AIBA Interim Report: World Junior Championships KIEV 2013

AJWBC2013 Day5

With all the preliminary rounds finished in the fourth competition day at the AIBA Junior World Championships,104 athletes still have a chance of taking home a medal in Kiev. Thirty three of the fifty two original nations are still in the championships which shows the potential for a great degree of diversity in the future of the sport. Russia is leading the way with eleven athletes remaining in the competition, while Kazakhstan has ten. Hosts Ukraine have eight, athletes through to the quarter-finals while Azerbaijan have impressed with seven boxers still in with a shout.

Elsewhere, Puerto Jonathan Lopez Marcano is still unbeaten this year and the young Light Flyweight (48 kg) looked good in the second preliminary round in Kiev. The 16-year-old Humacao-based boxer did not offer Italy’s newcomer Nicola Cordella any chance at all and secured his place in the quarter-finals and will now meet Azerbaijan’s Eljan Gafarli to contest a medal position.

The Bulgarian Boxing Federation, who will be hosting the Women’s Junior and Youth World Championships later this month, only sent two boxers to Kiev but both are top fighters and have medal expectations upon them. Their flag bearer, European Junior Championships silver medallist Daniel Asenov eliminated one of his main rivals, Uzbekistan’s current Asian Junior Champion Ulugbek Rakhimov in the Flyweight (50 kg) category winning the bout by split decision.

Azerbaijan’s European Schoolboys Champion 15-year-old Umid Rustamov is another strong favourite in the Flyweight (50 kg) category, but his preliminary bout against Hungary’s David Kovacs was far closer than expected. His form may yet pick up as the tournament continues.

Ukraine’s Junior National Champion Ruslan Zubachuk was among the gold medal contenders in the Light Bantamweight (52 kg) division and following his second tournament win on home soil today he kept his hopes alive. The 16-year-old Uman Liberation Junior Tournament winner boxer eliminated a serious rival in Uzbekistan’s Asian Junior Champion Javokhirbek Karimov to progress.
Brazil’s only boxer in the AIBA Junior World Championships is Cassio Santos Oliveira who proved his skills merited the selection in Kiev. The 16-year-old Brazilian Light Welterweight (63 kg) boxer used all his experience to beat Hungary’s Mark Kontrecz in a close contest.

The Light Middleweight class (70 kg) is shaping up to be an interesting affair with all the pre-tournament favourites still in the running: Ukraine’s European Schoolboys Championships silver medallist Ramil Gadzhyyev, Azerbaijan’s Heydar Aliyev Junior Cup winner Huseyn Tarverdili, US Junior National Trials winner Alexis Rocha and Russia’s Vladimir Kharchenko who eliminated Uzbekistan’s Asian Junior Champion Kozimbek Mardonov in a hectic battle.

Keep up to speed with all the action as the tournament progresses on the AIBA website.

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