France’s duo Rousseau and Toutin advanced to the finals of the Julius Torma Youth Memorial Tournament
26 September 2020The 29th edition of the Julius Torma Youth Memorial Tournament continued with its second competition day in the capital city of the Czech Republic in Prague. France’s duo Matheo Rousseau and Voldy Toutin both amazed in the second day of boxing in Prague advancing to the finals of their weight classes.
Their legend, Mr. Julius Torma was a Hungarian-descent boxer who was born in Budapest in 1922 but competed for Czechoslovakia in the international competitions in the 1940s and 1950s. He claimed a gold medal in the London 1948 Olympic Games at the welterweight (67kg) and attended also in the 1952 Helsinki and the 1956 Melbourne Olympics with successes. Torma was gold medallist in the Oslo 1949 European Boxing Championships and claimed further bronze medals in the in the Dublin 1947 and in West Berlin 1955 editions.
The safety of all participants, the continuous medical checks, the social distancing, the hygienic preparations, wearing masks and all of the controls are the responsibility of the local organizers in Prague to avoid any Covid-19 cases in the event.
Bout of the day
Czech Republic’s Veronika Zajicova is a top female youth boxer who returned to the international events at the Silesian Open Women’s Tournament in Gliwice where she claimed silver medal. The Czech flyweight (51kg) talent had to meet with France’s Ambrine Zitouni in the second day of the Julius Torma Youth Memorial Tournament. Their meeting was one of the best contests of Day2 which ended with Czech success in Prague. The final verdict was split decision in the favour of the 17-year-old Zajicova but both girls proved their strong future potentials.
The surprise of the day
Croatia’s Alen Ahmetovic opened the whole event with a triumph on Day1 but he had to box once again in the next competition day. The 17-year-old Croatian lightweight (60kg) boxer was a favourite against France’s newcomer Matheo Rousseau but he was not able to deliver the same strong performance as in Day1. The French boxer claimed silver at the Euro Cup in Bosnia & Herzegovina this February but proved even better performance in Prague and bowed out the experienced Croatian in their semi-final.
The Round-up
Slovakia’s Adolf Stanek was too strong for Czech Republic’s Karel Rochl in in the quarter-finals of the lightweight (60kg) and he continued his winning path in the semi-finals as well. The 18-year-old Slovakian has been attending in the international events since 2017 and his experiences were enough to win his second difficult fight in Prague. Stanek had excellent stamina in the final round and eliminated Austria’s Arsen Chabyan in a tough contest.
France’s Voldy Toutin claimed gold medal at the 2018 Junior National Championships but the Julius Torma Youth Memorial Tournament is one of his debuts in the international stage. The 18-year-old French boxer moved up to the light heavyweight (81kg) this year but he developed his strength well enough in the recent months. Toutin, who came from a boxing family, landed lethal combinations quickly against Czech Republic’s Adam Grabec and his opponent’s ringside abandoned the bout in the first round.
Czech Youth National Championships gold and silver medallist Artem Hafiyak opened his campaign with a surprises success on Day1 which increased his motivation in Prague. The 18-year-old Hafiyak was too strong for his teammate Dominik Ruzicka already in the first minutes of their semi-final fight. Hafiyak advanced to the final of the light heavyweight (81kg) following his RSC success over Ruzicka.
