Great Silk Way Tournament AIBA recap and results
23 April 2015
Baku2015 Boxing Test Event
The recent Great Silk Way Tournament was used as a test competition ahead of June’s European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the event enabled the city to prepare for the first edition of the Games. Athlete of the tournament Azerbaijan’s Elena Vystropova was a silver medallist in the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Qinhuangdao at Middleweight (75 kg), later moving down to Welterweight (69 kg) after the London 2012 Olympic Games. The Azeri athlete claimed bronze in the 2014 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships, plus a title in the EUBC European Women’s Continental Championships, before moving down a further weight class to Light welterweight (64 kg) ahead of the European Games. Vystropova will be a boxer to watch in June, especially after her success in this tournament which culminated with a final victory over Uzbekistan’s Kamila Bekmetova. Team of the tournament Azerbaijan dominated this tournament winning 11 out of 15 gold medals, beginning in the opening final of the women’s competition when 20yearold Ashakhanum Aghayeva defeated her teammate Aziza Abbasova. At Bantamweight (54 kg), Anna Alimardanova defeated Russia’s National Championships silver medallist Tatiana Zrazhevskaya in a hectic bout, while AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships silver medalist Yana Alekseevna also achieved success, along with their fourth women’s gold medalist, Elena Vystropova. In the men’s part of the European Games Test Event, EUBC European Continental Championships silver medallist Elvin Mamishzada, AIBA World Boxing Championships quarterfinalist Elvin Isayev, Lorenzo Sotomayor, WSB hope Khaybula Musalov and London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist Teymur Mammadov all secured gold medals for the host nation. Surprise of the tournament Azerbaijan’s 20yearold Javid Dadashov was not the favourite against Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games winner Rufat Huseynov at Light flyweight (49 kg), but he found the winning tactics in the quarterfinal stage of the tournament which was one of the biggest surprises of the test event. Although Dadashov lost his semifinal to eventual winner Bator Sagaluyev, he displayed a lot of potential and could be a future star for his country. One to watch Bulgaria’s Strandja Memorial Tournament winner Radoslav Pantaleev has developed well in recent years as a boxer, and the 22yearold Light Heavyweight (81 kg) had a successful tournament in Azerbaijan. He eliminated Hungary’s tough Norbert Harcsa in the quarterfinals, Belarus’ EUBC European Continental Championships bronze medallist Siarhei Novikau in the semifinals while he was also too strong for Turkey’s Cem Karlidag in the gold medal bout. Stat/fact of the tournament 83 women’s and men’s boxers were invited by the local organizers to test the boxing venue before the forthcoming European Games, where gold medals were won by Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Russia and Uzbekistan.
List of the winners in Baku Women’s 51 kg: Ashakhanum Aghayeva, Azerbaijan Women’s 54 kg: Anna Alimardanova, Azerbaijan Women’s 60 kg: Yana Alekseevna, Azerbaijan Women’s 64 kg: Elena Vystropova, Azerbaijan Women’s 75 kg: Viktoria Kebikava, Belarus Men’s 49 kg: Bator Sagaluyev, Russia Men’s 52 kg: Elvin Mamishzada, Azerbaijan Men’s 56 kg: Tayfur Aliyev, Azerbaijan Men’s 60 kg: Elvin Isayev, Azerbaijan Men’s 64 kg: Lorenzo Sotomayor, Azerbaijan Men’s 69 kg: Tamerlan Abdullayev, Azerbaijan Men’s 75 kg: Khaybula Musalov, Azerbaijan Men’s 81 kg: Radoslav Pantaleev, Bulgaria Men’s 91 kg: Teymur Mammadov, Azerbaijan Men’s +91 kg: Bakhodir Jalolov, Uzbekistan
