Barnes, Selimov, Bacskai, Beterbiyev and Mekhontcev shined in the Moscow 2010 European Boxing Championships
03 October 2020The 38th edition of the European Boxing Championships was the second continental event for the male boxers in the London 2012 Olympic cycle which took place in Moscow in 2010. Russia achieved seven gold medals in the front of the home crowd and such stars shined in the event as Patrick Barnes, Albert Selimov, Balazs Bacskai, Artur Beterbiyev and Egor Mekhontcev.
A Russian city, Perm hosted the European Boxing Championships in 2002 and after eight years of hiatus, the event of the men’s elite boxers returned to the country’s heart to Moscow. The 2010 edition was hosted by the European Boxing Confederation together with the Russian Boxing Federation.
Altogether fights of 11 weight classes were in the schedule of the Moscow 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships. The first competition day of the 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships was June 5 in Moscow while the finals were held on June 12. A rest day was held in the event after the quarter-finals of the 2010 edition on June 10.
The total number of the boxers was higher than in 2008, altogether 230 athletes competed in the Moscow 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships. Two rounds of preliminaries were held at the bantamweight (54kg), at the featherweight (57kg), at the lightweight (60kg), at the light welterweight (64kg), at the welterweight (69kg), at the middleweight (75kg), at the light heavyweight (81kg) and at the heavyweight (91kg) in Moscow.
The following 41 nations attended in the 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships in the Russian capital: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, F.Y.R. of Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine attended with maximum number of 11 boxers in the Moscow 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships. Armenia sent 10 boxers to Moscow, only the super heavyweight (+91kg) was not covered by their head coach with any athletes. Germany could not take part at the light flyweight (48kg) in Moscow, but all of the other 10 categories saw boxers from the strong country. Turkey also attended with 10 boxers in the 2010 edition, their gap was the lightweight (60kg). England, the host of the next Olympic Games competed with nine boxers in Moscow excluding their defending champion Luke Campbell.
Russia amazed with its seven gold medals in the Moscow 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships and regained their place in the top of the table. Ireland achieved record number of five medals and finished as runner-up in the team standings. Hungary earned one gold, one silver and one bronze medals in the Russian capital and ranked No.3 in the Moscow 2010 EUBC European Boxing Championships.
Armenia and Germany both won one gold and two bronze medals in Moscow where England, Ukraine, Belarus, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Israel, Italy, Spain and Wales were also on the medal table. Some of the top Ukrainians missed the Moscow edition including Vasyl Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk who totally focused to the Olympic Games and its qualification events.
Ireland’s Commonwealth Games winner Patrick Barnes had a strong fighting spirit and his motivation delivered for him a gold medal in Moscow where he defeated Azerbaijan’s 19-year-old Elvin Mamishzada in the final of the light flyweight (51kg). Russia’s Misha Aloian was 22 by the time of the event and had enough experiences to beat his main rivals as Italy’s Vincenzo Picardi and England’s Khalid Yafai.
Ukraine’s Georgiy Chygayev won the flyweight (51kg) in the Liverpool 2008 edition and advanced to the finals of the bantamweight (54kg) two years later. The 27-year-old Ukrainian was outpointed by Russia’s Eduard Abzalimov in the final of the continental event where Wales’ Andrew Selby and England’s Gamal Yafai achieved bronze medals. Germany’s Kazakh-born Denis Makarov impressed at the featherweight (57kg) and reached his career highlight with the gold medal of the category following his success over England’s 20-year-old Iain Weaver.
Ukraine’s star Vasyl Lomachenko missed the event but Russia’s 2006 champion Albert Selimov returned to the national team to take his second European title. The 24-year-old Russian won the lightweight (60kg) after beating England’s Thomas Stalker in the final. Armenia’s Eduard Hambartsumyan won the title of the light welterweight (64kg) in 2008 and his fellow Hrachik Javakhyan continued the country’s winning path in that category two years later. Both Armenians defeated Hungary’s Gyula Kate in these finals making surprises in Liverpool and in Moscow.
Hungary’s AIBA Junior World Champion 22-year-old Balazs Bacskai moved up to the welterweight (69kg) and following his amazing tournament series, he was crowned also in Moscow where he triumphed over France’s Alexis Vastine in the final. Russia’s Artem Chebotarev was not the main favourite of the gold medal at the middleweight (75kg) but he worked well enough to catch the title in Moscow against Ireland’s Darren O’Neill.
Russia’s fifth gold medal was achieved by Artur Beterbiyev who stopped most of his opponents and proved his strength in the final against France’s Abdelkader Bouhenia. The only boxer in the Moscow edition who could defend his throne was Egor Mekhontcev who defeated Ukraine’s Denys Poyatsika and Bulgaria’s Tervel Pulev in the final stages of the heavyweight (91kg). Russia’s Sergey Kuzmin was newcomer in such big event as the EUBC European Boxing Championships but he defeated the stars of the super heavyweight (+91kg) as Italy’s Roberto Cammarelle and Belarus’ Viktar Zuyeu.
List of the winners in the 2010 European Boxing Championships
- Light flyweight (48kg): Patrick Barnes, Ireland
- Flyweight (51kg): Misha Aloian, Russia
- Bantamweight (54kg): Eduard Abzalimov, Russia
- Featherweight (57kg): Denis Makarov, Germany
- Lightweight (60kg): Albert Selimov, Russia
- Light welterweight (64kg): Hrachik Javakhyan, Armenia
- Welterweight (69kg): Balazs Bacskai, Hungary
- Middleweight (75kg): Artem Chebotarev, Russia
- Light heavyweight (81kg): Artur Beterbiyev, Russia
- Heavyweight (91kg): Egor Mekhontcev, Russia
- Super Heavyweight (+91kg): Sergey Kuzmin, Russia
