#WSBV Day 3 – Morocco Atlas Lions claim first win of the season against British Lionhearts
31 January 2015
Morocco Atlas WSBV
A nerve wracking evening in Casablanca resulted in the first World Series of Boxing (WSB) victory of the season for Morocco Atlas Lions as they defeated British Lionhearts 3-2.
The night began with success for Morocco at Light flyweight (49 kg) when Moroccan National Champion Zouhair El Bekkali won his first WSB contest of the season as he defeated Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Ashley Williams who is now 0-2 in WSB.
Mohamed VI Trophy winner Mohamed Hamout also claimed victory for the first time in Season V, with a unanimous points win over Bantamweight (56 kg) Qais Ashfaq who drops to 1-1.
The Lionhearts began a comeback in match three at Light welterweight (64 kg) when 2-0 Sam Maxwell reacted well from losing the first round by claiming a split decision win against Morocco’s 0-2 Hamza El Barbari.
Middleweight (75 kg) 2-0 Anthony Fowler then evened up the scoring on the night wide a wide points win over Said Harnouf, leaving everything to play for in the last night of the evening.
A Heavyweight (91 kg) shootout established which Franchise would win the contest, and when Lionhearts fighter 0-2 Ionut-Mirel Jitaru was forced to pull out at the end of the third round due to a shoulder injury, 1-0 Vitalijus Subacius picked up the win for himself, and for Morocco Atlas Lions.
British Lionhearts will aim to halt their losing streak next week when they face Algeria Desert Hawks at home, while Morocco Atlas Lions can climb Group A even further if they win away against the still undefeated Ukraine Otamans.
