Finland’s Muhammad Abdilrasoon won his hectic fight in the Algirdas Socikas Tournament on Day1
16 October 2020The first competition day of the new edition of the Algirdas Socikas Tournament was held in the city of Kaunas. Finland’s Muhammad Abdilrasoon defeated his neighbouring rival Sweden’s Erik Mendoza in a hectic contest. Israel also sent their best boxers to Kaunas where Pavlo Ishchenko and Miroslav Kapuler were too strong for their opponents.
Six-time Soviet National Champion Mr. Algirdas Socikas was one of the heroes of Lithuania’s boxing life in the past who won the European Boxing Championships two-times in 1953 in Warsaw and in 1955 in West Berlin. He reached the quarter-finals at the Helsinki 1952 Olympic Games and won the Baltic Championships three-times. Lithuania’s most important elite international boxing tournament was named after their national boxing icon.
Lithuania hosted the Danas Pozniakas Youth Tournament on March before the Covid-19 pandemic, their next international activity was the Algirdas Socikas Tournament in Kaunas. The safety of all participants, the continuous medical checks, the social distancing, the hygienic preparations, wearing masks and all of the health controls are the responsibility of the local organizers in Lithuania to avoid any new Covid-19 cases in the event.
The bout of the day
Finland’s Muhammad Abdilrasoon joined to the national team still as a junior boxer in 2013 and moved ahead in the European rankings step by step in the recent years. The 23-year-old middleweight (75kg) boxer attended all levels of boxing excluding the Olympic Games and proved his stamina in the first day of boxing at the Algirdas Socikas Tournament. Abdilrasoon met with his top regional rival Sweden’s Erik Mendoza in Lithuania and tried to find the best attacking angles from the first seconds. Mendoza, who has got Peruvian origins, was highly competitive for Abdilrasoon but Finland’s pride could win their fight by split decision.
The surprise of the day
Lithuania’s Laimonas Raibikis worked strongly in the recent months and arrived to Kaunas to win the welterweight (69kg). He was involved to the international events in 2015 as a junior and after five years of experiences, he planned to make a breakthrough among the elite boxers. The 21-year-old Lithuanian was too nervous in his bout against Poland’s Lukasz Zygula and suffered a loss in the opening day.
The round-up
Pavlo Ishchenko represented Ukraine in the first part of the 2010s and after the EUBC European Champion switched to Israel. The 28-year-old experienced boxer moved up to the light welterweight (64kg) and returned to the international events in the Algirdas Socikas Tournament in Kaunas. Ishchenko was not 100% shape yet in the first round of the event against Lithuania’s Aidas Savcenko but he was able to manage the important third period to win their narrow fight in Kaunas.
Czech Republic’s young talent Petr Novak spent a short time in the ring and defeated Lithuania’s Andriejus Lavrenovas at the welterweight (64kg) following his opponent’s ringside abandoned the bout. Estonia’s Semjon Kamanin had a few dangerous moments against Lithuania’s Modestas Zmuidina but he was able to manage that tactical difficulties and won their contest in another contest at the light welterweight (64kg).
Lithuania’s Saimonas Banys has been attending in the various age groups of the EUBC European Boxing Championships since 2014 therefore he had enough international experiences to beat Estonia’s Pavel Kamanin in another narrow fight of the first competition day. The possible gold medal contenders of the welterweight (69kg) such as Israel’s Miroslav Kapuler and Scotland’s Stephen Newns are also advanced to the next stage of the event.
