Strandja Memorial Tournament – 2nd Preview
22 February 2021Altogether 220 boxers including 91 women athletes will be attending from 30 nations at the 72nd edition of the Strandja Memorial Tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria this week. The Strandja Memorial is Europe’s oldest international boxing tournament and has got a strong brand name therefore high number of stars compete there in the new edition.
The first edition of the Strandja Memorial Tournament was held in Sofia in 1950 when all of the winners were boxers from the host nation. Following a few difficult periods, the management of the Bulgarian Boxing Federation decided to increase the level of the event in the recent 11 years. The women elite boxers also added to the official program of the Strandja Memorial Tournament still back in 2011.
Finland’s Mira Potkonen won the star final of the last edition of the Strandja Memorial Tournament and became the Best Woman Boxer in Sofia on January 2020. Ukraine’s AIBA World Champion Oleksandr Khyzhniak was named as the Best Man Boxer of the tournament where 34 nations attended. Both of them returned to the new 72ndedition of the Strandja Memorial Tournament to Bulgaria.
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 Sofia to avoid any new Covid-19 cases during the Strandja Memorial Tournament.
Facts of the event
Name: Strandja Memorial Tournament
Date: February 21-28, 2021
Venue: Sofia, Bulgaria
Gender: Women & Men
Age Group: Elite
Date of Birth: 1981-2002 born boxers
Weight categories of the event:
51kg, 57kg, 60kg, 69kg and 75kg for the elite women boxers
52kg, 57kg, 63kg, 69kg, 75kg, 81kg, 91kg and +91kg for the elite men boxers
Schedule of the event
February 21 – Arrival of the delegations
February 22 – Official Draw
February 22 – Day1 competition
February 23 – Day2 competition
February 24 – Day3 competition
February 25 – Day4 competition
February 26 – Day5 competition
February 27 – Day6 competition with the finals
February 28 – Departure of the delegations
Participating nations in the event
The following 30 nations are attending in the Strandja Memorial Tournament: Armenia, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, India, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Lithuania, Morocco, Moldova, Mali, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America and Uzbekistan.
Boxers who need to be watched in the event
– Virginia Fuchs, USA, women’s 51kg – AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships bronze medallist
– Nazym Kyzaibay, Kazakhstan, women’s 51kg – Two-time AIBA Women’s World Champion
– Stanimira Petrova, Bulgaria, women’s 57kg – AIBA Women’s World Champion
– Beatriz Ferreira, Brazil, women’s 60kg – AIBA Women’s World Champion
– Mira Potkonen, Finland, women’s 60kg – Rio 2016 Olympic Games bronze medallist; EUBC European Women’s Champion; European Games winner
– Kellie Harrington, Ireland, women’s 60kg – AIBA Women’s World Champion
– Busenaz Surmeneli, Turkey, women’s 69kg – AIBA Women’s World Champion
– Valentina Khalzova, Kazakhstan, women’s 69kg – AIBA Women’s World Champion
– Naomi Graham, USA, women’s 75kg – AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships bronze medallist
– Shakhobiddin Zoirov, Uzbekistan, men’s 52kg – Rio 2016 Olympic Games winner; AIBA World Champion
– Daniel Asenov, Bulgaria, men’s 52kg – Two-time EUBC European Champion
– Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov, Uzbekistan men’s 57kg – AIBA World Champion; Asian Games winner
– Mykola Butsenko, Ukraine, men’s 57kg – AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist
– Bobo-Usmon Baturov, Uzbekistan, men’s 69kg – AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist; Asian Games winner
– Oleksandr Khyzhniak, Ukraine, men’s 75kg – AIBA World Champion; EUBC European Champion
– Dilshodbek Ruzmetov, Uzbekistan, men’s 81kg – AIBA World Boxing Championships silver medallist
– Sagyndyk Togambay, Kazakhstan, men’s 91kg – Two-time ASBC Asian Youth Champion; AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships silver medallist
– Wilfried Florentin, France, men’s 91kg – EUBC European Youth Champion
– Radoslav Pantaleev, Bulgaria, men’s 91kg – AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist
– Bakhodir Jalolov, Uzbekistan, men’s +91kg – AIBA World Champion; Two-time ASBC Asian Champion
