Tomorrow is the most important day of this year for amateur boxing. Today all preparations for that day were finished as the finalists of the 2019 World Amateur Championship were defined in Ekaterinburg, Russia.

 

Kazakhstan was one nation, which state of readiness turned to be only partially fit for the finals. Entering Friday with six semifinalists, it left it with four bronze medalists, meaning that the score was 2-4 in favour of its opponents.

 

Far more successful were their southern members from Uzbekistan. The Middle Eastern state, which won 2016 Rio Olympics in overall standings, lost just one representative in the semifinals, four advancing forward. One of them is 2016 Olympic gold medal-winning flyweight Shakhobidin Zoirov, who is also a starting pro (3-0, 2 KOs in 2019).

 

The other two, left from Rio, are Cubans Julio Cesar La Cruz and Arlen Lopez. Lopez lost in the quarterfinals, while La Cruz, one of the sport’s biggest stars was beaten by Kazakh Bekzad Nurdauletov today. For the 30-year old it was his first loss in world championships, which he dominated for almost a decade, winning in Baku (2011), Almaty (2013), Doha (2015) and Hamburg (2017). Cuba will be represented in the finals by only two boxers – Andy Cruz and Lazaro Alvarez.

 

The Russian national team scored another solid performance on Friday. Consisting mostly of low-rated fighters Russia was 3-1, the only loss being heavyweight Maxim Babanin. Veteran fighter Andrey Zamkovoy has a least repeated his 2009 Milano trick. He will be joined by far less experienced Gleb Bakshi and Muslim Gadzhimagomedov. Less experience doesn’t mean less talent in this case. Certainly, not for Keyshawn Davis as well. Davis will be the only American medalist and maybe even a gold, if he overcomes Cruz of Cuba.

 

Finals will start tomorrow at 4:30 PM locally (UTC+5).

 

RESULTS

 

52 kg (Flyweights)

1. Shakhobidin Zoirov (Uzbekistan) – Billal Bennama (France) – 5:0
2. #2 Amit Panghal (India) – Saken Bibossinov (Kazakhstan) – 3:2

 

57 kg (Bantamweights)

1. #1 Lazaro Jorge Alvarez Estrada (Cuba) – #4 Peter McGrail (England) – 4:1
2. #7 Mirazizbek Mirzakhalilov (Uzbekistan) – #3 Tsendbaatar Erdenbat (Mongolia) – 5:0

 

63 kg (Light welterweights)

1. #1 Andy Cruz Gomez (Cuba) – Manish Kaushik (India) – 5:0
2. #7 Keyshawn Davis (USA) – #3 Hovhannes Bachkov (Armenia) – 4:1

 

69 kg (welterweights)

1. #8 Andrey Zamkovoy (Russia) – #4 Ablaikhan Zhussupov (Kazakhstan) – 5:0
2. #2 Pat McCormack (England) – #3 Bobo-Usmon Baturov (Uzbekistan) – 5:0

 

75 kg (Middleweights)

1. #8 Gleb Bakshi (Russia) – #5 Hebert Da Conceicao Souza (Brazil) – 4:1
2. Eumir Marcial (Philippines) – #3 Tursynbay Kulakhmet (Kazakhstan) – 5:0

 

81 kg (Light heavyweights)

1. Bekzad Nurdualetov (Kazakhstan) – #1 Julio Cesar La Cruz (Cuba) – 4:1
2. Dilshodbek Ruzmetov (Uzbekistan) – #6 Benjamin Whittaker (England) – 5:0

 

91 kg (Heavyweights)

1. #5 Muslim Gadzhimagomedov (Russia) – #Radolsav Pantaleev (Bulgaria) – 5:0
2. #7 Julio Cesar Castillo Torres (Ecuador) – #3 Vasily Levit (Kazakhstan) – 3:2

 

91+ (Super heavyweights)

1. #1 Kamshybek Kunkabaev (Kazakhstan) – Justis Huni (Australia) – WO
2. #2 Bakhodir Jalolov (Uzbekistan) – #6 Maxim Babanin (Russia) – 5:0

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