores fighter Lazaro Alvarez also won his opening WSB contest against Reda Benbaziz, and is now 7-1 in the competition.

Cuban Welterweight (69 kg) gold medal specialist Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo has a perfect WSB record, and now boasts a flawless 6-0 record after beating Sofiane Tabi.

A great Light heavyweight (81 kg) contest resulted in yet another win for Cuba, as Julio Cesar De La Cruz defeated two-time Olympian and 2007 All-Africa Games gold medalist Nabil Kassel.

The last fight of the evening was at Super heavyweight (91+ kg), and Cuba’s Lenier Eunice Pero made it 5-0 for the Domadores yet again with a win over Hamza Beguerni.

Cuba Domadores look to continue their perfect start in week three at home to Russian Boxing Team, while Algeria Desert Hawks travel to Mexico Guerreros.

The Fairytale Continues As Puerto Rico Hurricanes Remain Undefeated Against Argentina Condors

Although the pedigree of Puerto Rican boxing is highly distinguished, few boxing insiders were tipping the Puerto Rico Hurricanes much success in their debut World Series of Boxing season, but the new Franchise remain undefeated after an away win against Argentina Condors.

Their 3-2 victory in Buenos Aires comes after another win of the same scoreline against Rafako Hussars Poland, while Argentina Condors are still yet to taste victory in Group B.

Flyweight (52 kg) Jeyvier Cintrón Ocasio is one of Puerto Rico’s most promising boxing talents, and he won his WSB debut on all three scorecards against Argentina’s Cristian Alan Choque Chambi.

The Hurricanes roared in match number two, where Lightweight (60 kg) Jose Rosario won an even wider points victory over Brian Ivan Nunez.

Argentine Welterweight (69 kg) Alberto Ignacio Palmetta has been one of the most successful boxers in recent years from the South American nation, and he clawed back a win for his Franchise against Nicklaus Flaz.

The Condors made it 2-2 on the night at Light heavyweight (81 kg) when Marcos Escudero won by unanimous decision over Joseph Laboy.

With everything to play for in the final Super heavyweight (91+ kg), the Hurricanes powerful Cosme Henrique dos Santos Nascimento secured the win for his team as he stopped Facundo Cesar Ghiglione in round three of their fight.

Puerto Rico Hurricanes look to maintain their undefeated record in week three away to Italia Thunder, while Argentina Condors will try and regroup away to Rafako Hussars Poland.

Mexico Guerreros win at home to leave Morocco Atlas Lions still without a WSB victory

After defeat for both Mexico Guerreros and Morocco Atlas Lions in their opening Group A matches, their match in Aguascalientes was a crucial one, and the home Guerreros ultimately proved victorious, winning the night 4-1 to leave Morocco still without a win this season in the World Series of Boxing (WSB).

Flyweight Alam Yael de la Luz Galindo started the night off successfully against Morocco’s Achraf Kharroubi, winning on two scorecards, while the third judge had the fight even.

A dominant last round from the Mexican fighter established the victory, and he showed many skills throughout the contest.

Mexico’s Lightweight (60 kg) Lindolfo Delgado then made it 2-0 for his Franchise with a unanimous points win over Moroccan Abdellah Boudrar who won October’s Mohamed VI Trophy.

The Atlas Lions earned their lone win of the evening in fight three, as Mohammed Rabii caused a major upset against Mexico’s Marvin Cabrera who was the WSB Season III number one ranked Welterweight (69 kg).

Rabii had a lot of pressure going into the fight, and after winning in Mexico against one of the best fighters in the weight class, he is one to watch this season.

Ecuador’s Carlos Mina is competing at Light heavyweight (81 kg) for Mexico Guerreros this season, and he confirmed their opening win of the season by defeating Mohamed Assaguir on points.

Mexico’s young Super heavyweight (91+ kg) Edgar Ramirez has amazing potential, and he displayed huge amounts of skill in the last fight of the evening, as he won every round against Morocco’s Thierry Adolphe Ngueharoum.

The Guerreros are at home again in week three against Algeria Desert Hawks, while Morocco Atlas Lions look for their first win against British Lionhearts.

Usa Knockouts Remain Undefeated, Leaving Italia Thunder Without A Win This Season

After an inconsistent season last year in the World Series of Boxing (WSB), USA Knockouts seem to be establishing themselves as a major threat in Season V of the competition, as they won their second match in a row against Italia Thunder.

Conversely, the Italians are struggling, having yet to win this season and their 3-2 loss in Miami to USA will cause major problems for potential qualification from Group B.

The night began with a bang, as USA Flyweight (52 kg) Brent Venegas III stopped India’s Gaurav Bidhuri in the first round to give the Americans an early advantage.

Lightweight (60 kg) US 2014 Junior and Youth Open Champion Carlos Balderas is just 19-year-old, but is already being talked about as a future superstar in this sport, and he showed why against Fabio Introvaia, dropping a solitary round on one scorecard en route to a dominant victory.

The evening was won for the Knockouts after just three fights, when Welterweight (69 kg) Brian Ceballo surprisingly defeated Italia Thunder’s Olympic silver medalist Fred Evans via a wide unanimous decision.

An Italian fightback of sorts occurred in the last two bouts, where at Light heavyweight (81 kg) Valentino Manfredonia won against Steven Nelson, while at Super heavyweight (91+ kg) Guido Vianello beat America’s Cam F. Awesome via disqualification in round four of their fight.

USA Knockouts have another home match in week three against Caciques Venezuela, while Italia Thunder look for their first win at home to Puerto Rico Hurricanes.

WSB Regular Season Week 2 Preview

Can Puerto Rico Hurricanes make it two wins in a row against Argentina Condors?

An American derby ends the second week of Season V of the World Series of Boxing, with Argentina Condors at home to Puerto Rico Hurricanes.

The Condors lost their first week bout 4-1 at home against USA Knockouts, while the Hurricanes enjoyed a dream debut as they beat Rafako Hussars Poland at home.

Sunday 25th January is the date, and the Stadium of Argentina Boxing Federation, Buenos Aires is the venue, and fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 00:00 (GMT -3) at AIBABoxingTV.com.

A Flyweight (52 kg) fight opens proceedings, and the fast and pacy Cristian Alan Choque Chambi looks for victory against Puerto Rico’s prospect Jeyvier Cintrón Ocasio who won the silver medal at the 2012 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships, and was one of the youngest competitors in the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he advanced to the quarter-finals, losing only to the two-time AIBA World Champion Misha Aloian.

The second fight of the evening is at Lightweight (60 kg) with Argentina’s Brian Ivan Nunez, who competed in many matches last season fighting Jose Rosario who won the Cheo Aponte Tournament last year.

Up next are the Welterweights (69 kg) and one of Argentina’s best boxers is in action, as Alberto Ignacio Palmetta, ranked top 20 in the world by AIBA faces Nicklaus Flaz who won bronze at the XXII Central American and Caribbean Games.

Argentina Condors Light heavyweight (81 kg) Marcos Escudero then fights Puerto Rico’s Joseph Laboy, before the conquering Super heavyweights (91+ kg) finish the evening off as WSB veteran Facundo Cesar Ghiglione represents Argentina against the powerful Cosme Henrique dos Santos Nascimento.

Algeria Desert Hawks open their WSB Season against Cuba Domadores

The Defending World Series of Boxing (WSB) Champions Cuba Domadores enjoyed a successful start to the competition in week one when they whitewashed Morocco Atlas Lions 5-0, and this time they travel to Africa to face Algeria Desert Hawks.

This will be the first appearance of the season for the Hawks after their first week match with Russian Boxing Team was postponed due to bad weather, and they will be itching to make an immediate impression on the tournament.

Hocine Chalane, Blida hosts the action for this Group A match, and on Saturday 24th January, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 18:00 at AIBABoxingTV.com.

The Flyweights (52 kg) are in action first, and Abdelhakim El Barka has a tough task against Cuba’s Yosbany Veitia who won all eight of his WSB matches last season.

A Lightweight (60 kg) battle follows that, and it doesn’t get any easier for Algeria with two-time AIBA World Champion, Olympic bronze medalist and 6-1 WSB record holder Lazaro Alvarez facing Algeria’s Reda Benbaziz who will look to rely on his past WSB experience.

Algerian Welterweight (69 kg) Sofiane Tabi then looks to showcase his skills in front of his home fans against Cuban gold medal specialist Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo who went 5-0 in his debut WSB season.

Light heavyweight (81 kg) sees Julio Cesar De La Cruz putting his 5-1 WSB record on the line when he faces two-time Olympian and 2007 All-Africa Games gold medalist Nabil Kassel.

The last fight of the evening at Super heavyweight (91+ kg) could be Algeria’s best chance of a win, as they have Hamza Beguerni in action, who memorably knocked out England’s Joseph Joyce in the 2013 AIBA World Championships.

His opponent, Lenier Eunice Pero won the gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games, but the Cuban will have to be wary of the power from his African opponent.

Can Caciques Venezuela create the ultimate upset against Azerbaijan Baku Fires?

After losing 5-0 in their debut World Series of Boxing (WSB) match away in Kazakhstan, Caciques Venezuela look for their first win in the competition at home against WSB Season IV runners-up Azerbaijan Baku Fires.

The Fires crushed Italy 4-1 in their opening match of the season, and will fancy their chances for another big win away in South America.

Estadio Polideportivo José María Vargas, Maiquetía is the venue for the action, and on Saturday 24th January, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 21:00 (GMT -4.5) at AIBABoxingTV.com.

Eduard Johan Bermúdez Salas competed at the 2008 Olympic Games for Venezuela, and he makes his WSB debut at Flyweight (52 kg) against Azerbaijan’s Elvin Mamishzada who impressed in the Finals last year with a decisive win over Cuba’s Gerardo Cervantes.

There is great action at Lightweight (60 kg) in fight number two, with home favourite Nestor Armas in action against The Baku Fires superstar Albert Selimov who snapped the undefeated streak of the number one ranked Lazaro Alvarez last season.

Welterweight (69 kg) Gabriel Maestre Perez reached the quarter-finals of the London 2012 Olympic Games, and the Venezuelan many fancy his chances against Yauheni Ramashkevich, who has a 2-3 WSB career record, and lost the deciding match in the Season IV Finals.

The Light heavyweight (81 kg) division always produces entertaining contests in WSB, and Albert Ramon Ramirez Duran makes his debut for Venezuela when he fights 2012 Olympian Soltan Migitinov.

Azerbaijan’s Arslanbek Makhmudov was the number one ranked Super heavyweight (91+ kg) in WSB last season amassing a 5-0 record, and he is the clear favourite in the last fight of the evening against Edgar Ramon Munoz Mata who competed at Light heavyweight in the 2004 Olympic Games.

Mexico Guerreros and Morocco Atlas Lions both aim for their first win of the season

Aguascalientes, Mexico, hosts the first home fixture for Mexico Guerreros in Season V of the World Series of Boxing, and they host Morocco Atlas Lions.

Both Franchises lost their first match of the season, so these five bouts carry huge significance even at this early stage of the competition.

This Group A match takes place on Saturday 24th January, 20:15 (GMT -6) , and fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand at AIBABoxingTV.com.

The Flyweights (52 kg) open this fixture, with speedy Mexican Alam Yael de la Luz Galindo fighting Morocco’s Achraf Kharroubi who won the prestigious Roberto Balado Cup in Havana last year.

Mexico’s Lightweight (60 kg) Lindolfo Delgado began his WSB career last season, and he opens up his account here against Moroccan Abdellah Boudrar who won October’s Mohamed VI Trophy.

An interesting Welterweight (69 kg) clash follows between WSB Season III number one ranked Marvin Cabrera of Mexico fighting Mohammed Rabii who will be looking to cause an upset away from home.

Ecuador’s Carlos Mina claimed the gold medal at the Pacific Cup in the latter stages of last year, and his excellent recent form sees him compete at Light heavyweight (81 kg) in WSB for Mexico.

His opponent is Mohamed Assaguir, a relatively unknown fighter who is looking to make a name for himself in WSB.

The last fight of the evening is a powerful contest at Super heavyweight (91+ kg) and Mexico’s young Edgar Ramirez is a truly promising boxer, and he faces Morocco’s Thierry Adolphe Ngueharoum in a bout that could end very early.

USA Knockouts look to inflict further damage on Italia Thunder in Miami

After their opening week one victory over Argentina Condors, the USA Knockouts seek to make it two wins out of two in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) against Italia Thunder, who are reeling from their opening loss in Azerbaijan.

The Miccosukee Sports & Entertainment Dome, Miami is the venue for this Group B match, and on Saturday 24th January, 19:30 (GMT -5) fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand at AIBABoxingTV.com.

In the first fight of the night, the Flyweights (52 kg) are in action, and Brent Venegas III is one of the brightest prospects in America, but will have to be at his best to defeat Gaurav Bidhuri, an Indian boxer who represents Italy, and who has prior WSB experience for former Franchise Mumbai Fighters.

The Lightweights (60 kg) are in action next, and the 2014 Junior and Youth Open Champion Carlos Balderas is just 19-year-old, one of the youngest competitors in WSB this season, and is tipped as a potential future superstar in the sport.

His opponent is Italy’s Fabio Introvaia, one of the most technically gifted boxers in the Italian squad.

Three-time Golden Gloves Champion Brian Ceballo has big dreams of making the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and the Welterweight (69 kg) fights a decorated Olympian Fred Evans in Miami.

Evans, a Welshman representing Italy, won the silver medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and is a European gold medalist.

US army soldier Steven Nelson only began boxing in 2010, but is now the number one Light Heavyweight (81 kg) for America, and the Knockouts star fights Italy’s Valentino Manfredonia who competed well in many international events during 2014.

Results: WSB Regular Season Week 1 (16 – 17 January)

Cuba Domadores begin a perfect defence of their WSB title against Morocco Atlas Lions

Defending World Series of Boxing (WSB) Champions Cuba Domadores opened up their Season V campaign with a resounding victory over debutants Morocco Atlas Lions.

Havana was the location for a convincing 5-0 victory for Cuba, but Morocco will take confidence from many of the fights, as their talented fighters never gave up.

Cuba’s 2013 AIBA Junior World Champion Joahnys Oscar Argilagos Perez opened the evening off with a bang at Light flyweight (49) kg winning comfortably on points against Moroccan National Champion Zouhair El Bekkali.

Olympic champion Robeisy Ramirez is one of the smoothest boxers in WSB, and the Cuban cantered to an easy Bantamweight (56 kg) victory over Mohamed VI Trophy winner Mohamed Hamout.

Two-time AIBA World Championships silver medalist and Olympic bronze medalist Yasniel Toledo took his overall WSB record to 6-2 after defeating Morocco’s Hamza El Barbari for the second time in months at Light welterweight (64 kg), while Arlen Lopez is a boxer to watch this season in the Middleweight (75 kg), with the dominant Domadores star stopping Olympic Badreddine Haddioui in the third round.

WSB boxer of Season IV Erislandy Savon sealed the whitewash 5-0 victory for Cuba, taking his WSB record to 9-0 at Heavyweight (91 kg) when he stopped Amine Azzouzi in just 51 seconds.

Awesome Astana Arlans Kazakhstan dominate Caciques Venezuela in opening WSB contest

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan are one of the favourites to top Group B, and they began Season V of World Series of Boxing (WSB) with a resounding 5-0 win over debutants Caciques Venezuela.

The Light flyweights (49 kg) opened the action at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Almaty, with home favourite Mardan Berikbayev winning a unanimous points decision over Venezuela’s rookie Yoel Finol, who pushed the Kazak star all the way.

WSB veteran Bantamweight (56 kg) Meirbolat Toitov then won a wide points decision over Venezuela’s José Vicente Azocar, before Samat Bashenov eventually won a close points win against Venezuela’s Luis Arcón.

The dominance continued at Middleweight (75 kg) as Kazakhstan’s exciting Meiirim Nursultanov stopped Juan Rodríguez in the fourth round, a surprise result considering the past WSB experience of Rodríguez.

Another stoppage occurred in the last fight at Heavyweight (91kg) with Vasiliy Levit continuing his menacing form from Season IV as he stopped Alfonso Flores at the end of round three.

Azerbaijan Baku Fires enjoy wide opening victory against Italia Thunder

A battle of two World Series of Boxing (WSB) superpowers opened up Season V in Group B, and Azerbaijan Baku Fires enjoyed an impressive 4-1 home victory over the always dangerous Italia Thunder.

The fans at the Guba Olympic Complex were treated to five fights of supreme quality, which fully displayed the international flavour and talent that the competition enjoys.

Italy enjoyed their sole victory in the first fight, with dynamic Light flyweight (49 kg) Paddy Barnes showcasing all of the characteristics which have earned him two Olympic medals as he won a wide points victory over Azerbaijan’s Magomed Ibiyev.

Michael Conlan, an Irish teammate of Barnes who also competes for Italia Thunder could not keep the winning run going at Bantamweight (56 kg) he he lost a close points decision to Magomed Gurbanov who maintained his winning WSB run.

Gaybatulla Gadzhialiyev has been one of the standout Light welterweights (64 kg) across WSB history, and he showed why he is a legend of the competition as he dropped just one round according to one judge against Italy’s Olympic and AIBA World Championships bronze medalist Vincenzo Mangiacapre.

A close contest at Middleweight (75 kg) followed, and Belarus Middleweight (75 kg) Mikalai Vesialou won the contest for Astana Arlans with a tight split decision win over Italy’s Salvatore Cavallaro who will take confidence from his performance in the fight.

Powerful Heavyweight (91 kg) Abdulkadir Abdullayev continued his excellent form against Italian boxers in the last fight in Guba, as he knocked out Fabio Turchi towards the end of the third round.

A night of stoppages in Puerto Rico as The Hurricanes win over Rafako Hussars Poland

It was a dream World Series of Boxing (WSB) debut for Puerto Rico Hurricanes, as they stormed to a 3-2 win over WSB veterans Rafako Hussars Poland.

Coliseíto Pedrín Zorrilla in San Juan saw five superb fights of much quality, with Puerto Rico winning the first three contests, before Poland hit back with a brace of victories.

Light flyweight (49 kg) and Olympian Anthony Ortiz began the night off in style for the Hurricanes as he comfortably dispatched Poland’s Dawid Jagodzinsk on points.

At Bantamweight (56 kg), Puerto Rico’s Garibaldy Gomez superbly stopped Poland’s Marek Pietruczuk in round one of their contest, a result which has sent shockwaves throughout the entire Bantamweight division.

Not much was known of Jan Rivera prior to his Light welterweight (64 kg) fight, but the Puerto Rican reacted superbly well to losing the first round against Damian Kiwior by taking all but one of the remaining rounds to seal the victory for Puerto Rico.

In WSB however, all bouts count towards the group tables, and Poland’s Igor Jakubowski relied on all of his three prior seasons of WSB experience to knock out Middleweight Jean Alicea in the third round.

Heavyweight (91 kg) Igor Jakubowski claimed Poland’s second victory of the evening in the last fight, as he stopped home star in round one.

WORLD SERIES OF BOXING GROUP B SEASON V PREVIEW

Season V of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) provides an unprecedented opportunity for boxers to achieve individual qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

As WSB boxers retain their Olympic eligibility, the road to Rio 2016 Olympic Games is paved with possible gold for the competitors, with a quota of 17 places up for grabs throughout the competition, while this number was only five before the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Categories from 52kg to 81kg will be granted two quotas each, while 49kg, 91kg and +91kg will each be granted one quota. The magnitude of this opportunity has not been lost on the Franchises, who are all training with intense discipline to make Season V the most entertaining, enthralling and important edition to date.

In Group B, former winners and future hopefuls will challenge for success, and with four teams from Europe, two from North America, plus two South American Franchises included, the global aspect of WSB is represented fully.

South America has been home to many of the greatest boxers of all time, and Argentina Condors, fresh off their second season of WSB action, are looking to establish themselves as the dominant Franchise from their continent in Season V.

To accomplish that goal, they will have to perform better than the new Franchise from Venezuela, who according to many boxing insiders are amassing an impressive squad for the upcoming season.

The two South American boxing giants will meet each other in week five, and week 12 of the season, and both will be hoping they will be in position to progress into the knock-out stages of the competition come the end of the group stage.

One franchise who will be confident of getting out of the group will be Azerbaijan Baku Fires, who lost the engrossing WSB Season IV Final against the sublime Cuba Domadores, by the narrowest of margins.

The Baku Fires will be looking to go one further in Season V, and they have the knowledge and awareness of how to successfully negotiate their way through the group stages in order to reach the latter stages of the tournament.

Astana Arlans Kazakhstan were eliminated by Azerbaijan in Season IV, but the two Franchises struck up a kinship after their hard fought semi-finals contest.

Many WSB teams would be delighted with a semi-final finish, but as the Season III champions, Kazakhstan will be looking to go all the way again this time around.

In order to fulfill their hopes, they will have to beat the big teams, and their matches with Azerbaijan in week three and week 10 will be keenly awaited by WSB fans.

Italia Thunder have been one of the most successful Franchises in WSB history, and the flamboyant team have one of the finest squads in the entire competition.

After winning Season II, the Italians have failed to reach the semi-finals stage in the last two seasons, and they have a difficult start to life in Group B.

Their season starts with two tough away matches, firstly against Azerbaijan, and then they face USA Knockouts in week two.

The Knockouts reached the quarter-final stage last season, before running into the dominant Cuba Domadores, and the American side will at least want to replicate their accomplishments in Season V.

World Series Of Boxing

They will have to work hard to maintain their supremacy as the North American leaders of WSB, as one of the best boxing nations in the world joins WSB, with Puerto Rico looking to produce a hurricane over the competition.

Six of Puerto Rico’s eight medals in their Olympic Games history belong to boxers, and this Caribbean island, with a population of just over 3.5 million people, boasts the highest index in terms of World Boxing Champions per capita on the planet, statistics that their WSB fighters will use to spur them on to possible glory in the competition.

Completing the group at this moment will be Hussars Poland, who will be looking to forget their disappointing season last year, and concentrate on improving their talented squad even further.

The Polish team have great durability and courage, and they will seek to turn their resilience and willing into results and wins, starting with their first week match away against Puerto Rico.

WSB Season V starts on Thursday 15th January 20.00 GMT at London’s legendary York Hall with British Lionhearts taking on China Dragons, followed up by seven epic clashes on Friday 16th and Saturday 17th January.