52 medallists are revealed in the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships
10 September 2015
#StPetersburg15 Day 5
The quarter-finals of the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships took place today in St. Petersburg, Russia, where all of the 13 weight classes were in action.
Each winner secured a place in the semi-finals, and a guaranteed medal in the process.
Bout of the day
United States’ Marco Castro arrived in Russia as the favourite of the Bantamweight (54 kg) division, and continued his quest for gold with an entertaining victory over Czech Republic’s Artur Sachbazjan.
Castro used his excellent footwork to control the contest, and managed to avoid the dangerous attacks from Sachbazjan throughout.
Team of the day
The Romanian team had two quarter-finalists in action on Day 6, and both of their athletes advanced to the semi-finals of the event in spectacular fashion.
16-year-old EUBC European Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medalist Cosmin Girleanu boxed with style to defeat Ukraine’s Maksim Galinichev at Pinweight (46 kg), while Middleweight (75 kg) Alberto Biro then impressed in his unanimous decision victory over AIBA Team’s Sandeep Ghanghas.
Surprises of the day
Azerbaijan’s Bakhtiyar Gazibayov is the best European boxer at Lightweight, but despite a strong start, he was defeated by Cuba’s Junior National Games winner Edel Acosta.
German Heavyweight (+80 kg) Daniel Malsam then surprised Kazakhstan’s Junior National Champion Ardak Alimkhan, before Hungary’s Podgorica Junior Tournament winner Szilard Laszlo also shocked a Kazakh athlete by eliminating Daulet Zaushev at Light Middleweight (70 kg).
The Round-Up
15-year-old Pinweight James Probert secured Wales’ first medal in the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships after he beat Armenia’s newly crowned Junior National Champion Arman Galstyan.
Russia’s EUBC European Schoolboys Champion Ilia Popov has won all of his contests in 2015, and continued his undefeated streak against Japan’s Takumi Tamura.
Kazakhstan’s defending ASBC Asian Junior Champion Daulet Nyssan defeated his main Cuban rival Erislandy Alvarez to assert his dominance of the Flyweight (52 kg) division, while England’s Charles Frankham also beat a Cuban when he outperformed Elio Crespo Santo.
More impressive performances came from Poland’s Eryk Apresyan against Kyrgyzstan’s Aibek Akylbek Uulu, and Cuba’s two-time Light Heavyweight (80 kg) Junior National Games winner Dainier Pero over William Gustafsson.
One of the closest bouts of the day occurred at Heavyweight (+80 kg), when Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Junior Cup winner Mahammad Abdullayev narrowly triumphed over United States’ Junior National Champion Richard Torrez.
Fact of the day
The 52 medallists in the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships come from the following 20 nations:
- Russia: 8 medals
- Uzbekistan: 7 medals
- United States of America: 6 medals
- Kazakhstan: 5 medals
- Cuba, Ireland, Turkey: 3 medals
- Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Ukraine: 2 medals
- AIBA Team, England, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Wales: 1 medal
Quote of the day
“I can fight much better than today, but my performance was enough to get a medal which was my target in the event. My opponent from Kyrgyzstan was taller than me, and had a longer reach, but I knew how I could beat him in the important bout. I hope I won’t be so nervous in the upcoming semi-final,” said Poland’s Eryk Apresyan.
Tomorrow’s program
After a rest day, the AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships semi-finals will take place on Friday.
