Results from the World Amateur Championships
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 2, 2007Rau'shee Warren W Samir Mammadov... With his family in attendance, flyweight Rau’shee Warren advanced to the gold medal round of the World Amateur Championships by winning a 26-13 decision over Azerbaijan’s Samir Mammadov. Warren will face Somjit Songjohor of Thailand for the gold on Saturday. He said afterwards, “I feel good right now but it’s only a B+. The job isn’t done until I get the gold medal around my neck, see the flag going up and hear the national anthem,” Warren said. “My main goal was to qualify [for the Olympics] and after that I had to change my mindset and get the gold.”
Alfonso Blanco W Bakhtiyar Artayev... In a huge upset, Venezuela's Alfonso Blanco sent Olympic gold medalist Bakhtiyar Artayev back to Kazakhstan with only a bronze. Blanco, a middleweight, didn't even medal at the recent Pan Am Games, but on Friday he was able to defeat the man voted the 2004 Games' outstanding boxer. The score was 15-7. Blanco has another huge challenge ahead of him tomorrow, namely Russia's Matvey Korobov.
The Amateur World Championships, taking place in Chicago, is now in high gear, as the medal rounds begin today. The field in each of the eleven weight classes has been whittled down to four boxers, meaning that there are 44 boxers left, all of whom will do no worse than a bronze. Although the United States teram got off to a huge start, the biggest benefactors of Fidel Castro's decision to keep the powerhouse Cuban team home clearly is Russia. Of the eleven boxers sent here by Russia, eight are still in the hunto for a world amateur championship. China also has made a strong showing, with five boxers winning Thursday to make Friday's semifinals at the University of Illinois-Chicago's UIC Pavilion. Four Italians won spots in the semis. Kazakhstan and Thailand placed three boxers each in the semifinals. The U.S. team, with four of its six quarterfinalists losing, has two men left: Demetrius Andrade and Rau'shee Warren.
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 1, 2007Harry Tanamor W Luis Yanez... Thursday's evening session as the Amateur world championships was not kind to the United States, as its boxers lost three out of four bouts. Pan Am gold medalist Luis Yanez's loss to Filippino Harry Tanamor was probably the biggest surprise. Tanamor claimed the early lead, a 6-2 margin after the first round, and he increased it little by little every round. Yanez, who reserved a spot in next year's Olympics, came out charging in the fourth round, but Tanamor never stopped circling the ring and went on to win the 17-7 decision.
Sergey Vodopyanov W Gary Russell... Bantamweight Gary Russell, Jr. dropped a quarterfinal bout by a 16-6 count to Russia’s Sergey Vodopyanov. Like Yanez, Russell is going to Beijing next year, but this match was an example of Russia's emerging dominance at these games.
Demetrius Andrade W Jack Culcay-Keth... One of America's few highlights on Thursday night was welterweight Demetrius Andrade, who moved on to the semifinal round with a 30-9 win over Germany’s Jack Culcay-Keth. He never trailed in the bout and landed strong punches that caused the German to receive a standing eight count in the third round.
Islam Timurziev W Michael Hunter... The most painful loss of the evening went to Michael Hunter, who needed a win to qualify for the Olympics. Hunter landed some good punches, but it was not enough to defeat Russia's Islam Timurziev. Timurziev dominated the second and third rounds, and while Hunter fought aggressively in the fourth, the best he could do was an even round. Timurziev had his hand raised after a 22-15 decision.
Matvey Korobov W Jianzheng Wang... The leader of this tournament's Russian dominance is Matvey Korobov, who is defending the middleweight world championship he won two years ago. Korobov advanced to the semifinals with a commanding victory over Jianzheng Wang of China, 22-3. The best match-up of these games could materialize between Koborov and Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan, the 2004 Olympic welterweight gold medalist who has moved up to middleweight. If both men win today, there will be a champion vs. champion clash in the middleweight finals.
Rau'shee Warren W Georgy Balakshin... Rau'shee Warren continues to pile up meaningful international wins, this time defeeating Russia's Georgy Balakshin, 25-11. Balaksin was a 2004 Olympian, 2005 Amateur world champion, and earlier this week, he defeated the 2004 bronze medalist Jerome Thomas.
Balakshin, however, could not defeat Warren, who must now be considered along with Luis Yanez as America's best hope for Olympic gold.
Albert Selimov W Raynell Williams... American Raynell Williams is going home to Cleveland after losing a quarterfinal contest to Russia’s Albert Selimov by the score of 25-8. The bout was close for a round but then Selimov pulled away. Any disappointment will be considerably lessened by the knowledge that Williams' early round wins already qualified him for the Beijing Olympics.
Alexey Tishchenko RSC3 Husnu Kocabas... The dominating Russian team sent nine of its eleven boxers into the quarterfinals led by lightweight Alexey Tishchenko, who won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Tishchenko downed Husnu Kocabas of the Netherlands in a contest stopped in the third round after Tishchenko had built a 20-point lead at 25-5.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 31, 2007Rau’shee Warren W Violito Payla... Cincinnati's Rau’shee Warren became the first U.S. boxer since 1976 to go to two Olympic Games with a 25-11 victory over the Philippines Violito Payla. Warren told USA Boxing's website, “my hooks were scoring, every time I caught him, I was counting, that’s one, that’s two, that’s three. My straight punches were working also but he just kept coming. I thought I have to keep him off me but I knew he wasn’t scoring," Warren said. source: usa boxing
Demetrius Andrade W Magomed Nurudinov... Demetrius Andrade, the pride of Providence, Rhode Island, held a very accomplished opponent, 2005 World Championships silver medalist Magomed Nurudinov of Belarus, scoreless over the last round. Andrade's defense clinched a 26-6 victory and a berth at the 2008 Olympic Games. Andrade said afterwards, “I didn’t have pressure, all I had on my mind was that this was the most important bout of my life.” source: usa boxing
Michael Hunter W Jasem Delavari... Super heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas) used his speed and boxing skills to rack up a 19-13 win over Iran’s Jasem Delavari. As the super heavyweight division athletes must make the top four to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games, Hunter still needs one more win to make this tournament a personal success. That opportunity comes tomorrow against Russia’s Islam Timurziev of Russia in the quarterfinal round. source: usa boxing
Luis Yanez RSC2 Stephen Sutherland... Light flyweight Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) is going to the 2008 Olympics, thanks to a second-round stoppage of Australia’s Stephen Sutherland. Yanez is the third American to earn a tript to Beijing, and as the Pan Am Games gold medalist, he may be the country's best medal hope. Though he competes in the lightest weight class, Yanez's punching was strong enough to cause three standing eight counts. After the third standing eight count, the referee stopped the bout with 18 seconds remaining in the second round. Yanez was leading Sutherland, his former sparring partner, by a 17-3 margin at the time of the stoppage. He will face the Philippines’ Harry Tanamor, who also is going to Beijing, in quarterfinal action on Thursday. source: usa boxing
TUESDAY OCTOBER 30, 2007Bakhtiyar Artayev W Suriya Prasathinphimaj... Also earning a return ticket to the Olympics was Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan. Artayev was the welterweight gold medalist in 2004, but Tuesday's 20-7 victory over Suriya Prasathinphimaj of Thailand qualified him to compete at the 2008 Games as a middleweight. Artayev was the outstanding boxer of the 2004 games where he ended Oleg Saitov's bid for a third gold medal in the semis, and then beat ten-time Cuban champion Lorenzo Aragon for the gold.Konstantin Buga W Shawn Estrada... Middleweight Shawn Estrada (East Los Angeles) mounted a comeback to finish in a tie score, but he dropped a 12-12 tiebreaker to Germany’s Konstantin Buga. Estrada trailed Buga 6-2 at the midway point but came back in the third round, tying the score at various points. He trailed 9-8 as the fourth round began. Buga held and pushed Estrada’s head down and Estrada struggled to get free and land punches. Yet he pulled the bout to a tie only to see Buga was named the winner on a tiebreaker. Estrada felt he deserved to win, saying, "the guy couldn’t even stand at the end at the end of the round, but I did my best. I thought I had it, the guy was falling. I had him out-pointed, he couldn’t even stand. I dominated the ring,” Estrada said. “I showed the people I wanted it more. I did all I can.”
Bradley Saunders W Javier Molina... Light welterweight Javier Molina (Commerce, Calif.) ended his World Championships run on Tuesday night with a 24-12 loss to England’s Bradley Saunders, who took over in the third, building up a 17-9 advantage with three late points. Molina couldn’t make a dent in his deficit and he dropped the 24-12 final decision. Molina said. "“I’m very disappointed. I came here to qualify and to get that gold medal and I didn’t even qualify so now I have to go to Trinidad to qualify there.”
Gary Russell W Ali Hallab... Bantamweight Gary Russell, Jr. (Capitol Heights, Md.) officially earned a spot in the 2008 Olympics (to be held in Beijing). Russell racked up a 22-14 decision over fellow 2004 Olympian Ali Hallab of France. Russell led only 3-2 after the first round, but he steadily increased his lead over the last three periods. “After the second, he wanted to throw a lot of punches so he could get his points up and it made it a lot easier to get my shots off,” Russell said. He will face a Russian opponent next, but the pressure is now off Russell. “Everything else is fun (now that I’ve qualified). Before it was business, but now everything is fun.” Hallab won a bronze at the 2005 worlds, losing out to legendary Guillermo Rigondeaux of Cuba.
Raynell Williams RSC3 Anat Hovhannisyan... Featherweight Raynell Williams (Cleveland) punched his ticket to Beijing by stopping Armenia’s Anat Hovhannisyan in the third round. Williams used his speed to get off quick straight punches and move out of range before his foe could answer. He extended his lead to a 16-2 margin after four minutes of boxing. Williams moved out to a 23-3 lead at the 1:25 mark of the third to earn a mandatory stoppage.
SUNDAY OCTOBER 28, 2007Tony Jeffries W Christopher Downs... American light heavyweight Christopher Downs (Fort Carson, Colo.) was defeated by Tony Jeffries of England in the second round contest, closing Sunday's action. Jeffries moved out to an 8-4 advantage after two rounds. Once Downs was forced into the mode of the aggressor, Jeffries began to counter and build onto his lead. Downs, who has two more tournaments to try to qualify for the Olympics, said afterwards “The last couple days, I’ve been sore and battling a back injury but I felt at least 90% to get in the ring. I fell behind the first two rounds and I had to try to make up a lead every round and I just wasn’t able to do it. I stepped into the ring to compete and he was just the better man tonight.”
source for all results: usa boxing/aibaHrachik Javakhyan W Sadam Ali... Brooklyn lightweight Sadam Ali became just the second of eleven Americans eliminated from the World Amateur Boxing Championships, falling to Armenia's Hrachik Javakhyan 20-16 on Sunday. Javakhyan outscored Ali early, then protected his lead by moving around the ring and effectively countering Ali's attacks. Ali still has two more chances to qualify for the Olympics at upcoming tournaments in Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago.
Demetrius Andrade W Dmitrijs Sostaks... Welterweight Demetrius Andrade (Providence, R.I.) grabbed his second victory of the 2007 World Championships, winning a 19-3 decision over Dmitrijs Sostaks of Latvia. Andrade got pushed to the ground, and Sostaks was docked a point in what started out as a close contest. Then Andrade turned up the heat and simply outclassed his foe over the last two rounds. Next up for Andrade is Belarus’ Magomed Nurudinov on Wednesday with an Olympic berth on the line.Alexey Tishchenko W Joung-Won Kim... Russian lightweight Alexey Tishchenko, who won 2004 Olympic gold, had to brawl as well as box to outpoint Joung-Won Kim of Korea, 27-20. "It was a little more difficult than I expected," Tishchenko conceded. But he prevailed, he said, because "I was technically better and more experienced."
Zou Shiming W Birzham Zhakypov ... Light flyweight Zou Shiming of China advanced on Sunday at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007, but won't face the rematch he expected in the next round. The 2005 World Champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist finished with a flourish to outpoint Birzham Zhakypov of Kazakhstan, 30-13. He anticipated that he would face Hungary's Pal Bedak, who got a silver medal after losing to Zou in their title bout at the 2005 worlds but Bedak was upset by Russian David Ayrapetyan, who thus advances to face Zou on Wednesday.
Luis Yanez WO Simanga Shiba... At this rate, light flyweight Luis Yanez (Duncanville, Texas) may get to Beijing without throwing another punch. The Pan Am Games gold medalist got a first-round bye and has been on the sidelines while his American teammates have posted win after win. Yanez finally got the opportunity to walk to the ring for his first bout at the 2007 World Championships but there was no fight because his opponent, Simanga Shiba of Swaziland, did not report to the ring for their second round contest. Yanez gets the walkover win and is slated to face Austalia's Stephen Sutherland next.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 27, 2007Michael Hunter W Kurban Gunebakan... Super heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas, Nev.) capped an undefeated day for the United States with a 30-7 victory over Turkey’s Kurban Gunebakan. Hunter had a point taken in the first round, but the Turk was penalized in the second when Hunter began to turn up the heat. Amateur fights last only eight minutes, but Gunebakan appeared to tire in the third and Hunter took a commanding advantage. “I found my rhythm early and I sensed that he was tired so I stepped right to him,” Hunter said. “I knew I could start taking more chances.” Raynell Williams W Mazat Ospanov... Eighteen year old Raynell Williams advanced in the world amateur championships with a convincing 28-9 victory over Mazat Ospanov of Kazakhstan on Saturday. Williams held a slim 6-3 lead after one round, but took over in the second. Williams said, "my game plan was to go in there and box him. I can brawl and I can box and they pushed me into boxing and I boxed his head off.” If Williams can get by an Armenian foe on Tuesday, his ticket to the Olympics will be punched.
Shawn Estrada W Ryota Murata... It wasn't pretty but middleweight Shawn Estrada won a 17-12 decision to move on to third round action. Estrada trailed Japan's Ryota Murata after two rounds, but came on to win a bout marred by numerous fouls. Estrada was penalized a point in the fourth round, but scored a standing eight count in the final twenty seconds to seal the win.
Bakhtiyar Artayev RSC4 Deok-Jin Cho... Middleweight Bakhtiyar Artayev of Kazakhstan, boxing two divisions heavier than the welterweight division in which he won a 2004 Olympic gold medal, advanced with a solid triumph over Korea's Deok-Jin Cho. The referee stopped the contest with 55 seconds remaining in the bout.
McWilliams Arroyo W Vitaliy Volkov... Also in the middleweight division Puerto Rico's McWilliams Arroyo is one victory from qualifying for the 2008 Olympics after beating Ukraine's Vitaliy Volkov on Saturday. Arroyo, the middleweight champion from the 2007 Pan American Games, won by a score of 23-14.
Mikhail Biamadski W Aleksey Shaydulin... In a dramatic ending, featherweight Mikhail Biamadski of Belarus landed a punch with only two seconds left in the match to win by the slimmest of margins, 26-25. He defeated Bulgaria's Aleksey Shaydulin, the silver medalist at the 2005 World Championships.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 26, 2007Rau'shee Warren RSC3 Avila Braulio Juarez... Flyweight Rau'shee Warren (Cincinnati) is just one win away from a return trip to the Olympics. Warren piled up a 23-3 lead over Mexico's Avila Braulio Juarez requiring the referee to stop the contest in the third round. “This wasn’t as rough as the first one,” Warren said. “I just wanted to build up the lead early. I started off throwing my hook, but the coaches told me that my straight shots were working and they wanted me to throw straight punches.” Warren will face the Philippines’ Violito Payla on Wednesday with the winner clinching a trip to the Beijing games next year. source: usa boxing
Javier Molina W Emil Maharramov... Seventeen year-old Javier Molina posted a 27-10 victory over Azerbaijan's Emil Maharramov to advance to the third round of the amateur world championships. Molina competes in the light welterweight division. United States boxers are now 11-1 with perhaps their strongest medal hope, Luis Yanez, yet to fight.
Gary Russell RSC2 Peter Moyshenzon... American bantamweight Gary Russell, Jr. has moved into the third round of the world amateur championships with a near shoutout of Israel's Peter Moyshenzon. Russell dropped Moyshenzon to the canvas with a hook only thirty seconds into the bout. In the second round, Russell (from Maryland) built up a 21-1 lead, thus invoking the mercy rule used in amateur boxing. Russell made it to the world amateur championships the hard way, losing his first bout at the U.S. Olympic Trials, but making it all the way through the loser's bracket and winning two bouts in a box-off.
THURSDAY OCTOBER 25, 2007
Christopher Downs W Ismayl Sillakh... The oldest member of the U.S. team, Christopher Downs (he's about to turn 33) eked out a 27-25 win over Ismayl Sillakh of Ukraine in the final bout of evening competition. The lead changed hands with each punch landed during the final minute, and it wasn't until only 15 seconds remained that Downs took the lead for good-- as the crowd chanted U-S-A, U-S-A. The 6'4" light heavyweight didn't start boxing until 2003 and since then the Army man has spent time deployed in Iraq, so his experience in the sport is limited. His victory means the US ends Thursday's bouts with a 9-1 record, with only Luis Yanez yet to fight. source for all results: aiba/ usa boxing
Demetrius Andrade W Kakahaber Jvania... Demetrius Andrade (Rhode Island) scored a third-round knockdown that helped him advance to the second round of the amateur world championships by defeating an opponent from the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. Boxing announcers can breathe easier knowing they wont have to pronounce the name of Kakahaber Jvania, who dropped a 22-11 verdict to Andrade in the welterweight competition.
Sadam Ali W Jose Pedraza... Moments ago, Sadam Ali of Brooklyn, NY defeated Puerto Rico's Jose Pedraza to advance in the featherweight division. Ali trailed after both the first and second rounds, but was able to mount a comeback over the final two rounds. The final score was 25-17 in Ali's favor.
Rau'shee Warren W Tulashboy Doniyorov... The US team got off to a good start on Thursday at the amateur world championships in Chicago when its most experienced member, Rau'shee Warren chalked up a win over Tulashboy Doniyorov in a battle of 2004 Olympians. Warren, competing in the flyweight division, outpointed his Uzbeki foe 20-8 to move a step closer to become America's first two-time boxing Olympian in over 40 years. The win also provided some revenge for the USA, as Doniyorov defeated American Ron Siler in the 2004 Olympics.
Georgy Balakshin W Jerome Thomas... In other flyweight action, Russia's Georgy Balakshin defeated two-time Olympic medalist Jerome Thomas. Balakshin defeated the Frenchman by the score of 25-11. Thomas' resume includes a win over Jose Navarro en route to a bronze in 2000; then he went to the finals in 2004 but lost to Cuba's Yuriokis Gamboa, who recently defected to Germany and turned pro.
Zou Shiming W Constantin Paraschiv... On Thursday, China's star amateur boxer, Zou Shiming earned a spot in the second round of the light flyweight tournament by holding Constantin Paraschiv of Romania scoreless for the last three rounds en route to a 15-3 decision. Shiming is a 2005 world amateur champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist, which is a big deal in China, a nation that is just warming up to pro boxing.
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 24, 2007
Krzysztof Zimnoch W Deontay Wilder... The United States team suffered its first loss of the 2007 AIBA World Championships when heavyweight Deontay Wilder (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) dropped a 23-20 decision to Poland’s Krzysztof Zimnoch. Wilder was battling a cold and ear infection, but led 9-5 after two of the four rounds were complete. But Zimnoch began pressing Wilder, who seemed to tire, perhaps his illness. Wilder held a slim 15-13 advantage after three, but the Pole grabbed the lead with just over a minute remaining in the bout. Zimnoch emerged victorious, with a 23-20 final decision, eliminating Wilder from the tournament. It was Wilder's first international bout. source: usa boxing
Mike Hunter RSC3 Andres Ruiz Ponce... Super heavyweight Michael Hunter (Las Vegas) recorded a third-round stoppage of Mexico's Andres Ruiz Ponce. In the second round, Hunter showcased his speed and movement, and took a commanding 17-1 lead. He closed the show in the third round, extending his advantage to 21-1 at 1:08 to take the mandatory stoppage victory. “I knew I have more bouts to come so I wanted to make it easy as possible. The first round I tried to feel him out, and see what he had,” Hunter said. In the second round, I could tell that I was a lot faster than him so I picked it up. In the third round, I just went to the body and finished it.” Hunter is the son of Mike "The Bounty Hunter", a fringe heavyweight contender who beat three world titlists (Oliver McCall, Alexander Zolkin, Dwight Muhammad Qawi) in the late 80s and early 90s.
Shawn Estrada RSC3 Artur Zlatopolski... East LA's Shawn Estrada made it four in a row for the USA by stopping Israel's Artur Zlatopolski. Estrada ended things early, winning a mandatory stoppage on the 20-point rule in the final seconds of the third round. He held only a 2-0 lead after the first round, but came out on fire in the second, scoring 12 points in a minute to move out to a 14-1 edge. The Israeli tried tackling Estrada to the ground, but even that couldn't hold off the 20-point mercy stoppage. Next up for Estrada is a Japanese foe on Saturday.
Raynell Williams W Khedafi Djelkhir... American Raynell Williams enjoyed a succcessful world amateur championship debut in his featherweight bout with France's Khedafi Djelkhir, a veteran of the 2004 Olympics. Williams won a 28-18 victory over Djelkhir to bring the U.S. win total to three. Williams, the first U.S. boxer to compete in the second day of action at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, rode a strong first round to the win. The first round saw Djelkhir pressing and the American countering beautifully, building a commanding 12-2 lead after two minutes. The pace slowed slightly in the second stanza, and Williams went on to win by ten points. Djelkhir went to the 2004 Athens games as a featherweight, and lost to Vitali Tajbert, who is now 13-0 as a pro. Williams will face Kazakhstan’s Mazat Ospanov in second round action on Saturday.
TUESDAY OCTOBER 23, 2007
Masatsugu Kawachi W Manus Boonjumnong... The first upset at the amateur world championship came on Tuesday when 2004 Olympic gold medalist Manus Boonjumnong of Thailand lost to Masatsugu Kawachi of Japan 14-9 in a light welterweight matchup in Chicago. In 2004 at Athens, Boonjumnong beat French prospect Willy Blain (now 18-0 and a regional titlist as a pro) as well as Cuban Yudel Johnson Cedeno en route to the gold. source: aiba
Javier Molina W Rikardo Smith... Light welterweight Javier Molina (Commerce, Calif.) boxed in his first major international bout on Tuesday, and he recorded a 36-17 victory over Jamaica’s Rikardo Smith. Molina led from bell to bell. The 17-year-old turned it on in the third round, scoring 12 points and holding the rangy Smith to four to move out to a commanding 26-13 edge as the final two minutes began. He will face Emil Maharramov of Azerbaijan in the next round. “He was one dimensional, he just came forward with long arms,” Molina said. “People see me as a little kid with hardly any muscle so the guys I box are bigger than me and they don’t think I can do it, but I know in my head that I can do it."
Gary Russell W Rudolf Dydi... Gary Russell, Jr. (Capitol Heights, Md.) led off the 2007 AIBA World Championships in victorious fashion. The two-time U.S. bantamweight national champion faced off with Rudolf Dydi of Slovakia in the tournament opener in Chicago. Dydi took a 5-4 lead at the halfway mark, but Russell enjoyed a strong third round of action, holding Dydi scoreless while nearly doubling his point total to go into the final stanza with a 9-4 edge. He held Dydi at bay through the final two minutes to grab the first win of the tournament for both he and the United States team. Russell said, “all I needed to do was let my hands go; we kept colliding because he was switching back and forth from southpaw to orthodox stance. Our feet kept hitting and it offset me a little bit, but you have to overcome things like that.” He will face Israel’s Peter Moyshenzon in second round action on Friday.
