Viktoriya Kebikava won the Belarusian selection fight at the 9th Nations Women’s Cup on Day2
17 January 2020The 9th edition of the Nations Women’s Cup is a female event in all of the four age groups: elite, youth, junior and schoolgirls in Sombor. Altogether 34 fights have been held in the second competition day when juniors, youth talents and elites were in action. The Belarusian selection bout was won by Viktoriya Kebikava on Day2 when Montenegro’s star Bojana Gojkovic won her debuting contest by RSC.
The first edition of the Nations Women’s Cup was taking place in Sombor eight years ago in 2012. The Olympic Qualification Events will be held in the months of February and March therefore the interest is higher for the preparation tournaments than in a non-Olympic year. Altogether 193 boxers from 25 countries are attending in the new edition of the Nations Women’s Cup including new female boxing nations as Cyprus and Mali.
Bout of the day
Belarus is attending at the 9th Nations Women’s Cup with their best elite female boxers and one of their fights became a selection bout in Sombor which was held in neutral environment. Viktoriya Kebikava claimed bronze medal at the New Delhi 2018 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and became the first Belarusian female boxer who achieved a podium place in a world event. Kebikava moved back to the middleweight (75kg) in the important Olympic year and met with her teammate Alina Veber in an exciting bout. Kebikava is seven-year older than Veber and her experiences paid off in their meeting which was the highlight of the day. The final verdict was unanimous decision to Kebikava who is now near to compete also at the upcoming European Olympic Qualification Event.
Surprise of the day
Italy’s Martina La Piana is two-time EUBC European Women’s Youth Champion and she achieved the gold medal also at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games. The Italian flyweight (51kg) boxer is now an elite athlete since January 1 and the Nations Women’s Cup is her first international competition. La Piana is one of the highest hopes in the women’s world but she suffered an unexpected loss in her debut when she met with India’s Ritu Grewal who used her experienced to beat the 18-year-old super talent.
The Round-Up
Montenegro will be hosting the EUBC European Youth Boxing Championships in Budva this year therefore their top talents have been preparing strongly to achieve career highlights on home soil in the end of April. Montenegro’s two-time EUBC European Women’s Junior Champion Bojana Gojkovic joined to the youth age group only two and half weeks ago but she spent less than three minutes in the ring on Day2. The 16-year-old talent was too strong for Serbia’s Marija Lalic and the referee confirmed her RSC success still in the first round.
France’s Sthelyne Grosy competed well in the last year’s youth events and she is ready to do big things in 2020. The year will be important for the youth boxers and the French girl proved her upgraded skills against Montenegro’s Nela Radenovic winning all of the rounds on each scorecard. China’s Li Mingmei, and Russia’s duo Alina Kantemirova and Polina Khomyakova each won their difficult contests at the youth featherweight (57kg) and followed Grosy to the semi-finals of the event.
India had two tough contests against Chinese boxers in the second competition day among the elite age group. National Champion Monika controlled all of the three rounds against China’s Zheng Liyang at the light flyweight (48kg). Following her success, the second Indian, experienced Bhagyabati Kachari also worked well against a Chinese hope, Zhang Jie at the middleweight (75kg).
Romania’s Dana Borzei moved up to the welterweight (69kg) but she proved her strength against Serbia’s Nikolina Gajic which contest finished before the final bell by RSC. Another Serbian girl in this weight class, Aleksandra Rapajic was more successful, she was able to change her rhythm in time to beat India’s Meena Rani. Morocco’s Oumayma Bel Ahbib and China’s Bao Lina are also advanced to the semi-finals in this weight class following their triumphs over Russian boxers.
