Belarus and England both earned five gold medals in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament
14 October 2018After the rest day the 16th edition of the Liventsev Memorial Tournament finished with the 15 finals in the capital city of Belarus in Minsk. Host Belarus and England both claimed five gold medals in the event but Georgia, Kazakhstan, France and Wales also took at least one title in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament.
The Belarusian capital will be hosting the 2nd edition of the European Games in June 21-30 next year which will be one of the highlights for the elite boxers in 2019. The competition was preparation event for the upcoming European Union Boxing Championships and test event for the 2019 European Games.
The following 16 strong European and Asian nations were taking part in the four-day long Liventsev Memorial Tournament in Minsk: host Belarus, China, Croatia, England, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, France, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia, Ukraine and Wales.
Following Belarus’ Yauheni Karmilchyk’s walk over to the title at the men’s light flyweight (49kg) the crowd saw the first actions at the flyweight (52kg) where England’s William Cawley secured the gold medal. The 21-year-old English boxer, who shined also in the World Series Boxing, was slightly better than Ukraine’s Rostyslav Bilostotskyi and achieved the title of the Liventsev Memorial Tournament.
France’s Jordan Rodriguez was involved to the national team as a youth boxer in 2013 and in the recent five years he was getting stronger step by step. The 22-year-old French bantamweight (56kg) boxer eliminated Kazakhstan’s Orazbek Asylkulov and Ukraine’s Mikhailo Dzyazko during his road to the final. The French boxer was confident in the final against Kazakhstan’s talent Bekzat Makzhan and secured his country’s lone gold medal in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament.
Belarus’ best male boxer the defending EUBC European U22 Champion and AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Dzmitry Asanau was unstoppable in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament and claimed his next gold medal. The 22-year-old Belarusian eliminated Yauheni Shabelnik, Kazakhstan’s WSB boxer Nursultan Koshchegulov and England’s Callum Thompson during his road to the finals. Asanau used his long range tactic against Belarus’ Anton Chernomaz in the final and dominated his title contest.
Georgia’s reigning EUBC European U22 Champion Lasha Guruli had similar final tactic as Belarus’ Dzmitry Asanau and his strong tactical skills meant the Caucasian boxer also claimed gold medal in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament. The 22-year-old Georgian was did his very best in the first two rounds against Italy’s Paolo Di Lernia which efforts were enough to win the title of the light welterweight (64kg). His teammate Giorgi Tchigladze defeated Serbia’s Vladan Babic in the final of the super heavyweight (+91kg) and raised the number of Georgian gold medals up to two.
England’s EUBC European Youth Champion Mark Dickinson moved up to the middleweight (75kg) in the recent months and the 19-year-old promising talent achieved his first tournament title in this division following his victory over Georgia’s Giorgi Kharabadze. Belarus’ experienced male boxers such as two-time Olympian Mikhail Dauhaliavets (81kg) and Strandja Memorial Tournament winner Uladzislau Smiahlikau (91kg) both won their categories in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament.
Belarus’ experienced Olga Lushchyk moved up to the women’s flyweight (51kg) to attend at the Liventsev Memorial Tournament and she defeated all of her tough rivals including her compatriot Yulia Apanasovich who claimed bronze medal in the 2016 EUBC European Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships.
England’s strong female trio Karriss Artingstall, Commonwealth Games silver medallist Paige Murney and EUBC European Women’s Champion Natasha Gale all won their weight classes in the Liventsev Memorial Tournament. Artingstall defeated Belarus’ Helina Bruyevich and following that Gale was slightly better than the local No.1 Viktoria Kebikava at the women’s middleweight (75kg) which finals were spectacularly close. The fifth women gold medal was delivered by Wales’ Commonwealth Games silver medallist Rosie Eccles who won her welterweight (69kg) final against Belarus’ Antanina Aksenava by large margin of differences.
