WSB WEEK 10: Who Will Be The Lion King When Britain And Morocco Meet In London?

Week ten of Season V in the World Series of Boxing (WSB) begins with British Lionhearts hosting Morocco Atlas Lions in London

The British Franchise have lost their last five WSB fixtures, while Morocco narrowly fell to Mexico Guerreros last week.

These two teams met in week three of the competition when Morocco defeated Britain 3-2 in Casablanca.

York Hall, London is the venue for this Group A clash, where on Thursday 19th March fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 GMT at AIBABoxingTV.com.

There are just two matches left for each weight class in the Regular Season of WSB, and the race to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games via the rankings system is reaching a speedy ending.

Mohammed Rabii has been Morocco’s best boxer this season, and the number two ranked Welterweight (69 kg) sensationally defeated Olympic gold medalist Roniel Iglesias Sotolongo in his last bout.

Two Welterweight boxers will earn a quota for Rio 2016 via WSB, and Rabii is in prime position to be one of those fighters due to his 4-0 undefeated record in Season V.

Rabii is just a single point behind the number one ranked Radzhab Butaev, and four points ahead of Ireland’s Steven Donnelly and Azerbaijan’s Parviz Baghirov which means a win here would put immense strain on every opponent in his weight class.

The Moroccan fighter has impressed in this campaign due to his calmness under pressure, and his ability to treat every bout as a separate entity, but will the pressure of his penultimate fight cause him to wilt in London?

2-2 Lionheart Haizel Ekow Tabiri-Essuman is his challenger at York Hall, and the British star knows he will need to win his last two fights to have any chance of finishing in the top two this season.

Joseph Joyce vs Leunier Eunice Pero (WSB Week 6)

4-0 British Super heavyweight (91+ kg) Joseph Joyce is one of the most powerful boxers in WSB, and currently sits second in the rankings of his weight class.

Three of Joyce’s wins this season have come via stoppage, but perhaps his most impressive victory came away against Cuba’s Lenier Eunice Pero in Havana, which destroyed the undefeated run of his opponent.

Only the top ranked Super heavyweight will qualify for Rio 2016, so Joyce needs another impressive performance against 1-1 Moroccan Abouhamada Abdeljalil to put pressure on Filip Hrgovic who currently leads the rankings, while Azerbaijan’s Arslanbek Makhmudov also has the same amount of points as Joyce.

Both Hrgovic and Makhmudov compete in Group B of WSB, so Joyce will not face either of them in the Regular Season, which means that he will need to make an early impact in his fight with Abdeljalil to put early pressure on his rivals who compete later this weekend.

Elsewhere, Morocco’s number five ranked Flyweight (52 kg) Achraf Kharroubi needs a win to keep his hopes of Olympic qualification through WSB alive against Spain’s José Kelvin de la Nieve Linares who has yet to win in his two matches this season for the Lionhearts.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Luke McCormack makes his WSB debut as he faces 1-2 Atlas Lion Abdellah Boudrar at Lightweight (60 kg), while Joshua Buatsi opens his WSB account for Britain at Light heavyweight (81 kg) against Holland’s 0-2 Light heavyweight (81 kg) Peter Mullenberg

Rampant Russian Boxing Team Remain Perfect At Home Against British Lionhearts

A destructive performance in Moscow resulted in a whitewash 5-0 victory for Russian Boxing Team over British Lionhearts, who have still yet to win away from home this season.

Russian Boxing Team

Conversely, Russia are looking sublime in front of their home fans, and have not dropped a single bout when competing in their own country.

The action began at Light flyweight (52 kg) where Russia’s Vasiliy Egorov won his first match of the campaign, and consigned Lionheart Ashley Williams to his third consecutive WSB defeat.

Russia’s 2013 AIBA World Championships silver medalist Bantamweight (56 kg) Vladimir Nikitin then made it 2-0 on the night for his Franchise with a comfortable points win over Enrico La Cruz.

By the end of the third fight, the overall victory was already assured for Russian Boxing Team after Light welterweight (64 kg) Vitaliy Dunaytsev gave Sam Maxwell his first loss of the season with a dominant victory.

Middleweight (75 kg) Petr Khamukov then showcased his power as he stopped British debutant Daniel Woledge midway through the first round of their contest.

victory for Russian Boxing Team over British Lionhearts

The 5-0 victory was confirmed at Heavyweight (91 kg) as Russia’s 2013 AIBA World Championships silver medalist Evgeny Tishchenko easily win against Abdoulaye Diane.

Russian Boxing Team are at home again next week against Ukraine Otamans, while British Lionhearts face a tough test away to Cuba Domadores.

Russian Boxing Team And British Lionhearts Aim To Continue Success In Moscow

Both Russian Boxing Team and British Lionhearts have begun Season V of the World Series of Boxing (WSB) with success, with the Russian Franchise currently sitting in fourth place in Group A, while the Lionhearts are third having lost both their away matches so far.

Considering Russia have competed in a match less than the British team due to a first week postponement, this is a key match for both Franchises to assert themselves in the group, and to keep pace with Cuba Domadores and Ukraine Otamans.

The Russian team have a brand new line up replacing the five fighters who all lost in these weight classes against Cuba Domadores two weeks ago, while the British Lionhearts have also had to make changes due to injuries and form.

The Sports Palace “Wings Of The Soviets”, Moscow is the venue for this eagerly anticipated clash, and on Thursday 12th January, fans across the world can watch the action free, live and on demand from 20:00 (GMT +3) at AIBABoxingTV.com.

Russian Boxing Team

A Light flyweight (49 kg) bout opens the action, with Russia’s Vasiliy Egorov, who won a number of international tournaments last year, making his first appearance of the season against the 0-2 Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Ashley Williams.

Russia’s 2013 AIBA World Championships silver medalist Vladimir Nikitin is in action next at Bantamweight (56 kg) where he faces Dutch Lionhearts representative Enrico La Cruz.

Light welterweight (64 kg) Vitaliy Dunaytsev makes his first appearance of the season for Russia, and the experienced boxer faces a tough opening clash against Sam Maxwell, who has won both of his matches so far in this campaign for British Lionhearts.

Petr Khamukov has plenty of his WSB experience for Russia, and he will look to make that count at Middleweight (75 kg) when he fights young British fighter Daniel Woledge who has big shoes to fill as he replaces the 2-0 Anthony Fowler who bravely fought through his first two matches with a severe cut.

The last bout of the night is at Heavyweight (91 kg) where Russia’s 2013 AIBA World Championships silver medalist Evgeny Tishchenko, one of the most exciting Heavyweight prospects in the world makes his first appearance of Season V against French fighter Abdoulaye Diane who has prior WSB experience with Algeria Desert Hawks.

Can The Lionhearts Tame The Dragons To Begin WSB Season V?

After seven long months, the World Series of Boxing (WSB) returns on Thursday, 15th January, and the first match of Season V is a mouthwatering battle between two Franchises returning to the competition.

London’s York Hall is one of the most iconic boxing venues in the world, and its humble location in East London is the home-base for British Lionhearts who compete in Season V after missing last season.

Their opponents are China Dragons, who are back aiming to replicate the success of the Beijing Dragons Franchise which competed in the first two WSB seasons.

Boxing fans in Britain can view the event live at 8.00pm GMT on the BT Sport 2 television channel, while the rest of the world can watch free, live and on demand at AIBABoxingTV.com.

Light Welterweight (64kg) Askhat UALIKHANOV Astana Arlans Kazakhstan (R) vs Yasnier TOLEDO Cuba Domadores (L). Credit AIBA World Series Of Boxing

Kicking off the action at Light flyweight (49 kg) is an intriguing contest between Commonwealth Games bronze medalist and British Lionhearts representative Ashley Williams and 2014 China Open Tournament silver medalist He Junjun.

The Light flyweights are the quickest boxers in WSB, and this opening clash will be exciting from beginning to end.

Eight medalists from the 2014 Commonwealth Games are in the British squad, including Bantamweight (56 kg) Qais Ashfaq who won a silver medal in the competition, and he squares off against China’s Diao Jianhao in match two.

In the third fight of the evening, Sam Maxwell is in action, and the Light welterweight (64 kg) has valuable WSB experience having competed for the Lionhearts in Season III.

His opponent is China’s Sairike Tuoliaowutayi who won the Chinese Youth National Championships in 2011.

Anthony Fowler has emerged as one of the best Middleweights (75 kg) in the world over the past two years, and the Commonwealth Games gold medalist and the AIBA World Championships bronze medalist won his lone WSB match in Season III by stoppage.

China’s Zhou Di will be in the opposite corner, and Di made the quarter-finals of the 2014 Asian Games.

The regulations of WSB state that all teams must select at least one overseas boxer for every match, so therefore the Heavyweight (91 kg) match which closes the evening is a match between Romania’s Ionut-Mirel Jitaru representing the Lionhearts, and Croatia’s Mediterranean Games silver medallist Josip Bepo Filipi who is an honorary Dragon for China.

Heavyweight boxing in WSB has to be seen to be believed, as the heavy-hitters always look for the knockout, and this fight has the capabilities to be the most entertaining scrap on a night of pure quality.

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.