Tazabekova, Golovchenko and Gorisnaja opened the Korotkov Memorial Tournament with triumphs
13 May 2021Altogether 99 boxers are attending in the new edition of the Konstantin Korotkov Memorial Tournament in Khabarovsk, Russia where the first sessions are finished. Russia’s Karina Tazabekova won a difficult contest during her opening in Khabarovsk but the main sensation was caused by Estonia’s Diana Gorisnaja.
Konstantin Korotkov was the Hero of the Soviet Union who received the highest award of the former country in 1943. He won several boxing events before 1941 and the competition in Khabarovsk was named after him.
The following 18 nations from four Confederations are attending in the new edition of the Korotkov Memorial Tournament: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Israel, Japan, Kenya, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Morocco, Moldova, Poland, host Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
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 Russia to avoid any new Covid-19 cases during the Korotkov Memorial Tournament.
The bout of the day
Russia’s EUBC European Women’s Elite Boxing Championships silver medallist Karina Tazabekova competed at the bantamweight (54kg) in the previous years but at the Korotkov Memorial Tournament she competes in a heavier category. She moved up to the featherweight (57kg) and opened her campaign against her experienced teammate, Natalia Samokhina. Tazabekova used her aggressive tactic to land punches and she succeeded in most of the period of their contest. The final verdict was split decision in the favour of Tazabekova who eliminated a strong rival in Khabarovsk.
The surprise of the day
Estonia’s Diana Gorisnaja claimed bronze medal at the 2020 EUBC European Youth Boxing Championships in Budva but she is newcomer in the elite competitions. The Estonian flyweight (51kg) boxer surprised one of the best African hopes in that category, Kenya’s Christine Ongare. Her Kenyan opponent is a Tokyo Olympian but the 19-year-old Estonian found the best tactical weapons against Ongare and caused a sensational win in the second session of the Korotkov Memorial Tournament.
The Round-Up
Azerbaijan’s Masud Yusifzada had excellent year in 2014 as a youth boxer and following that he moved ahead step by step in the elite tournaments. The Azeri flyweight (52kg) boxer started his opening contest in different rhythm as Russia’s Nikolay Grigorev and took the lead after three minutes. The experienced Azeri boxer dictated the tempo and he was able to control the bout until the final gong.
Belarus’ Yahor Kurbanau has been attending in the international events since 2011 when he was a junior talent. The Belarusian boxer claimed silver medal at the Victory Day Tournament a few days ago and travelled immediately to Khabarovsk to compete against top rivals. The Belarusian National Champion had to do his very best against Estonia’s Semjon Kamanin and he was slightly better in the exchanges.
Belarus’ Alina Veber moved back to her best category to the welterweight (69kg) and despite of the long travel from her homeland, she was enough fit to beat her Russian opponent. The 25-year-old Belarusian had strong stamina and eliminated Albina Moldazhanova in the Korotkov Memorial Tournament. Russia’s experienced Galina Golovchenko was too strong for Belarus’ Daria Asmalouskaya and also advanced to the next stage of boxing in Khabarovsk.
