Lithuania’s best juniors Gudomskas and Trofimciuk are in the finals at the Botvinnik Junior Memorial Tournament

Eighteen semi-final bouts were held in the Vladimir Botvinnik Junior Memorial Tournament in Minsk, Belarus during the exciting third competition day and the winners are advanced to the finals in the traditional event. Lithuania’s best junior boxers such as Nedas Gudomskas and Aleksandr Trofimciuk both gave in everything in their semi-final fights and advanced to the finals of the competition.

Vladimir Botvinnik was born in 1938 and following his early career, he became Champion of the Soviet Union in 1959 as the second boxer from Belarus in the history of the event. The seven-time Belarusian National Champion was a successful coach after his athlete career and trained the next generation of boxers in Belarus. Following his awards and dedicated life to boxing the competition was named after him.

Host Belarus, Belgium, China, Georgia, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia and Ukraine are attending in the Chizhovka Arena which is the official venue of the Vladimir Botvinnik Junior Memorial Tournament. The finals are scheduled on September 21 in the four-day long competition where 13 champions will be crowned in Minsk. The competition is the last preparation event before the EUBC European Confederation Junior Boxing Championships which will be held in Anapa, Russia next month.

Belarus’ best junior pinweight (46kg) boxer Kiryl Levankou has got experiences from EUBC events and other international competitions and hoping to be crowned in the Vladimir Botvinnik Junior Memorial Tournament. The 16-year-old Belarusian boxer lost to Israel’s Maor Rusanov in Lithuania last week but he was able to do revenge in their re-match. Levankou will be facing for the gold medal with Ukraine’s Danylo Dryzhak who eliminated China’s Yang Ming in the second semi-final of the category.

The talented Belarusian flyweight (50kg) boxer EUBC European Confederation Schoolboys Boxing Championships competitor 15-year-old Vladislav Valasyuk performed better and bowed out China’s Wu Xihua in the quarter-finals and following that success he was able to deliver a sensation against their Junior National Champion Aliaksandr Kareuski. Valasyuk’s unexpected success means he can fight in the final with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zabolotnyi who defeated Belarus’ Maksim Unuchak.

Ukraine’s Volodymyr Shvyrlo walked over to the final of the bantamweight (54kg) following his opponent Belarus’ EUBC European Confederation Junior Boxing Championships competitor Aliaksandr Lavrushchyk was unable to box against him in the last four. The Ukrainian talent will be meeting in the final with Belarus’ Nikita Frantsuzau who eliminated his teammate Vadzim Maisakou in Minsk.

Lithuania’s Ricardas Tamulis Junior Tournament winner 16-year-old Nedas Gudomskas is one of the most experienced athletes in their junior team who defeated two of his opponents by RSC during his road to the semi-finals of the featherweight (57kg). Gudomskas had to do his very best against Russia’s Danil Vishniakov in the last four but his strong tactical victory means he can face with another Russian Danil Ryabchenkov in the final of the Vladimir Botvinnik Junior Memorial Tournament.

Russia’s new national team member Aleksandr Zyryanov delivered a small sensation when he defeated Ukraine’s Junior National Champion strong Bazarbay Matyakubov on Day2. The Russian talent walked over to the final of the lightweight (60kg) against Belarus’ Junior National Champion Yan Krukouski and will be meeting for the title with Belarus’ Daniil Kryvich who celebrated his success over Georgia’s Dmitriy Khvtisiashvili after the last gong.

Artur Tsekhanovich is the Belarusian Junior National Champion at the light welterweight (63kg) who has been preparing to the upcoming EUBC European Confederation Junior Boxing Championships. He defeated in the national events Vitaliy Bolgov and Tsekhanovich has done it on their re-match once again. The Belarusian hope needs only one further success to get the top of the podium against 15-year-old Daniil Tsitko who defeated Russia’s Aleksei Kuzin.

Lithuania’s another flag bearer in the junior team EUBC European Confederation Junior Boxing Championships silver medallist Aleksandr Trofimciuk did enough to beat Belarus’ Siarhei Kavaleuski in the semi-final of the light middleweight (70kg). The Lithuanian boxer will be fighting for the title of the Vladimir Botvinnik Junior Memorial Tournament with Belarus’ Junior National Champion Roman Vasilyevskiy who controlled his fight against Ukraine’s Volodymyr Saletskyi on Day3.