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SEASON III, 2012-2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WSB BOARD CHAIRMAN‘S MESSAGE ..................................................................................................
5
ABOUT WSB .........................................................................................................................................
7
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................... NEW RULES ................................................................................................................................... NEW FRANCHISES ........................................................................................................................ OFFICIAL DRAW ............................................................................................................................ SEASON SCHEDULE ...................................................................................................................... BOXERS’ DRAFT .............................................................................................................................
11 12 13 16 18 20
FRANCHISES ........................................................................................................................................... ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS ............................................................................................................. ARGENTINA CONDORS ................................................................................................................. AZERBAIJAN BAKU FIRES .............................................................................................................. HUSSARS POLAND ........................................................................................................................ MEXICO GUERREROS .................................................................................................................... RUSSIA BOXING TEAM .................................................................................................................. ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN ................................................................................................... BRITISH LIONHEARTS .................................................................................................................... DOLCE & GABBANA ITALIA THUNDER .......................................................................................... GERMAN EAGLES ......................................................................................................................... UKRAINE OTAMANS ..................................................................................................................... USA KNOCKOUTS .........................................................................................................................
23 24 28 32 36 40 44 48 52 56 60 64 68
REGULAR SEASON ................................................................................................................................. RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................ STANDINGS ...................................................................................................................................
73 74 76
QUARTER-FINALS ................................................................................................................................... 1ST LEG .......................................................................................................................................... 2ND LEG .........................................................................................................................................
79 80 82
SEMI-FINALS ........................................................................................................................................... 1ST LEG .......................................................................................................................................... 2ND LEG .........................................................................................................................................
85 86 88
TEAM FINALS ......................................................................................................................................... 91 HOST CITY - ASTANA ................................................................................................................... 92 VENUE - THE SARYARKA VELODROME ......................................................................................... 94 SPONSOR - ASTANA PRESIDENTIAL PROFESSIONAL SPORTS CLUB ................................................ 95 FINALISTS - UKRAINE OTAMANS ................................................................................................... 96 FINALISTS - ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN ................................................................................. 98 TEAM FINALS - DAY 1 ................................................................................................................... 100 TEAM FINALS - DAY 2 ................................................................................................................... 104 WSB CHAMPION .......................................................................................................................... 108 KEY MOMENTS ..................................................................................................................................... 111 INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS ........................................................................................................................ BANTAMWEIGHT .......................................................................................................................... LIGHTWEIGHT ............................................................................................................................... MIDDLEWEIGHT ............................................................................................................................ LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT ................................................................................................................... HEAVYWEIGHT .............................................................................................................................
115 116 117 118 119 120
WSB OFFICIALS ....................................................................................................................................... SUPERVISORS ................................................................................................................................ RINGSIDE DOCTORS, MEDICAL STATISTICS ................................................................................... REFEREES & JUDGES ......................................................................................................................
123 124 125 126
OFFICIAL GLOVE SUPPLIER .................................................................................................................... 131 TOP TEN ........................................................................................................................................ 132 WSB IN THE MEDIA ................................................................................................................................ TV COVERAGE ............................................................................................................................. TV AUDIENCE ............................................................................................................................... INTERNET & SOCIAL MEDIA .......................................................................................................... WSB PR IN NUMBERS .................................................................................................................... WSB PRESS CLIPPINGS .................................................................................................................. SEASON’S BEST QUOTES ..............................................................................................................
135 136 138 140 142 143 146
WSB YEARBOOK: TABLE OF CONTENTS - 3
BOARD CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Dear Boxing Fans, Following a fantastic World Series of Boxing (WSB) third season, it is my great pleasure to present this yearbook to you as a celebration of the world’s foremost international team boxing competition. The WSB has gone from strength to strength since its inaugural season in 2010-2011 and this year proved to be the best to date. Season three began with a brand new format; a switch from city based Franchises to national ones. This delighted fans and increased the excitement surrounding the event considerably. Five new Franchises: the Algeria Desert Hawks, Argentina Condors, British Lionhearts, Hussars Poland and Ukraine Otamans saw the WSB enter new boxing markets and run its first events in Africa. The arrival of the new teams also resulted in a dramatic increase in the WSB’s talent pool with boxers like double World and Olympic champion Vasyl Lomachenko and London 2012 Gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk turning out for the Otamans and Olympic Silver medallist Fred Evans representing the Lionhearts.
We are proud to be leading such an incredible innovation in boxing. The opportunity to watch the world’s top boxers in a revolutionary pro-style team format has already inspired fans worldwide and long may it continue to do so. I look forward to seeing you all again soon for the WSB Season IV, where we will be welcoming new Franchises, including legendary Cuba, to the series. Yours boxing,
Ching-Kuo Wu
Meanwhile, the 2013 WSB Team Finals between the Ukraine Otamans and Astana Arlans Kazakhstan proved to be the closest fought and most dramatic in WSB history. The action went right down to the wire, with the finals being decided only by a sudden death bout in which Kazakhstan finally overcame their Ukrainian rivals. With a number of the world’s leading boxers on display across the two evenings, this year’s Team Finals was certainly our best yet, as the WSB continues to mature into one of the most exciting sports formats in the world.
WSB YEARBOOK: BOARD CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE - 5
ABOUT WSB
YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: ABOUT WSB - 7
ABOUT WSB
The WSB is a ground breaking, one of a kind, truly global boxing league that brings together Franchise teams from around the world to compete in five weight categories: Bantam (50-54kg), Light (57-61kg), Middle (68-73kg), Light Heavy (80-85kg), Heavy (91+kg). Developed by the International Boxing Association (AIBA), the WSB is a unique concept in the world of boxing. It is the only pro-style team competition where boxers retain their Olympic eligibility. It brings together the world’s best boxers in an explosive format with worldwide appeal. Endorsed by nearly 200 National Federations, it represents the future of boxing. It reunites the broader boxing community, reconnects the sport to its grassroots, and helps the art reclaim its noble position
across the world. WSB promotes a transparent scoring system and brings with it much a needed world-leading governance and commercial guidance to international boxing. The WSB marked a new era in the sport of boxing when it launched its first season on 19 November 2010. In its inaugural year, the WSB competition had 12 teams spanning the globe in three continental conferences: the Americas, Asia and Europe. 219 boxers from 49 countries competed, and amongst those were 18 Olympic and World medallists. For the second season, the 12 teams were split into two World Groups to further enhance the global appeal of the league.
In total, 50 WSB Boxers participated in the London 2012 Olympic Games with seven of them winning medals (four silvers and three bronzes). With Olympic qualification itself a highly demanding challenge for athletes, the sheer volume of WSB competitors present demonstrates the calibre of talent that is competing across the league. The balance of power in the ring has shifted east this year. Thus, after six months of hard fought competition, featuring 12 teams and 370 high octane bouts, the 2012-2013 WSB Team Finals featured this season’s two strongest teams: the Ukraine Otamans and Astana Arlans Kazakhstan. The event was staged in the latter’s hometown, Astana, Kazakhstan. After a riveting and closely fought match the Astana Arlans emerged victorious to conclude WSB’s most exciting series to date.
WSB YEARBOOK: ABOUT WSB - 9
INTRODUCTION YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: INTRODUCTION - 11
NEW RULES
A few weeks away from the beginning of the 20122013 World Series of Boxing season, the AIBA Executive Committee had approved some amendments to the WSB Technical and Competition Rules to make the competition even more attractive. These key changes were based around the boxing squads and competition format. The primary change came from a movement away from city based Franchises to national based ones. During the previous two seasons, the WSB had been a city-based team competition. Thus, taking into consideration the launch of AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) next year and following suggestions of the majority of the Franchises, all WSB Franchises will now be nation-based teams. This change will benefit all Franchises to get more national media interest, maximize the potential for national sponsors, organise matches in different cities and increase the fan base on a national level.
On the competition side, the main changes were as follows: BOXERS SQUAD Up to five pro boxers were allowed per franchise, limited to those with no more than 15 current pro bouts. All boxers needed to be approved by the WSB. A maximum of 40% of international boxers was allowed per Franchise. Previously there was no maximum limit. There was however, no minimum number of international boxers in the squad; nor was there a minimum limit on the number of international boxers participating per match. INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS With the launch of AIBA Pro Boxing (APB) in 2014, there will be no more WSB Individual Championships although the Individual Ranking system will remain. The WSB Individual Championships will be replaced by a WSB Olympic Qualifying Event in the year preceding each Olympic Games.
NEW FRANCHISES
The WSB welcomed five new Franchises for its third season: the Algeria Desert Hawks, Argentina Condors, British Lionhearts, Hussars Poland and Ukraine Otamans. The new Franchises brought with them a wealth of world class boxing talent and among them was the first team to represent the continent of Africa. These additions not only represented the growth of the league but also demonstrated the increasing appeal worldwide. ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS With representation across the globe from the Americas, through Europe to Asia, WSB set out to explore new horizons in Season III with the competition debut of the first team from Africa. Led by Dr. Abdellah Bessalem, AIBA Vice President and African Boxing Confederation President, in collaboration with the Algerian Boxing Federation (FAB) and represented by some of the country’s top talent, the Algeria Desert Hawks have been an exciting addition to the WSB ranks. Given that Africa is a boxing hot-bed, the pool of talent available to the team will ensure they challenge for honours in the future. The passion for the sport in the region has attracted a legion of fans to an impressive squad. The WSB and the FAB have worked hard behind the scenes to make this venture possible, with the aim having always been to have representatives on each continent finally achieved with Africa being the final piece of the jigsaw.
WSB YEARBOOK: NEW FRANCHISES - 13
NEW FRANCHISES
ARGENTINA CONDORS The WSB also reached out to South America for the first time this season as well with a new franchise agreement with the Argentina Condors. The Argentinian performance this season was exceptional with the team making the play-offs. In their first match of the play-offs they managed to inflict a rare defeat on eventual winners Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, beating them 3-2 at home. Their standout boxer of the season was the new WSB number one ranked Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) Yamil Peralta who went an astonishing 6-0 in his debut season. BRITISH LIONHEARTS Following on from what was arguably boxing’s most successful Olympic Games in London, the launch of the Lionhearts Franchise ensured a place for the WSB in one the world major boxing markets. Born as a joint venture between AIBA and GB Boxing, this British Franchise quickly earned an army of fans across Britain. Rammed full of Olympians, the Lionheart’s performances did not disappoint either and they sported a tremendous home record, remaining unbeaten until week 10 when they were unpicked (3-2) by finalists, the Ukraine Otamans. Olympic silver medallists, John Joe Nevin and Fred Evans, along with the supremely talented Andrew Selby, guaranteed the team made the play-offs. Heavyweight (91+kg) Joe Joyce was one of the surprise packages of the whole season. The Londoner emerged from the British national ranks to get a 6-1 record, losing only to Olympic Champion Oleksandr Usyk of the Otamans.
HUSSARS POLAND Team Hussars Poland was formed by Stand4Theme Promotions and is managed by Jaroslaw Kołkowski, with coaching overseen by Hubert Migaczew. The newly formed team Hussars Poland is based on the Polish National Team. “Hussars” was the name of a type of cavalry unit used by many European armies and was chosen for the team after a nationwide competition. In the 16th and 17th centuries, hussars formed an elite part of the Polish army. The most renowned divisions consisted of heavy armed horsemen wearing distinctive wings on their backs. They were a symbol of Poland’s greatness. Hussars were thus the country’s elite just like the boxers of the team. UKRAINE OTAMANS What is there to write about this superb new addition to WSB that hasn’t already been written? Finalists in their first ever season; the team is backed by the Ukrainian Boxing Federation and was notable for its almost complete reliance on domestic talent. Ukraine topped the team rankings in the 2011 AIBA World Championships and the Otamans lined-up some of the best boxers the WSB has ever seen for its 20122013 campaign. In a country steeped in boxing heritage, the Otamans have become a major sporting attraction and are already a major force in the WSB.
WSB YEARBOOK: NEW FRANCHISES - 15
OFFICIAL DRAW
On Sunday 23 September 2012, just over three months after an impressive WSB Season II finale finish at the ExCeL centre in London, the third WSB season kicked off at WSB Headquarters in Lausanne (Switzerland). All 12 Franchises, including Season II Champions Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder were drawn into two intercontinental groups. A separate draw was then made to determine the position of each team within its group. This positioning effectively determined the full schedule for the whole competition season. Within each group, the teams would meet each other once at home and once away, giving a total of ten matches for each team. The top four teams in each group would go through to the play-offs with the top placed team in group one facing the fourth placed team in group two and the second placed team in group one taking on the third placed team in group two and vice versa. As was the case in Season II, it was decided that in the event of a draw after two legs from the quarter-final stages onwards, there would be a deciding bout to determine the winning team; a sudden death bout. The draw also determined the weight categories in which these deciding bouts would be contested.
GROUP A
ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS
ARGENTINA CONDORS
AZERBAIJAN BAKU FIRES
MEXICO GUERREROS
HUSSARS POLAND
RUSSIA BOXING TEAM
GROUP B
GERMAN EAGLES
BRITISH LIONHEARTS
ITALIA THUNDER
ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN
UKRAINE OTAMANS
USA KNOCKOUTS
WSB YEARBOOK: OFFICIAL DRAW - 17
SEASON SCHEDULE GROUP A WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
DATE
HOME
AWAY
16.11.2012
Mexico
Poland
17.11.2012
Azerbaijan
Argentina
18.11.2012
Russia
23.11.2012
WEEK
DATE
HOME
AWAY
18.01.2013
Poland
Mexico
19.01.2013
Argentina
Azerbaijan
Algeria
15.02.2013
Algeria
Russia
Poland
Russia
01.02.2013
Mexico
Argentina
23.11.2012
Argentina
Mexico
02.02.2013
Azerbaijan
Algeria
30.11.2012
Algeria
Azerbaijan
08.03.2013
Russia
Poland
08.11.2012
Argentina
Poland
08.02.2013
Algeria
Mexico
09.11.2012
Mexico
Algeria
08.02.2013
Poland
Argentina
26.01.2013
Azerbaijan
Russia
09.02.2013
Azerbaijan
Russia
14.12.2012
Poland
Algeria
22.02.2013
Mexico
Azerbaijan
15.12.2012
Azerbaijan
Mexico
23.02.2013
Argentina
Russia
09.03.2013
Russia
Argentina
24.02.2013
Algeria
Poland
11.01.2013
Algeria
Argentina
01.03.2013
Russia
Mexico
11.01.2013
Mexico
Russia
03.03.2013
Poland
Azerbaijan
12.01.2013
Azerbaijan
Poland
06.03.2013
Argentina
Algeria
6
7
8
9
10
SEASON SCHEDULE GROUP B WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
DATE
HOME
AWAY
15.11.2012
USA
Great Britain
16.11.2012
Ukraine
Kazakhstan
17.11.2012
Italy
23.11.2012
WEEK
DATE
HOME
AWAY
17.01.2013
Great Britain
USA
18.01.2013
Kazakhstan
Ukraine
Germany
18.01.2013
Germany
Italy
Kazakhstan
USA
31.01.2013
USA
Kazakhstan
23.11.2012
Germany
Ukraine
01.02.2013
Ukraine
Germany
23.11.2012
Great Britain
Italy
02.02.2013
Italy
Great Britain
07.12.2012
Germany
USA
07.02.2013
Great Britain
Kazakhstan
08.12.2012
Kazakhstan
Great Britain
08.02.2013
Ukraine
Italy
08.12.2012
Italy
Ukraine
09.02.2013
USA
Germany
14.12.2012
Kazakhstan
Italy
cancelled
USA
Ukraine
14.12.2012
Ukraine
USA
23.02.2013
Germany
Great Britain
14.12.2012
Great Britain
Germany
23.02.2013
Italy
Kazakhstan
11.01.2013
Ukraine
Great Britain
01.03.2013
Kazakhstan
Germany
12.01.2013
Germany
Kazakhstan
01.03.2013
Great Britain
Ukraine
12.01.2013
Italy
USA
01.03.2013
USA
Italy
6
7
8
9
10
WSB YEARBOOK: SEASON SCHEDULE - 19
BOXERS’ DRAFT
The WSB Boxers’ Draft was held on Sunday 23rd of September 2012 on the same day as the official draw and franchises conference. The purpose of the draft is for the teams to recruit talent where needed to complete their existing squads. In all fourteen boxers were drafted from a list of 118 available athletes, representing 40 countries from all five continents. Amongst these nine had participated in the London 2012 Olympic Games with one, Michael Conlan of Ireland, winning a bronze medal, and four others reaching the quarter-finals. Ireland had the biggest total number of boxers drafted (five).
WSB FRANCHISE Azerbaijan Germany Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Kazakhstan Mexico Mexico Mexico Poland USA USA USA
WEIGHT CAT. 68-73 kg 50-54 50-54 57-61 80-85 80-85 91+ 68-73 68-73 91+ 80-85 50-54 80-85 91+
LAST NAME
FIRST NAME
NAT.
KHOSITASHVILI ANDREIANA MCCULLAGH DONOVAN KARLSON ROUZBAHANI NISTOR CUMMINGS RODRIQUEZ PAYARES JULIO KUZMIN CONLAN KATENDE TURNER
Jaba Razvan Tyrone Eric Ainar Ehsan Mihai Conrad Juan Carlos Jose David Sergei Michael Kennedy Sean
GEO ROU IRL IRL EST IRN ROU IRL VEN VEN BLR IRL SWE IRL
WSB YEARBOOK: BOXERS’ DRAFT - 21
FRANCHISES
YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: FRANCHISES - 23
ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS FRANCHISE, GROUP A Algeria’s stand out boxer of the season was Abdelkader Chadi. The number five ranked Lightweight (57-61kg) boxer, previously fought for Paris United in Seasons I and II. However, this season while representing his homeland his results have improved markedly and he achieved 3-01 in this season alone. This took his total WSB record to a respectable 5-3-1. A notable win over Mexico Guerreros superstar Juan Romero, who was on a seven fight unbeaten run at the time also helped the Desert Hawks to put on a stunning home display against the eventual semi-finalists, beating them (5-0). The team as a whole struggled in the early parts of the season, losing their first four matches against Russia, Azerbaijan Baku Fires, Hussars Poland and Mexico Guerreros before securing a draw with Argentina Condors in week five. It wasn’t until week eight that they got their first win; a home victory against Mexico. They followed this up in week nine with a 3-2 victory over Poland in their home replay. This will hopefully pick the team’s spirits up for next season. If they can build on this momentum to develop a solid home record the team will be more of a force next year. HEAD COACH: Ahmed Dine The Algerian native was a natural choice. A two time Olympian (1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona), Dine lived and boxed out of the Mediterranean town of Bou Ismail which lies just outside Algiers. Dine also clocked up a professional record of 11-8-2 following the Barcelona Games with his last bout coming in 2003. Taking charge of the Desert Hawks for their inaugural season represented a fantastic coaching opportunity for Dine to truly help shape the future of the sport in his country.
WSB YEARBOOK: ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS - 25
ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS FRANCHISE, GROUP A
ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
BRAHIMI Samir
CHADI Abdelkader
ABBADI Ilyas
BAUDERLIQUE Matthieu
BOULOUDINATS Chouaib
FLISSI Mohamed
MEJRI Ahmed
RAHOU Abdelmalek
BOUANKA Fouzi
DEMMENE DEBBIH Nadir
LEGRAND Vincent
OUDAHI Mohamed Amine
TABI Sofiane
KAALAOUR Hichem
DIANE Aboulaye
KASSEL Nabil
RAHMANI Kamel
OUKIL Brahim DOUADI Laid
KUCUK Darko
WSB YEARBOOK: ALGERIA DESERT HAWKS - 27
ARGENTINA CONDORS FRANCHISE, GROUP A The Argentina Condors were a new Franchise for Season III. Drawing largely from indigenous talent, the South American outfit had 32 athletes on their books, with a particularly densely packed Middleweight (68-73kg) section, which boasted eleven boxers. The two leading boxers of the squad have arguably been London 2012 Olympians, Bantamweight (5054kg) Alberto Melian and Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) Yamil Peralta alongside the promising Brian Castaño, recruited from the professional ranks and experienced Bantamweight Fernando Martinez. Martinez certainly added star quality and WSB experience after having competed for the Los Angeles Matadors in the inaugural season, reaching 5th place in the individual ranking. Their standout boxer in terms of individual performance was however the new WSB number one ranked Light Heavyweight Peralta who went an astonishing 6-0 in his debut season. Though professional boxer Castaño caused one of the season’s great upsets by becoming only
the second athlete in the WSB to inflict defeat on twotime WSB individual champion Sergiy Derevyanchenko in almost twenty bouts. The Condors had a difficult couple of opening matches against Azerbaijan Baku Fires and Mexico Guerreros but got their first win in a clean sweep of Hussars Poland (50) in week three. After continuing to struggle, the South Americans began to find form towards the end of the regular season with back to back wins over Russia and Algerian Desert Hawks in the final two weeks of the campaign. This was enough to see them scrape though to the play-offs where they got an unexpected (3-2) win over eventual winners Kazakhstan before losing the second leg 5-0 to go out of the competition. A promising start for a promising side. HEAD COACH: Sarbelio Fuentes Cuban Fuentes led the Condors with the support of JosĂŠ Rafael Sosa and the Uruguayan Julio GarcĂa. Sarbelio Fuentes was born in Santiago de Cuba on 21 October 1939. In the early 60s, he was a professional boxer in the United States before joining the national team of Cuba in 1973. Since then he has been in the corner with 32 Cuban fighters, with several crowned Olympic, World and Pan-American Champions. He was a long-time assistant to the great Alcides Sagarra before replacing him. To name but a few, he has trained Roberto Balado, Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, the latter two being the most successful Cuban Olympic boxers of all-time. He also coached professional boxers Omar Narvaes, a former World Flyweight Champion. Fuentes was ringside when the last Argentinean Olympic medal (bronze) was achieved by Pablo Chacon in Atlanta 96.
WSB YEARBOOK: ARGENTINA CONDORS - 29
ARGENTINA CONDORS FRANCHISE, GROUP A
ARGENTINA CONDORS SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
LUQUES CASTILLO Khalil
BENITEZ German Argentino
BENITEZ David
MAIDANA Fabian Andres
PERALTA Yamil
BRAVO Luis Miguel
MARTINEZ Fernando
CARRASCO Juan Javier
CASTAÑO Alan
POLANCO Henrri David
TORGLELE Isaias Ezequiel
GHIGLIONE Facundo Cesar
MELIAN Alberto Ezequiel
LAZARTE Ruben Matias
CASTAÑO Brian
SOLALINDE JUAN GUSTAVO
SIMAL Facundo Nahuel
VILLALBA Angel Daniel
LUNA Leandro Andres
PEREZ Oscar Ricardo
PERRIN Ignacio
SANCHEZ Ronan Nahuel
RODA Christian Eduardo
NUÑEZ Brian Ivan
ZARATE Junior Leandro
FERNANDEZ Demian Daniel
VELASCO Juan Jose GONZALEZ SILVA Adriani Gilberto
LEBENSZTAJN Sergio Alberto
SOSA Maximiliano Alejandro
TABORDA Leonardo Anibal
JACOBI AMARILLA Alejandro Enrique
WSB YEARBOOK: ARGENTINA CONDORS - 31
AZERBAIJAN BAKU FIRES FRANCHISE, GROUP A The Azeri Franchise, backed by Gilan Holding, was in spectacular form in season two, storming through the group stages and only going out in the semi-finals to eventual winners Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder. Disciplined, calculating and extremely tough, Azerbaijan Baku Fires were once again major contenders to claim the coveted WSB Team Trophy in Season III. With a boxer ranked within the Top eight in every weight category the Fires’ statistically most successful boxers this season were 4th seed Albert Selimov at Lightweight (57-61kg) and Mikalai Vesialou, the 5th seeded Middleweight (68-73kg). Selimov, the 2010 European Champion and 2007 World Champion had a fantastic debut season going on a fourfight winning streak and only losing to double Olympic and World Champion Vasyl Lomachenko, (who is arguably the one of the greatest boxers ever to emerge from the AIBA ranks). Vesialou meanwhile is now undefeated across two seasons in the WSB with seven straight wins. Four of those wins came this season. Although he is yet to face one of the very top boxers of his division, he has nonetheless proven that his ring craft and skills are excellent. The team itself performed spectacularly in the regular season this year, only tasting defeat in week nine in an unexpected 5-0 away drubbing to Mexico Guerreros. The Fires’ however clocked up a number of 5-0 wins themselves, beating: Argentina Condors, Russia, Algeria Desert Hawks, and Hussars Poland (twice) by the same margin. Indeed the only team who escaped the score line in the group stages was the Guerreros, who were still beaten 4-1 in Baku. The Azerbaijan team were only just beaten (6-4) in the quarterfinals by eventual runners-up Ukraine Otamans to conclude another strong season for the Baku Fires.
HEAD COACH: Nuripasha Talibov Talibov was born on 2 February in 1960 in Russia, Dagestan, and began boxing at the age of 11. In 1983, he graduated from the Volgograd Institute with a diploma in physical education which specialized in the science of coaching boxing. He then started his career as coach at the age of 23, right after graduating. Talibov is now vastly experienced, having been the National Russian Boxing team coach for several years now. He was a personal coach of Arthur Beterbiyev (AIBA World Champion Milan 2009) and Albert Selimov (AIBA World Champion Chicago 2007).
WSB YEARBOOK: AZERBAIJAN BAKU FIRES - 33
AZERBAIJAN BAKU FIRES FRANCHISE, GROUP A
BAKU FIRES SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
CHALABIYEV Javid
ISAYEV Isa
AKHMEDOV Kamil
CHELES Vladimir
MURTUZALIYEV Azamat
ABDULKHALIKOV Askhab
MAMMADLI Rahil
RAHIMOV Rauf
GERMAKHANOV Gairbek
SELIMOV Albert
KHOSITASHVILI Jaba
KIZIRIA Iago
ABDULLAYEV Abdulkadirt
KURBANOV Magomed
TOJIBAEV Hurshid
MUSALOV Khaybula
MAGOMEDAU Ramazan
ISMAILOV Uzeypat
MAMISHZADA Elvin
UKAYEV Magomedali
NURUDZINAU Mahamed
MUSAYEV Arslan
MEDZHIDOV Magomedrasul
VESIALOU Mikalai
NASRUDINOV Gadzhimurad
MURTUZALIYEV Haji
BAGHIROV Parviz
SHAYIMOV Orzubek
SHAHBANDIYEV Orkhan
WSB YEARBOOK: AZERBAIJAN BAKU FIRES - 35
HUSSARS POLAND FRANCHISE, GROUP A The newly formed team Hussars Poland had one of the smallest squads in the WSB. Its members were drawn almost exclusively from the Polish national team with the addition of just three foreign boxers from Ukraine and Belarus. With the teams focus being qualifying its boxers for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Hussars Poland also hope to spark the rebirth of boxing in the country. Only one Hussars boxer made the top ten and that was Middleweight (68-73kg) Tomasz Jablonski. The 24 year old orthodox fighter entered his second WSB season after making a brief appearance for Mumbai in Season II. He won three of his four bouts this year, allowing him to enjoy an individual improvement in ranking from 31 in Season II to tenth this year which makes him one of the most improved boxers in the WSB this year in terms of rank gain, and it’s certainly a performance he can be proud of.
Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) Sergei Kuzmin was the Hussars next strongest performer and finished ranked 11th. The 24 year old Belarusian also won three of his four bouts in his second WSB season, after making a single appearance for the Bangkok Elephants last season. The Hussars will need him to hold his form next season as they try to bring their other boxers through. Despite not having any obvious star boxers, the Hussars worked very well as a team and had a strong home record, winning every match in the regular season bar their final outing against Azerbaijan Baku Fires. They didn’t travel well however and failed to pick up any away wins. Nonetheless they made it through to the play-offs where they were out-gunned by defending champions Italia Thunder. The Hussars should take pride in their performance this season. With a squad that was limited in terms of size and experience they still optimised the talent that they had. It will be interesting to see whether this season’s experience helps the young squad develop further next year. HEAD COACH: Hubert Migaczew Hubert Migaczew was born on 7 March 1979 and is still relatively young for a Head Coach. His drive is what sets him apart. For many years he represented the boxing club WKS Gwardia Warszawa in Poland. He fought more than 100 fights in his career and knows the game inside out. In 1997 he won the Polish Cup to add that all important piece of silverware to his impressive CV. In June 2012, the Polish Association of Boxing assigned Migaczew as a National Team Head Coach with his main task being to prepare boxers for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. He said that the WSB was the perfect platform for his boxers to learn against the best.
WSB YEARBOOK: HUSSARS POLAND - 37
HUSSARS POLAND FRANCHISE, GROUP A
HUSSARS POLAND SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
KOZLOWSKI Grzegorz
ASLANOV Adil
JABLONSKI Tomasz
GERLECKI Michal
BRZESKI Patryk
KOZLOWSKI Sylwester
WRZESINSKI Damian
PAC Dawid
KUZMIN Sergei
CIESLAK Michal
MAZIK Mateusz
WYLEZOL Jacek Adam
ZAKRZEWSKI Ireneusz
RADCHENKO Serhiy
MALUJDA Mateusz
TRYC Mateusz Jerzy
OLAS Michal
MICHELUS Dawid Pawel
SUDZILOUSKI Yan
WSB YEARBOOK: HUSSARS POLAND - 39
MEXICO GUERREROS FRANCHISE, GROUP A With a boxing heritage that dates back more than 100 years, Mexico has forged a strong global image as a country that develops high quality boxers. But with erratic form in Season II, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals. The team has shown steady progress however when their three seasons are viewed more globally and they have a team of boxers that are learning fast. In an obvious difference to almost every other team save the finalists, the Guerreros have boxers in the top ten ranks for every category. Indeed at Lightweight (5761kg) they had two, with Juan Romero and Fernando Alvarez holding seventh and eighth spots respectively. Their statistically most impressive boxer was number one ranked Middleweight (68-73kg) Marvin Cabrera. Having
contested and lost only one bout last season, the 19 year old went on a seven fight winning spree this year lifting him thirty places in rankings in what must be the best individual ranking improvement of the year. Another outstanding performer was Bantamweight (5054kg) Elias Emigdio. At just 21 it seems peculiar to call him a veteran, but indeed that is what he is with three WSB seasons and 17 bouts under his belt already. This year he added another six wins to his record, losing just once and taking his record to 14-3. Given the numerous examples of individual brilliance, the team was unsurprisingly outstanding this season as they go from strength to strength. HEAD COACH: Francisco Bonilla Bonilla won the first Olympic medal for Mexico since 1988 with Christian Bejarano at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games (bronze). His next achievements were a Pan-American Games gold medal with Carlos Cuadras in Rio de Janeiro in 2007 and AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships titles with Oscar Valdez (57 kg) and Oscar Molina (69 kg) in Guadalajara in 2008. Bonilla also qualified three boxers for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Oscar Valdez (54 kg), Arturo Santos (57 kg) and Francisco Vargas (60 kg). In 2009, he won a bronze medal for Mexico with Oscar Valdez (57 kg) at the AIBA World Boxing Championships in Milan. He has been the Head Coach of the national team for eight years.
WSB YEARBOOK: MEXICO GUERREROS - 41
MEXICO GUERREROS FRANCHISE, GROUP A
MEXICO GUERREROS SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
ALAMEDA Aaron
ALVAREZ Fernando
CABRERA Marvin
DEMAJ Christian
BISBAL Gerardo Miguel
EMIGDIO Elias
HIDALGO ESTRADA Ramon Isaias
MERCADO Juan Antonio
MISKOVIC Bojan
HAMAILI Massinissa
MUﾃ前Z Isaac
PAYARES Jose David
ORTEGA CASTRO Francisco Javier
RIVERA Alex
GOMEZ MENESES Miguel Angel
STANKOVIC Milutin
RODRIGUEZ Juan Carlos
TORRES BECERRA Cristian Jesus
ROMERO Juan Pablo
CUMMINGS Conrad
SAFARYANTS Vazgen
DE LA HOYA Diego
SANCHEZ Carlos FLORES NORBERTO Luis Daniel
WSB YEARBOOK: MEXICO GUERREROS - 43
RUSSIA BOXING TEAM FRANCHISE, GROUP A Team Russia was formed in 2011 under the auspices of the Russian Central Boxing Club. At the helm of the team is Stepan Lendyel, the team’s Managing Director who believes hard work gets your results, a collective mentality was instilled where the team came above all else. Runners-up in Season II to the Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder, many had high hopes for Russia in Season III. However, the team failed to reach the same heights this year both on a collective and individual basis. The team was unsuccessful to get a single boxer into the Top ten ranked athletes this year. Their most successful boxer was Petry Khamukov who achieved 11th in the ranking by winning both his bouts in his debut season. For a team with huge strength in numbers, the Russians will be disappointed not to have performed better collectively either, but this is a very young squad, which will develop over time. The Russians started and finished the regular season in fine form though beating Algeria Desert Hawks 5-0 in the opening match and repeating the score line against a Mexico Guerreros side who had already qualified for the play-offs by in week ten. The season may have been disappointing for Russia. But it was not a total disaster. On several occasions away from home, such as against Hussars Poland and Mexico Guerreros, the Russians were only a bout away from winning the match. When viewed in this way, the performance improvement required for the team to be back into play-off contention next year is actually fairly minimal.
HEAD COACH: Eduard Kravtsov Head Coach Eduard Kravtsov, a keen student of the sport, was one of the main reasons why the Russian team was so successful in Season II, dominating their group before making it to the Team Final. Constructing fantastic training schedules, his attention to detail and great planning saw his team suffer only two defeats throughout the whole of that campaign. Great at nurturing talent and his rapport with the boxers is the envy of many. With Kravtsov at the helm, the team is in good hands moving forwards.
WSB YEARBOOK: RUSSIA BOXING TEAM - 45
RUSSIA BOXING TEAM FRANCHISE, GROUP A
RUSSIA BOXING TEAM SQUAD BANTAM
BANTAM
LIGHT
LIGHT
MIDDLE
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
ABDURASHIDOV Adlan
POLYANSKIY Dmitriy
BESPUTIN Alexander
SITNIKOV Sergei
BIVOL Dmitriy
BABANIN Maxim
CHEBOTAREV Artem
ZAMKOVOI Andrei
KHOTYANTSEV Aleksander
KALCHUGIN Sergey
OGANNISIAN Ovik
ALOIAN Misha
AVERIN Evgeny
PASHAEV Makir
BATALOV Viktor
GAZALIEV Gamzat
BALAEV Nazir
BOGOMAZOV Konstantin
GAZIZOV Maxim
SHVED Danil
KUDUKHOV Vitaly
SHEKHOV Mukhammad
DADASHEV Maxim
IVANOV Aleksandr
TISCHENKO Evgeniy
KUZMIN Sergey
TASHKARAKOV Vyacheslav
KHUSAINOV Eduard
KHAMUKOV Petr
YAKUSHEV Eduard
MAKHMUDOV Arslanbek
VETKIN Vasilii
NIKITIN Vladimir
KOPTYAKOV Maxim
OMAROV Magomed
WSB YEARBOOK: RUSSIA BOXING TEAM - 47
ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN FRANCHISE, GROUP B The Astana Arlans Kazakhstan Franchise is owned by the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation (KBF), the sport’s national governing body. The team is named after the alpha male wolf - the leader of the pack - an animal that has been admired and respected for centuries by the nomads of the Great Steppe for its intelligence, strength and courage. The team is managed by a dedicated team of staff under General Director Bolat Mankenov, with Head Coach Sergiy Korchynsky overseeing the sporting side. Finalists in the inaugural season, then semi-finalists in Season II, the Arlans recruited some top talent to bolster their ranks before making it third time lucky in Season III. With 32 boxers from a total of nine countries, this was an international squad with worldwide appeal and the team to come out all guns blazing this year. The Arlans succeeded in having a boxer ranked inside the top three in every category. Perhaps even more tellingly in terms of demonstrating superior squad depth, the Arlans also had a second boxer within the top ten rankings in three out of the five categories this season. If possible to single out star boxers in such a team, then perhaps number two seed Bantamweight (5054kg) Bagdad Alimbekov and “foreign legionnaire”, Sergiy Derevyanchenko of Ukraine are candidates for the honour. Alimbekov, a Kazakh native and Arlans team captain, has gone on a six fight winning streak and remained unbeaten this season to take his WSB record to 7-1. One of the standout improvers in terms of individual rank, Bagdad has gone up 20 places from being the 22nd seeded boxer last year.
Meanwhile, two-time WSB individual World champion Derevyanchenko made the switch from the Italia Thunder last season and has now been a part of two out of three championship winning teams. Having lost only twice in almost twenty WSB bouts, Derevyanchenko must now be considered one of the most successful and highly sought after boxers in the whole of the WSB. The team itself was on mesmerizing form this year, losing only twice in the regular season (arguably as they blooded their fringe boxers once their progress to the play-offs had already been assured) and narrowly losing one quarter-final match away to Argentina Condors. En route they defeated fellow finalists the Ukraine Otamans three times across the season, including of course obtaining a victory in the most exciting Team Finals ever seen in the WSB. HEAD COACH: Sergiy Korchynsky Coach of the Russian youth team under the guidance of Nikolaj Hromov (Russia) for two years until 1992 before various stints coaching the Ukrainian Olympic boxing team saw him land the Head Coach’s job for the youth team. He then became a consultant for the Italian national team up until 2011 when he began to split his duties between the amateur boxers and coaching the Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder. Following a season winning performance in Milan, Korchynsky was head hunted by the Arlans with the hope that he could help them fulfil their true potential. Having now done so, it is little wonder that his contract has been extended.
WSB YEARBOOK: ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN - 49
ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN FRANCHISE, GROUP B
ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN SQUAD BANTAM
BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
ABDRAIMOV Elik
TOITOV Meirbolat
AKSHALOV Merey
AISIN Asset
UGURCHIYEV Abuyazit
AHMEDOV Ramzjon
DYCHKO Ivan
ABUTALIPOV Kanat
TOKBAYEV Daniyar
BASHENOV Samat
BAIMATOV Khussan
YELEUSSINOV Dauren
GELISKHANOV Khamzat
HRGOVIC Filip
ALIMBEKOV Bagdad
ZHAKUPOV Miras
CHSHEGRINOV Roman
BAIRKHANOV Miras
KARLSON Ainar
KAPITONENKO Roman
ISMAIL-AKHUNOV Khabibulla
DONOVAN Eric Martin
DEREVYANCHENKO Sergiy
ROUZBAHANI Ehsan
MYRSATAYEV Ruslan
MCCULLAGH Tyrone Conway
MUSSAFIROV Yerzhan
SNIGUR Konstantin
SEP Hrvoje
NISTOR Mihai
RAKHIMZHANOV Mirzhan
YEGIZEKOV Adlet
SVAYEV Rustam
SUZHANOV Danabek
WSB YEARBOOK: ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN - 51
BRITISH LIONHEARTS FRANCHISE, GROUP B The Lionhearts ensured a place for the WSB in one the world major boxing markets this year. Born as a joint venture between AIBA and GB Boxing, this British Franchise was extremely popular across both Britain and Ireland. With Matt Archibald, London 2012 Olympic Games Boxing Competition Manager, now General Manager and state of the art facilities at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield the squad was tipped at the beginning of the season to be the biggest threat to the current order. The Lionhearts did indeed produce a very strong squad in their debut season. Their standout boxer statistically however was number one ranked Bantamweight (5054kg) Andrew Selby. The 2011 World silver medallist and Quarter-finalist in the London 2012 Olympic Games was unbeaten in his first WSB season, including a win over 2012 London bronze medallist Michael Conlan of Ireland (representing the USA Knockouts). This gave the young Welshman an impressive 6-0 record this year. Another great product of the Lionhearts set-up was WSB number three ranked Heavyweight (91+kg) Joseph Joyce, who only exploded onto the domestic boxing scene in 2011 and has now done the same in the WSB. Joyce clocked up five wins out of six with his only loss coming courtesy of 2012 Olympic Champion Oleksandr Usyk (Ukraine Otamans). Even Usyk however remarked that Joyce was one of his most difficult opponents this season, calling him a “tough nut to crack�: high praise indeed.
The team opened with a 4-1 away win over the USA but it was the Lionhearts home record that truly impressed this season. They remained unbeaten in York Hall, London, even overcoming the mighty Astana Arlans Kazakhstan in week eight, right until the end of the regular season, when Usyk and his Ukraine Otamans team mates finally broke the perfect British home record. Nonetheless the team made the play-offs, where their tremendous home form allowed them to see off the Mexico Guerreros 4-1. The away leg however proved a hurdle too far for the Lionhearts. Only needing two wins to guarantee progression, the team found themselves on the wrong side of a 5-0 score line. It was nonetheless a strong debut season for the Lionhearts. PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR: Robert McCracken MBE After overseeing Great Britain’s most successful ever haul of medals in boxing at the London Olympic Games with three golds, one silver and one bronze as well as securing to top the team ranking, Team GB Performance Director Robert McCracken, 44, took the helm of the British Lionhearts in their debut season. Already awarded an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace for his contribution to sports, McCracken shows no sign of slowing down as he took charge of one of WSB’s most exciting new teams in 2012.
WSB YEARBOOK: BRITISH LIONHEARTS - 53
BRITISH LIONHEARTS FRANCHISE, GROUP B
BRITISH LIONHEARTS SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
EDWARDS Charlie
CORDINA Joseph
ARRO Kaupo
KAMARA Babacar
ARJAOUI Mohammed
MCGOLDRICK SEAN
MAXWELL Samuel
BROWN Aston
LEDIC Zlatko
CLARKE Frazer
SELBY Andrew
NEVIN John Joseph
EVANS Freddie
OSUEKE Lawrence
FA Uaine
YAFAI Gamal
TAYLOR Josh
FOWLER Antony
WARD Joseph
JOYCE Joseph
WSB YEARBOOK: BRITISH LIONHEARTS - 55
DOLCE & GABBANA ITALIA THUNDER FRANCHISE, GROUP B Fully endorsed by the Italian Boxing Federation and being sponsored by the Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, the Italian outfit, the WSB Season II Champions, have been synonymous with glamour, which has attracted a huge fan base, not only in Italy, but all around the world. The Thunder had a fighter in the Top ten in every weight category but none were able to break into the Top five. Statistically, the most successful boxers of the season were Bantamweight (50-54kg) Vincenzo Picardi, Middleweight (68-73kg) Vincenzo Mangiacapre and Heavyweight (91+kg) Matteo Modugno who all achieved a rank of seventh. All three had good seasons, Picardi for instance who participated in his third WSB season won three of his four bouts this season, with his only loss coming to tough German Eagles boxer Veaceslav Gojan (ranked number five). This took his overall WSB record to 10-2. Meanwhile London 2012 Bronze medallist Mangiacapre was unbeaten in his debut WSB season with a record of 3-0. Heavyweight Modugno won four of his six bouts but noticeably only lost to the number one and three ranked boxers, Olympic Gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk and the Lionhearts Joseph Joyce respectively. As defending WSB Champions, the Italia Thunder had high expectations laid upon them when entering this year’s competition. Their home form was fantastic; indeed they were unbeaten throughout the entire season in Italy. However, there were early warning signs around their away form when they took a 4-1 drubbing form The British Lionhearts in week two. Indeed, they only won twice away during the regular season scoring 2-3 against both the German Eagles in week six and
the USA in week 10. They were better in the quarterfinals though doing the double over Hussars Poland (4-1 on both occasions). They also defeated the Ukraine Otamans at home 4-1 and were in a strong position going into the last semi-final match. The Otamans are nothing if not tenacious though and they came back to win in Ukraine 5-0 sending Italia Thunder out in the semis. Still having been Champions last year and semifinalists this year, Italia Thunder have shown a certain consistency of performance which means they will still be a team to watch next year. HEAD COACH: Francesco Damiani His pedigree speaks for itself. As boxer he took silver medals at both the 1982 AIBA World Boxing Championships in Munich and at the 1984 Olympic Games. He was also crowned European Gold Medallist in Tampere (Finland) in 1981 and in Varna (Bulgaria) in 1983. He fought 140 bouts as an amateur before turning professional in 1985. He fought 34 times, with a record of 32 wins and 2 losses. As a coach, he has lead boxers to one bronze medal at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, two gold (Clemente Russo, Roberto Camarelle) and one silver medal at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Chicago 2007, two gold medals at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Milano 2009 and one gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He was once again ringside at the London 2012 Olympic Games to see his athletes claim two silvers and a bronze. Damiani led the Italian team for the third consecutive year after guiding them to the WSB Team Trophy last season.
WSB YEARBOOK: ITALIA THUNDER - 57
DOLCE & GABBANA ITALIA THUNDER FRANCHISE, GROUP B
ITALIA THUNDER SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
D’ANDREA Riccardo
DE FILIPPO Michele Valentino
FIORUCCI Valter
BENCHABLA Abdelhafid
LEO Emanuele
LIMONE Daniele
STANKOVIC Branimir
MANGIACAPRE Vincenzo
SPAHIU Endri
MODUGNO Matteo
PARRINELLO Jahyn Vittorio
SUAREZ Charly
MCLAUGHLIN William Martin
SUBACIUS Vitalijus
RUSSO Clemente
PICARDI Vincenzo
VALENTINO Domenico
TAVARES Michel Maurice
SZELLO Imre
YOKA Tony Victor James
WSB YEARBOOK: ITALIA THUNDER - 59
GERMAN EAGLES FRANCHISE, GROUP B The German Franchise was an intriguing one with seemingly the perfect blend of experience and talented prospects on their roster. A solid set-up backed by the German Boxing Federation and a savvy coaching staff; the German team looked to avenge their play-offs collapse to Russia in the WSB Season II and live up to the promise they had shown earlier in the season. The team’s best boxers this year were the Moldovan Bantamweight (50-54kg), Veaceslav Gojan and German star Erik Pfeifer. Gojan, brought in from Season II Champions Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder to strengthen the German lines, won four of his five bouts this year and improved his individual ranking from 11th to fourth this season. The 2011 European Champion brought his overall record to 7-3 across two seasons. Pfeifer, the 2011 World Bronze Medallist meanwhile, had a good WSB debut season, winning all three of his bouts. The trouble with the team performance this year was that it was completely inconsistent. Results such as the wins over finalists the Ukraine Otamans and 5-0 thumpings dealt out to both the British Lionhearts and the USA Knockouts stand in stark contrast to weaker performances such as the 5-0 loss to Azerbaijan Baku Fires and the 3-2 loss to Italia Thunder at home. It is a notable statistic that this year the Eagles only managed to get two of its boxers into the top ten ranks. In a team sport of course, individual brilliance is not that important. But consistency across weight categories is, and the team will need to aim to get more of its boxers into the top ten next year if they hope to seriously contest for a place in the play-offs.
HEAD COACH: Valentin Silaghi The 54 year old native Romanian started boxing at the age of 15 in 1972. He won the silver medal at the 1979 European Championships in Cologne and the bronze medal at the European Championships in 1981. At the Moscow 1980 Olympic Games, Silaghi then won the bronze medal. After the 1982 World Championships in Munich, he stayed in Germany where he started working for the German Amateur Boxing Federation (DABV), becoming a coach in 1985 and being promoted through the ranks to become national coach in 1990. From 2006 to 2009, he coached professional boxers and in 2010, Silaghi returned to the German Federation and has been working as Head National Coach since then. During his career, he has overseen the development of famous boxers such as Sven Ottke and Dariusz Michalczewski.
WSB YEARBOOK: GERMAN EAGLES - 61
GERMAN EAGLES FRANCHISE, GROUP B
GERMAN EAGLES SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
ANDREIANA Nicolae Razvan
BRIL Artur Sergeevic
BELOUS Vasilii
ABDULAI Satula
AHMATOVIC Emir
ASLOUM Redouane
HARUTYUNYAN Robert Aramovic
HAERTEL Stefan
KUENZEL Kevin
BRECHLIN Eric
GOJAN Veaceslav
JOYCE David Oliver
KERBER Vjaceslav
MICHEL Serge
GRUENER Philipp
SADIK Mohamad Ismail
SCHMIDT Artur
MARUTJAN Arajik Witaliji
PASKALI Xhek
PFEIFER Erik
SOPA Kastriot
WSB YEARBOOK: GERMAN EAGLES - 63
UKRAINE OTAMANS FRANCHISE, GROUP B Backed by the Ukrainian Boxing Federation, the Otamans lined-up the country’s best boxers to compete in the WSB. The outstanding team at the AIBA World Boxing Championships Baku 2011, topping the team ranking with four athletes claiming World titles and a hugely successful 2012 Olympic Games in London it was little wonder that the Otamans came out with all guns blazing. Nor is it any surprise that the team is made up almost exclusively of Ukraine’s indigenous boxing talent. The Otamans had an athlete in the top three ranked boxers in every category bar one (Bantamweight), and this statistic underlines the reason that the Ukraine were in the Finals this season. Their standout boxers obviously begin with Vasyl Lomachenko, whom even opposition boxers such as Eric Donavan (Astana Arlans Kazakhstan), admit is “among the best boxers to ever grace the canvas.” The Lightweight (57-61kg) Double Olympic and Double World Champion made short work of every opponent that crossed his path this year, including the very dangerous Samat Bashenov of the Arlans team in the WSB Team Finals. Lomachenko went 6-0 in this his debut season, and looked as comfortable at five rounds as he does over three. One of the few boxers in the WSB to be able to compete with Lomachenko in the pound for pound stakes is Otamans Heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk. The 2011 World Champion and 2012 Olympic gold medallist also went 6-0 this season, despite difficult bouts against Joseph Joyce and Mihai Nistor en route.
The team as a whole had a surprisingly slow start to the campaign as the squad’s senior athletes were either held back or were unavailable in the first weeks of the competition. Nonetheless with firepower like Ukraine possesses it was little surprise to those on the inside that once unleashed, Lomachenko and co began to tare through the opposition. The final match in Astana was the most exciting and closely fought in the WSB history. The Otamans pushed the champions right to a sudden death bout. Next season should be interesting indeed! HEAD COACH: Melnyk Mykhaylo Overseeing one of the most talented squads in the whole competition is 54-year-old Ukraine Otamans Head Coach Melnyk Mykhaylo. Having held a coaching position within the Ukrainian Boxing Federation for over twenty years, the native of Magadan, on the eastern shores of Russia, has overseen the development of the country’s most prodigious boxers and has been ringside to watch them triumph in some of the world’s most respected competitions. His most notable achievement was coaching current Otamans Light Heavyweight (8085kg) Denys Poyatsyka to the European title in 2006. His effective communication and forward-thinking methods have earned him much admiration across the boxing world. In 2001, he became an honorary coach of Ukraine and now has been entrusted with one of the highest-profile jobs in boxing in Ukraine.
WSB YEARBOOK: UKRAINE OTAMANS - 65
UKRAINE OTAMANS FRANCHISE, GROUP B
UKRAINE OTAMANS SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
BUTSENKO Mykola
BERINCHYK Denys
BARABANOV Ievgenii
GVOZDYK Oleksandr
ANTONIUK Anatolii
GOGOLYEV Viktor
ISHCHENKO Pavlo
BUTS Artur
LAPIN Sergiy
ARKHYPENKO Rostyslav
ILNYTSKYY Ivan
KYSLYTSYN Vyacheslav
GOLUB Ivan
POYATSYKA Denys
RUDENKYI Dmytro
RISCAN Alexandr
LOMACHENKO Vasyl
MYTROFANOV Dmytro
SOLONENKO Denys
USYK Oleksandr
MATVIICHUK Volodymyr
STRETS’KYY Olexandr
VYKHRYST Viktor
RUDENKO Dmytro
WSB YEARBOOK: UKRAINE OTAMANS - 67
USA KNOCKOUTS FRANCHISE, GROUP B The USA Knockouts were led this season by four-time Olympic Coach Basheer Abdullah. The team boasts an international mix of both top talent and experienced campaigners with their roster comprising of both professionals and boxers from the amateur ranks. The United States have struggled recently on the global boxing stage, coming off a disappointing performance at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The WSB was an opportunity for redemption. Unfortunately for the Knockouts, this was not to be the case. In individual terms their most successful boxer came a mere 19th in the world performance based rankings. The fact that Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) Kennedy Katende is actually a Swede will do nothing to encourage national officials. The 28 year old Southpaw is 8-5 across three seasons in the WSB having been brought in from the Mexico Guerreros to add some steel to the USA’s starting line-up. The season opened badly for the US as they suffered a 4-1 home defeat to the British Lionhearts. This proved to be one of their better results for the early half of the season as they suffered successive defeats to Astana Arlans Kazakhstan (5-0), the German Eagles (5-0), Ukraine Otamans (4-1), Italy (5-0) and again to the Lionhearts (5-0). It wasn’t until week eight that the team began to find their groove and clock up their first win (against German Eagles at home). Although they took a bye against Ukraine in week nine, the win against the Germans proved to be their only one this season, which will disappoint coaches and boxers alike. The USA Knockouts are in an important position to assist in rebuilding the sport nationally and allow athletes to gain traction and success on a worldwide level. It is imperative that they react to ensure a better season next year.
HEAD COACH: Basheer Abdullah Basheer Abdullah is one of the premier coaches in the international boxing community. In addition to previously running the U.S. Army World Class Athlete boxing program, Abdullah is a four-time Olympic Coach. Abdullah was the Head Olympic Coach for the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team in London (2012) and Athens (2004). In 2008, Abdullah was the Technical Advisor for the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing, China. In 2000, he served as the High Performance Coordinator for U.S. Olympics Games in Sydney before being named the USA Boxing Coach of the year in 2002 and 2004. He became USA Boxing Developmental Coach of the year in 1999. In 2007, Abdullah was inducted into the St. Louis Boxing Hall of Fame.
WSB YEARBOOK: USA KNOCKOUTS - 69
USA KNOCKOUTS FRANCHISE, GROUP B
USA KNOCKOUTS SQUAD BANTAM
LIGHT
MIDDLE
LIGHT HEAVY
HEAVY
AVILA Braulio
FOWLER Eric Michael
CAMP Jeffrey
BOSNJAK Dzemal
BERNATH Istvan
CONLAN Michael
YUNUSOV Anvar
JOSEPH Clarence
CALIC Marko
KOON III Paul Gene
PEREZ Joe Gregory
SOW Daouda
WILLIAMS William Carroll
KATENDE Kennedy
TURNER Sean
SIMMS Kenneth
MOORE Marquis
NELSON Steven
GIBSON Avery
SIMPSON Shawn
WSB YEARBOOK: USA KNOCKOUTS - 71
REGULAR SEASON YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: REGULAR SEASON - 73
REGULAR SEASON RESULTS - GROUP A WEEK
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HOME
SCORE
AWAY
16.11.2012
Mexico
4-1
Poland
17.11.2012
Azerbaijan
5-0
Argentina
18.11.2012
Russia
5-0
23.11.2012
Poland
23.11.2012
WEEK
DATE
HOME
SCORE
AWAY
18.01.2013
Poland
3-2
Mexico
19.01.2013
Argentina
2-3
Azerbaijan
Algeria
15.02.2013
Algeria
2-3
Russia
3-2
Russia
01.02.2013
Mexico
5-0
Argentina
Argentina
1-4
Mexico
02.02.2013
Azerbaijan
5-0
Algeria
30.11.2012
Algeria
2-3
Azerbaijan
08.03.2013
Russia
4-1
Poland
08.11.2012
Argentina
5-0
Poland
08.02.2013
Algeria
5-0
Mexico
09.11.2012
Mexico
3-2
Algeria
08.02.2013
Poland
4-1
Argentina
26.01.2013
Azerbaijan
5-0
Russia
09.02.2013
Azerbaijan
4-1
Russia
14.12.2012
Poland
3-2
Algeria
22.02.2013
Mexico
5-0
Azerbaijan
15.12.2012
Azerbaijan
4-1
Mexico
23.02.2013
Argentina
4-1
Russia
09.03.2013
Russia
4-1
Argentina
24.02.2013
Algeria
3-2
Poland
11.01.2013
Algeria
2-2
Argentina
01.03.2013
Russia
5-0
Mexico
11.01.2013
Mexico
3-2
Russia
03.03.2013
Poland
0-5
Azerbaijan
12.01.2013
Azerbaijan
5-0
Poland
06.03.2013
Argentina
5-0
Algeria
6
7
8
9
10
REGULAR SEASON RESULTS - GROUP B WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
DATE
HOME
SCORE
AWAY
15.11.2012
USA
1-4
Great Britain
16.11.2012
Ukraine
2-3
Kazakhstan
17.11.2012
Italy
3-2
23.11.2012
Kazakhstan
23.11.2012
Germany
WEEK
SCORE
AWAY
17.01.2013 Great Britain
5-0
USA
18.01.2013
Kazakhstan
4-1
Ukraine
Germany
18.01.2013
Germany
2-3
Italy
5-0
USA
31.01.2013
USA
1-4
Kazakhstan
3-2
Ukraine
01.02.2013
Ukraine
5-0
Germany
23.11.2012 Great Britain
4-1
Italy
02.02.2013
Italy
4-1
Great Britain
07.12.2012
Germany
5-0
USA
07.02.2013 Great Britain
4-1
Kazakhstan
08.12.2012
Kazakhstan
5-0
Great Britain
08.02.2013
Ukraine
4-1
Italy
08.12.2012
Italy
4-1
Ukraine
09.02.2013
USA
4-1
Germany
14.12.2012
Kazakhstan
3-2
Italy
cancelled
USA
5-0
Ukraine
14.12.2012
Ukraine
4-1
USA
23.02.2013
Germany
5-0
Great Britain
14.12.2012 Great Britain
4-1
Germany
23.02.2013
Italy
4-1
Kazakhstan
11.01.2013
Ukraine
4-1
Great Britain
01.03.2013
Kazakhstan
4-1
Germany
12.01.2013
Germany
1-4
Kazakhstan
01.03.2013 Great Britain
2-3
Ukraine
12.01.2013
Italy
5-0
USA
01.03.2013
2-3
Italy
6
7
8
9
10
DATE
HOME
USA
WSB YEARBOOK: REGULAR SEASON - 75
REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS - GROUP A MATCHES RANK
TEAM
BOUTS
POINTS TOTAL
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL
WINS
LOSSES
TD
WO
1
Azerbaijan Baku Fires
27
10
9
1
50
38
11
0
0
2
Mexico Guerreros
19
10
6
4
50
27
23
0
0
3
Hussars Poland
13
10
4
6
50
17
33
0
0
4
Argentina Condors
12
10
3
6
50
21
28
1
0
5
Russia Boxing Team
12
10
5
5
50
27
23
0
5
6
Algeria Desert Hawks
9
10
2
7
50
18
31
1
3
REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS - GROUP B MATCHES RANK
TEAM
BOUTS
POINTS TOTAL
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL
WINS
LOSSES
TD
WO
1
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan
24
10
8
2
50
34
16
0
0
2
Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder
22
10
7
3
50
30
20
0
0
3
British Lionhearts
16
10
5
5
50
25
25
0
0
4
Ukraine Otamans
14
10
5
5
50
26
24
0
0
5
German Eagles
11
10
3
7
50
21
29
0
2
6
USA Knockouts
4
10
2
8
50
14
36
0
3
WSB YEARBOOK: REGULAR SEASON - 77
QUARTER-FINALS YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: QUARTER-FINALS - 79
QUARTER-FINALS 1ST LEG Ukraine Otamans 5-0 Azerbaijan Baku Fires
British Lionhearts 4-1 Mexico Guerreros
In front of 7,000 home fans in the Palace of Sports in Kiev, the Otamans produced a perfect performance. This included a shock win at Bantamweight (50-54kg) for Mykola Butsenko, who defeated WSB individual champion Gairbek Germakhanov through an aggressive approach that left the Azeri chasing the bout.
Making use of their outstanding home record in York Hall London, the Lionhearts selected their strongest side to face their Mexican visitors. Irishman Joe Ward opened well for the Lionhearts and won his bout without losing a round.
The Baku Fires didn’t have a look in thereafter as Dmytro Mytrofanov confirmed that he is one of the best boxers in the league at Middleweight (68-73kg). In a show of force, London 2012 Olympic Bronze medallist Oleksandr Gvozdyk was also deployed at Light Heavyweight (8085kg) and sent his opponent Vladimir Cheles to the canvas in the fourth. That made it 4-0 before Olympic Gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk stepped into the ring to make it five.
Welsh whizz kid Andrew Selby showed why he was ranked number one in the division with a comfortable win over Aaron Alameda. Another Irishman, John Joe Nevin was able to cruise to a victory at Lightweight (5761kg), whilst Heavyweight (91+kg) Joe Joyce rounded the evening off for the home side.
Hussars Poland 1-4 Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder
Argentina Condors 3-2 Astana Arlans Kazakhstan
Benefiting from the huge experience four of their boxers have gained in previous WSB seasons, defending Champions Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder took a clear advantage over their Polish opponents. The Italians now had one foot in the semi-finals, with the Hussars facing the daunting prospect of travelling to Campione d’Italia the following week for the return leg and needing to win all of the five remaining bouts to win this match.
Losing the match as well as the seeming invincibility of their Middleweight superstar, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Astana Arlans Kazakhstan will want to forget their trip to Argentina in a hurry. This WSB quarter-final first leg turned out to be one of the surprise results of the season, and only looks more so with the benefit of hindsight considering the magnificent achievements the Arlans registered this year
The only bright moment for the Hussars was the performance of Mateusz Malujda who squared off his WSB record to go 2-2 in his debut season.
The pivotal bout was the third one between Brian Castaño and Derevyanchenko with the score at that time tied one bout each. Before stepping into the ring Middleweight Ukrainian sensation had dispatched all of his 16 previous rivals in the WSB but was shocked by the aggressiveness and strong defence of former pro Castaño whose victory swung the match in the favour of the hosts.
WSB YEARBOOK: QUARTER-FINALS 1ST LEG - 81
QUARTER-FINALS 2ND LEG Astana Arlans Kazakhstan 5-0 Argentina Condors
Mexico Guerreros 5-0 British Lionhearts
The Arlans had to come out hard to recover from their shock upset in Buenos Aires. Nothing but a total victory would suffice to avoid running the risk of a sudden death bout or outright elimination.
Nothing less than a perfect performance would suffice for Mexico to stay in the competition and by sending out their most talented and experienced line-up, the Mexico Guerreros delighted the home crowd in Foro Polanco, securing a place in the semi-finals.
However Astana is not the easiest of places for teams to visit and the local side were just too strong and wellprepared for inexperienced Condors. Proving that they were capable of stepping up to the plate when needed, the Arlans sent out an early message that they were one of the top teams left in the series with this recovery. Following two overwhelming displays at Bantam (5054kg) and Lightweight (57-61kg) for the Arlans, Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) Ehsan Rouzbahani stepped into the ring with Facundo Nahuel Simal. Sending his opponent to the canvas after just a few seconds, he was comfortable in his victory and Astana were already through with the evening only half over; not that things improved thereafter for the Condors.
The closest fight of this match brought together Light Heavyweights Guerrero Issac Mu単oz and Babacar Kamara. Both boxers showed their full strength in the ring, landing punch after punch, making it impossible to determine who the leader was in the bout. This exciting contest ended on a split decision, in favour of the Guerreros, but every boxing fan will remember how much effort Kamara put into the battle. However, once Estonian Middleweight (68-73kg) Kaupo Arro lost the third bout of the evening for the Lionhearts, British resistance crumbled. This set up an exciting semifinal match between the Guerreros and standouts, Astana Arlans Kazakhstan.
Azerbaijan Baku Fires 4-1 Ukraine Otamans
Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder 4-1 Hussars Poland
Despite a clear defeat conceded to Azerbaijan Baku Fires at the Olympic Sports Center ‘Serhedchi’, the Ukraine Otamans reached the WSB semi-finals with just a one bout difference. They had their star Vasyl Lomachenko to thank for dragging the team through as he won a highly-anticipated battle against Albert Selimov.
A week after their away 4-1 victory over Hussars Poland, Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder offered the same performance to the audience of Campione d’Italia to reach the WSB semi-finals. Even without most of their stars, the defending Champions once again proved that nothing will ever be easy for their opponents.
Azerbaijan Baku Fires had placed a lot of hope in their first boxer, Bantamweight Magomed Kurbanov. To say the least, the orthodox Russian did not disappoint against former Paris United member Alexandr Riscan. Fitter, quicker and smarter, he extended is perfect record with a unanimous decision 50:44, showing the way to his teammates. So the onslaught continued until Lomachenko stepped into the ring in the final bout to save the Otamans and allow them to progress to the Final Four.
For the Hussars facing the defending champions at home and starting with a four point deficit this was never going to be an easy match, but there was good news in the performance of 24 year old Middleweight Ireneusz Zakrzewski who made only his second WSB appearance and took his record to 1-1. So a semi-final place for the Thunder, but the Hussars will take heart in this season’s performance. It is a good basis for growth.
WSB YEARBOOK: QUARTER-FINALS 2ND LEG - 83
SEMI-FINALS
YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: SEMI-FINALS - 85
SEMI-FINALS 1ST LEG Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder 4-1 Ukraine Otamans The first battle of these WSB semi-finals ended with a surprisingly large victory for defending Champions Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder against strong Ukraine Otamans at the Casino Campione. The Italians made short work of the visitors with only Olympic Gold medallist Oleksandr Usyk able to stem the tide in the last bout at Heavyweight (91+kg). At Lightweight (57-61kg), Branimir Stankovic and Denys Berinchyk offered an amazing spectacle to the crowds. Although Stankovic started very well, the Ukrainian’s punches became much more precise as the bout went on. The home boxer was then able to found a second wind to tie the bout after twelve minutes. In the final few minutes though, it was the Italia Thunder man who remained fresh enough to take the round and thus the bout. The Otamans may also have been able to draw some level of comfort from the performance of Ievgenii Barabanov in his battle with far more experienced Irishman William McLaughlin at Middleweight (68-73kg), but the result will have left them highly concerned as at this point the Italia Thunder looked almost certain to go through.
Mexico Guerreros 2-3 Astana Arlans Kazakhstan Astana Arlans Kazakhstan broke the back of the Guerreros opposition by winning their WSB semi-final first leg away to the Mexicans. Almost as spectacular as the boxing however was the venue. El Zócalo is located in the heart of the historic centre of Mexico City. With its 57,600 square meters, it is one of the largest city squares in the world and has been a gathering place for Mexicans since the Aztec times. This year’s WSB semi-final was the first time a boxing event had been held in the iconic square. Mexican Bantamweight (50-54kg) Elias Emigdio was unbeaten before going toe-to-toe against Meirbolat Toitov. In what was viewed as a major upset however, El Tornado was out-gunned by his Kazakh opponent. Having replaced Lightweight superstar Juan Romera at the very last minute, 18-year-old Guerreros’ Luis Daniel Flores Norberto was given an extremely tough introduction to the WSB against the experienced Yerzhan Mussafirov. However, the teenager soon found his rhythm and in another stunning upset, Mexico came back to equalize. Two bouts later, and with the scores still tied, El Zócalo got to witness an almost cinematic climax with the decisive bout between Gerardo Miguel Bisbal and Filip Hrgovic. In the end the 21-year-old Hrgovic was then able to win all the remaining rounds, including an impressive third. The Kazakhs were now perfectly placed and just three bouts away from the WSB Team Finals.
WSB YEARBOOK: SEMI-FINALS 1ST LEG - 87
SEMI-FINALS 2ND LEG Ukraine Otamans 5-0 Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder Led by superstar Vasyl Lomachenko, the Otamans sent shockwaves around the WSB by coming back from a 1-4 loss in the first leg and eliminating last season’s winner Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder. Offering an impressive clean sheet to the 7,000 spectators of the Palace of Sports in Kiev, Ukraine reached the 2013 WSB Team Finals in their very first season in the competition. Ukraine at long last unleashed their top talent in a desperate bid to stay in the event. Thus it was that Lomachenko opened the night with a win over Domenico Valentino the same man he beat in the 2011 AIBA World Championships semi-finals. Dmytro Mytrofanov was able to edge a hard fought battle at Middleweight (68-73kg) against Frenchman Michel Tavares. Oleksandr Gvozdyk remained undefeated at Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) squeezing out the win against 2011 WSB individual champion Abdelhafid Benchabla of Algeria. Finally Rostyslav Arkhpenko made it an Otamans clean sheet over Youth Olympic Champion Tony Yoka to put his team through decisively on paper, though it was in reality far closer than that as the former champions tried to cling to their title.
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan 5-0 Mexico Guerreros Amazingly focused and strong throughout the entire night at the Almaty Towers Business Centre, Astana Arlans Kazakhstan has had absolutely no difficulties against the Mexico Guerreros on home soil. Considered since the beginning of this WSB season as one of the favourites for the title, the Kazakhs won eight of the ten bouts of this semi-final. Arlans No.1 Bantamweight (50-54kg) Bagdad Alimbekov had the task of opening the curtains on the Arlans theatre of destruction against 19-year-old Mexican Aaron Alameda. It turned out to be an easy one for Alimbekov whose strong punches had badly hurt Alameda in the first two rounds. Whilst Kazakhstan Lightweight (57-61kg) Samat Bashenov had won all of his fights this season, Belarusian Vazgen Safaryants had done the exact opposite. It was however the closest bout of the night and the turning point allowing for a Kazakh route over the Mexicans. Back in the spotlight just a few weeks after his first ever WSB defeat, Middleweight supremo Sergiy Derevyanchenko was motivated in his contest against Mexico Guerreros’ Irish star Conrad Cummings. His victory over the skilful Celtic boxer officially put the Kazakhs through.
WSB YEARBOOK: SEMI-FINALS 2ND LEG - 89
TEAM FINALS
YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS - 91
TEAM FINALS HOST CITY - ASTANA Astana is the capital city of Kazakhstan and is a fastgrowing administrative and business centre. Situated in the north of Central Kazakhstan, in the Akmolinskaya Oblast, Astana is located in the geographic centre of Eurasia. The city spans over 710.2 square km (compared with just 258 square km in 1997). People from over 100 ethnicities reside in Astana and these days the population stands at over 800,000. A popular area is the Astana left-bank, which is unique in every way: its location, architectural concept and its success as the governmental administrative centre. The residence of the President Akorda, is located in the area along with Senate buildings of the Supreme Court and Ministries and the National Library and Archive Centre. Another popular attraction is the Astrana-Baytreek Monument. “Bayterek” in the Kazakh language means Poplar. The 97 metre high “tree of life” is made of metal, glass and concrete and is a unique construction standing 105 metre high weighing over 1,000 tons. The sphere symbolises the chronicle of Kazakhstan’s recent history. Inside the “crown” of the Poplar there is the “AyalyAlakan” - the handprint of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, the town’s Central Square is widely viewed as the most significant place in Astana and the heart of the city’s social life. It has witnessed many historic events. The original city fountains remain the most visited attraction in the city, with the figures of a girl and a boy depicted to symbolize the country’s future alongside bronze sculptures of a wolf and leopard, sacred symbols and totem idols of the ancient nomads.
The “Otan Korgaushylary” monument is one of the most well-designed and beautiful monuments in Kazakhstan, with fountains situated along the main passageway. It features figure of a woman in sorrowful silence and an eternal flame. The monument represents the struggle of the Kazakh people against the Jungars, in the Great Patriotic War.
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS HOST CITY - 93
TEAM FINALS VENUE - THE SARYARKA VELODROME Built on the occasion of the 2011 Asian Games, the Saryarka Velodrome is part of a State overall programme of social-economic development of Astana for the period 2006-2011. Various sporting events have been organized in this venue. In its shape of a racer’s helmet, the cycling track is recognised as one of the most original sports complexes. The 58,000 square meters area consists of various gyms for different kind of sports, a fitness centre, a swimming pool, a basketball field, an ice rink, as well as conference halls, a restaurant and a hotel. The Saryarka Velodrome is used as the main centre of grassroots development and preparation for reserve and national teams in different sports. The track itself has a 250 meters long wooden cover, a 45 degrees slope on the curves and 12,5 degrees slope everywhere else. The capacity of the venue is 9,200 seats.
TEAM FINALS SPONSOR - ASTANA PRESIDENTIAL PROFESSIONAL SPORTS CLUB The Astana Presidential Professional Sports Club (PPSC) was created in December 2012 through an initiative started by the Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund. This initiative was supported by the President of the Kazakh Republic, Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev. PPSC has brought together a variety of elite clubs from several sports including cycling, football, basketball, hockey and boxing under a single “Astana” brand to promote the image of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the international sports world. The integration and coordination of all Kazakhstan’s leading sports projects into a single organization has been done with the aim of establishing a national professional super club following the examples of some of the world’s biggest sides like Spanish sides Real Madrid and Barcelona, Russian CSKA and others. So far the Club has integrated “Astana” cycling team, “Barys” hockey club, “Dakar Team Astana”, “Astana” football club, “Kazakhstan Polo Federation”, “Water Polo “Astana” sports Club, the “Astana Arlans” professional boxing club, the “Kazakhstan Barysy” project on the development of the Kazakh Kuresi wrestling, and individuals such as two-time Olympic weightlifting champion Ilya Ilyin and the Figure Skating World Championships silver medallist Denis Ten. Bakhtiyar Artayev, a 2004 Olympic boxing gold medallist heads the new club as President, while the three time karate World Champion Aidar Makhmetov acts as General Manager.
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS SPONSOR - 95
FINALISTS UKRAINE OTAMANS The Ukrainian WSB Franchise had a slow start to the season choosing instead to blood their younger and less experienced fighters in the opening matches of the regular season. With an official line-up that includes some of the biggest names in boxing, (such as the likes of double Olympic and AIBA World Champion Vasyl Lomachenko), the team’s opening results were a surprise to many and it wasn’t until they took on the star studded British Lionhearts that the Ukrainians began to really cook. That night Lomachenko and Oleksandr Usyk were finally let off their leashes and the Olympic gold medallists left an impressive trail of destruction in their wake. For the team themselves the importance of reaching the final after such a slow start cannot be understated. One of the team’s star boxers, London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Oleksandr Gvozdyk explained, he “can single out our last win in Kiev [against Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder], that sent the team into the finals, as the best moment of the season”. Teammate, Dmytro Mytrofanov agrees: “Reaching the finals has been the best moment so far”, though he also lavished praise on the quality of the WSB athletes this year saying: “all the boxers I faced this season where tough. It is hard to pick just one out as being more difficult than the rest”. The Ukrainian outfit has been the surprise team of the season, and with so much of their investment being placed in their indigenous boxing talent, the future looks bright for Ukraine in the WSB.
STAR BOXERS Oleksandr USYK
Oleksandr GVOZDYK
The WSB’s number one Heavyweight (91+kg), Usyk is yet another Ukrainian southpaw who likes to brawl. The London 2012 gold medallist and 2011 AIBA World Champion arrived in the Finals with six wins out of six in the WSB. Instantly recognisable for his haircut and lean profile, Oleksandr is a fan favourite for his aggression and willingness to mix it up. Seemingly un-phased even when under sever bombardment, Usyk is often guilty of smiling at opponents during exchanges, as he engages his own brand of risky, but highly entertaining psychological warfare tactics. He does most of his damage on the outside through the use of jabs, crosses and overhand shots.
The London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist has had another good season. Ranked second in the WSB Light Heavyweight (80-85kg) category, Gvozdyk leaped four places up the rankings following his performance in the finals. His five wins from five bouts this year, took him to 9-0 in WSB across two seasons. A disciplined fighter, Oleksandr gives the impression that he always has a game plan. He fights with in a measured, through aggressive and systematic style but having knocked out Vladimir Cheles (Azerbaijan Baku Fires) in the quarter-finals, he has demonstrated that he also has the power to end a fight suddenly. When he keeps his work rate at the level we saw in that match, he is a force to reckon with.
Vasyl LOMACHENKO The Otamans’ leading fighter has been on form again this season. As a two time Olympic gold medallist (Beijing 2008 and London 2012) and two time AIBA World Champion (2009 & 2011), Lomachenko’s transition to the WSB has been seamless. He approached the Finals ranked the number one Lightweight (57-61kg) with five wins from five fights. The aggressive southpaw fighter likes to close the gap on his opponents before making ample use of his powerful body shots and uppercuts. Interestingly he rarely attacks in the first minute of a bout as he seeks to understand his opponents before committing.
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS FINALISTS - 97
FINALISTS ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN Kazakhstan have been the World Series of Boxing’s nearly men for the last two seasons, but fittingly perhaps for a team named after the wolf alpha male, the Arlans have certainly been the leaders of this year’s pack. As runners-up in the inaugural season and semi-finalists in Season II, the Kazakhs took this year’s campaign very seriously indeed. A major statement of intent was made during the off-season as the Arlans brought in two time WSB Middleweight (68-73kg) Champion Sergiy Derevyanchenko from Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder. The team, with boxers from nine different countries is now one of the largest and most international in the league. The breadth of experience showed. Kazakhstan made it through to the group stage with only a single defeat in the regular season, (away against defending champions Italia Thunder). Another factor the Kazakhs had in their favour going into the Finals is that Head Coach Korchynsky is a former coach of the Ukrainian Olympic Team. As the Chinese philosopher and military strategist Sun Tsu said in his epic treatise The Art of War, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles”.
STAR BOXERS Sergiy DEREVYANCHENKO
Ruslan MYRSATAYEV
The experienced 27 year old Ukrainian faced his own countrymen in yet another twist on an extremely interesting final two nights. Sergiy, who has competed at elite international level since his 2007 World Championships bronze medal, is on his third successive season in the WSB. Having been part of the Season II winning team Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder, he has now fought successfully in two of the three WSB Team Finals. Moreover, as the number one ranked Middleweight (68-73kg) for Seasons I and II, Derevyanchenko was keen compensate for his surprise loss against the young Argentinian Brian Castaño which saw him slip to fifth in this season’s rankings before the finals. Having won his bout in the finals however, he moved back up to a more respectable third place to close the season.
The number two ranked WSB Heavyweight (91+kg) at the end of the Season, was undefeated this year with five fights under his belt. He has been progressively easing up the standings year on year, finishing sixth in Season I and fifth in Season II which shows that Myrsatayev is a boxer who is consistently improving. Ruslan is an orthodox fighter who makes good use of his head movement when in the ring and is dangerous on the inside as we saw in his week ten TKO victory over Eric Brechlin of the German Eagles. Samet BASHENOV With six wins out of six this season, WSB’s number two ranked Lightweight (57-61kg) went into the Finals only 11 points behind the Ukrainian icon Lomachenko. The 25 year old has improved massively in this season’s rankings having finished 15th last year, but Bashenov, the 2011 Kazakh national bronze medallist, is much more than just a another skillful boxer for the Arlans, rather he is their captain and leader.
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS FINALISTS - 99
TEAM FINALS: DAY 1 NISTOR PUNCHES ABOVE HIS WEIGHT AS ARLANS TAKE LEAD The home side came away with a 3-2 advantage on Day One of the WSB Team Finals. The Fight of the Night performance was almost certainly provided by Astana Arlans Kazakhstan’s Heavyweight (91+kg) Mihai Nistor who almost caused an upset, pushing Oleksandr Usyk the distance in the final bout of the night. Clearly revelling in the opportunity, Nistor made the most of his chance to have a crack at the 2012 Olympic Champion. He put in a very strong performance in the first round with Usyk taking the time to work his opponent out. The Ukrainian’s caution and several mistakes, including twice dropping his hands to adjust his shorts, and being punished for it, gave the young Arlans boxer confidence. Nistor began to feel that Usyk wasn’t untouchable after all and it showed in his round two performance. Slowly however, Usyk began to find his own range and landed the more accurate shots. Although Usyk won the round it was a close fought thing. In round three, Nistor came on even stronger and rattled Usyk a couple of times to take the round. This was now the surprise performance of the season and the crowd in the packed Saryarka Velodrome soaked it up with astonishment. Although Nistor pushed the Olympic champion the distance, in the end Usyk managed to hold it together for long enough. But no one expected it to go this far, so perhaps although the actual victory went to Usyk, performance-wise Nistor will be the happier man. Elsewhere, at Bantamweight (50-54kg), Kazakhstan’s Meirbolat Toitov won the opening bout of the evening, cutting the Ukraine’s Viktor Gogolyev early in the second. The Arlans boxer boxed cleverly to stay safe and ahead, to take his WSB record to 2-1.
At Lightweight (57-61kg), Otamans two-time World and Olympic Champion Vasyl Lomachenko went toe-to-toe with the Arlans captain Samat Bashenov. Lomachenko started very quickly. He looked in fantastic shape and was extremely mobile throughout. Late in the first round he landed a hard left to drop the WSB number two seed Bashenov, who struggled initially to find his elusive target. Bashenov, credited as being one of the few with the potential to stop Lomachenko’s unbeaten run, came out faster in the second and had an improved result from the judges, but he was still unable to score significantly on Lomachenko. As the bout wore on, Bashanov bravely adjusted his tactics and switched from a southpaw to orthodox stance as he tried to claw his way back. The technical switch seemed to work as he began to improve notably. The Kazakh fighter had a strong final round but it was not enough to stop Lomachenko’s truly masterful display.
boxer with the weakest record in the Otamans’ selection. In what was now an absolutely crucial bout to decide the first night, Hvoje was clearly the favourite to pull his team clear of the Ukrainian Otamans. Lapin, unable to keep his opponent at bay received a cut in the second round, as the Kazakh fighter pressed relentlessly and, pit-bull like. Although the Ukrainian was brave in hanging on, in the end even the commentators were suggesting his corner should throw in the towel. In the end the Ukrainian stayed on his feet but only just. All in all it was an exciting night’s boxing, leaving the hosts 3-2 up on their Ukrainian rivals.
At Middleweight (68-73kg), 19 year old Ievgenii Barabanov showed phenomenal spirit to even get into the ring let alone go the distance with his compatriot, and former WSB number one seed Sergiy Derevyanchenko. The young boxer came out and pushed the more experienced boxer for all five rounds. Derevyanchenko never looked in serious danger however and was able to dominate his younger opponent with beautiful combinations and intelligent ring-craft. Light-Heavyweight (80-85kg) saw the most one-sided bout of the night as Ukraine’s Sergiy Lapin took on the far more experienced Hrvoje Sep. The Ukrainian entered these Finals with the dubious distinction of being the
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS / DAY 1 - 101
TEAM FINALS DAY 1 MATCH RESULTS FRIDAY 10 MAY 2013
3
2 BANTAMWEIGHT (50-54 KG)
WP
TOITOV Meirbolat
GOGOLYEV Viktor
-
WP 3:0 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
TOTAL 50:45
Judge 2
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
50:45
Judge 3
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
50:45
LIGHTWEIGHT (57-61 KG) -
BASHENOV Samat
LOMACHENKO Vasyl
WP
WP 0:3 Judge 1 Judge 2 Judge 3
R1 8:10 8:10 8:10
R2 9:10 9:10 9:10
R3 9:10 9:10 9:10
R4 10:9 10:9 9:10
R5 9:10 9:10 9:10
TOTAL 45:49 45:49 44:50
MIDDLEWEIGHT (68-73 KG) WP
DEREVYANCHENKO S.
BARABANOV Ievgenii
-
WP 3:0 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
TOTAL 50:45
Judge 2
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
50:45
Judge 3
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
50:45
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (80-85 KG) SEP Hrvoje
WP
LAPIN Sergiy
-
WP 3:0 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
TOTAL 50:45
Judge 2
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
50:45
Judge 3
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
10:9
50:45
HEAVYWEIGHT (91+ KG) -
NISTOR Mihai
USYK Oleksandr
WP
WP 0:3 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
9:10
9:10
10:9
9:10
9:10
TOTAL 46:49
Judge 2
9:10
9:10
10:9
9:10
9:10
46:49
Judge 3
9:10
9:10
10:9
9:10
9:10
46:49
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS / DAY 1 FULL RESULTS - 103
TEAM FINALS: DAY 2 TACTICAL SUPREMACY WINS IT FOR ARLANS Astana Arlans Kazakhstan won the third WSB Team Finals in the most dramatic possible fashion, thanks to a superior tactical set up by coach Sergiy Korchynsky. Although the Arlans went into the second day 3-2 up over the Ukraine Otamans, the latter managed to pull themselves back into the match. At one point the Ukraine team went ahead 5-4 as both teams’ fortunes swung back and forth. Indeed the visitors were only one round away from clinching the title when Heavyweight (91+kg) Rostyslav Arkhypenko came close to causing the upset of the season in his bout against Ruslan Myrsatayev. In the end however it was the superior team line-up of the Arlans that won the event for the home side. The trump card was Bagdad Alimbekov. The WSB number three ranked Bantamweight (50-54kg) had been held back from the main bouts, specifically to deal with the risk of a sudden death scenario. The Otamans had already sent their best Bantamweights out to compete, meaning that 23 year old Alexandr Riscan, who held a WSB record of 3-7 and a rank of 29 going into this bout, was forced to face the far more experienced Kazakh boxer. Although the young Moldovan battled gamely the difference in class was clear for all to see. The 29 year old Alimbekov looked comfortable as he took every round on his way to winning the tournament for the Arlans team. The day had started brightly for Kazakhstan. At Bantamweight Miras Zhakupov took on the Ukraine’s Mykola Butsenko. The Kazakh boxer looked very composed against his Otamans opponent and made good use of his reach. Nonetheless the bout was close throughout with the Arlans athlete getting a cut above his right eyebrow in round four. This spurred Butsenko into greater action but Zhakupov managed to hold on for the win.
Meanwhile at Lightweight (57-61kg), Irishman Eric Donovan failed to make the most of a good early start against Vyacheslav Kyslytsyn of the Otamans. Despite a scrappy bout, the Ukrainian managed to close the score line on split decision to 4-3, leaving the Otamans some hope of recovery. The pressure was already beginning to mount for both sides by the time Middleweights (68-73kg) Konstantin Snigur (ISR, Astana Arlans Kazakhstan) and Dmytro Mytrofanov (UKR, Ukraine Otamans), took to the ring. Both fighters came to the bout brimming with confidence on the back of a three and five bout winning streak respectively. The WSB number three ranked Middleweight Mytrofanov however got the better of proceedings. Snigur found it hard to keep the Otamans star at bay as he pushed forward relentlessly to work on the inside. In the last two rounds Snigur changed tactics and, rather than trying to keep his opponent out, began to hold him in and work his own inside game. This was more successful, but it was too little too late as Mytrofanov brought the scores back to 4-4.
In a make or break Heavyweight bout the experienced Kazakh Myrsatayev struggled to contain his Otamans opponent, Arkhypenko. With the Ukraine out in front coming into the final match, it was critical for Arkhypenko to win the bout to keep the hosts in the event. He took the first couple of rounds but seemed to slow coming into the third. A second clash of heads in the fourth cost the Kazakh a point and brought the bout to two rounds each. If the young Arkhypenko were to win the fifth round at that stage the finals would have been Ukraine’s. However, after a phenomenally close final round, Myrsatayev won the bout to secure the sudden death match. The rest, as they say, is history. Although the young Ukrainian Bantamweight Riscan never looked close to beating the more experienced Alimbekov, he deserves praise nonetheless for the gamely manner in which he approached the task.
Thus it was for Light Heavyweights (80-85kg), Ehsan Rouzbahani from Iran (Arlans) and Oleksandr Gvozdyk of the Ukraine Otamans to tip the balance one way or another. Rouzbahani came out in an orthodox stance showing good tactical use of his ability to switch. The Iranian boxer was initially all over his Ukrainian opponent, destroying his rhythm and not allowing him time to settle. However Gvozdyk quickly adjusted his strategy for round two and took to the centre of the ring. At the opening of round three, Gvozdyk dropped Rouzbahani with a hard left hook. Though the boxer recovered, the corner almost immediately threw the towel in, giving Ukraine a 5-4 advantage via TKO.
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS / DAY 2 - 105
TEAM FINALS DAY 2 MATCH RESULTS SATURDAY 11 MAY 2013
3
3 BANTAMWEIGHT (50-54 KG)
WP
ZHAKUPOV Miras
BUTSENKO Mykola
-
WP 3:0 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
10:9
9:10
10:9
10:9
10:9
TOTAL 49:46
Judge 2
10:9
9:10
10:9
9:10
10:9
48:47
Judge 3
10:9
9:10
10:9
10:9
10:9
49:46
LIGHTWEIGHT (57-61 KG) -
DONOVAN Eric Martin
KYSLYSYN Vyacheslav
WP
WP 0:3 Judge 1 Judge 2 Judge 3
R1 9:10 10:9 9:10
R2 10:9 9:10 10:9
R3 9:10 9:10 9:10
R4 9:10 9:10 9:10
R5 8:10 8:10 9:10
TOTAL 45:49 45:49 46:49
MIDDLEWEIGHT (68-73 KG) -
SNIGUR Konstantin
MYTROVANOV Dmytro
WP
WP 0:3 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
10:9
9:10
9:10
9:10
9:10
TOTAL 46:49
Judge 2
10:9
9:10
9:10
9:10
9:10
46:49
Judge 3
9:10
9:10
9:10
9:10
9:10
45:50
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (80-85 KG) -
ROUZBAHANI Eshan
GVOZDYK Oleksandr
TKO
TKO R3 02:26 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
TOTAL
Judge 1
10:9
9:10
-
-
-
19:19
Judge 2
10:9
9:10
-
-
-
19:19
Judge 3
10:9
9:10
-
-
-
19:19
HEAVYWEIGHT (91+ KG) WP
MYRSATAYEV Ruslan
ARKHYPENKO Rostyslav
-
WP 2:1 R1
R2
R3
R4
R5
Judge 1
10:9
9:10
9:10
9:10
10:9
TOTAL 46:48
Judge 2
10:9
10:9
9:10
10:9
10:9
48:46
Judge 3
10:9
10:9
9:10
9:10
10:9
47:47
TIEBREAKER: BANTAMWEIGHT (50-54 KG) WP
ALIMBEKOV Bagdad
RISCAN Alexandr
-
WP 3:0 Judge 1 Judge 2 Judge 3
R1 10:9 10:9 10:9
R2 10:9 10:9 10:9
R3 10:9 10:9 10:9
R4 10:9 10:9 10:9
R5 10:9 9:10 10:9
TOTAL 50:45 49:46 50:45
WSB YEARBOOK: TEAM FINALS / DAY 2 FULL RESULTS - 107
WSB CHAMPION ASTANA ARLANS KAZAKHSTAN
WSB YEARBOOK: WSB CHAMPION - 109
KEY MOMENTS
YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: KEY MOMENTS - 111
KEY MOMENTS
12 franchise teams, 74 matches, 371 bouts and the announcement that Cuba will be joining the fray next year; this season’s WSB has been the most exciting yet. We look back at some of the key moments. Mexico’s home record finally broken The Mexico Guerreros enjoyed an impeccable home record right the way through to the semi-finals. Their run of outstanding form saw them beat: Hussars Poland 4-1, Algeria Desert Hawks 3-2, Russia 3-2, Argentina Condors 5-0, and Baku Fires 5-0. They then beat the British Lionhearts in the quarter-finals, before finally succumbing to eventual winners Astana Arlans Kazakhstan in the semis. The British Lionhearts also had a good string of home performances, remaining unbeaten until their week ten defeat to finalists Ukraine Otamans. Ukraine surge back After a surprisingly slow start to the campaign, the Otamans pulled off an astonishing late rally. Early on in the season, many were surprised that the star studded Ukrainian franchise did not field their top boxers. Their consecutive loses to Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, the German Eagles, Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder, before losing again to the Arlans in week six made it look likely that the Otamans would be out of the competition. They rallied in style however and announced their intentions with a 5-0 drubbing of the German Eagles at home. Their performances continued to impress as they beat Italia Thunder 4-1 and cracked the (until then) perfect British Lionhearts home record (3-2) in week ten to put them through to the play-offs.
El Zócalo This season, the WSB had the honour of hosting the first ever boxing event in El Zócalo, Mexico City’s main square as the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan took on hosts the Mexico Guerreros in the semi-finals. Formally named Plaza de la Constitución, the square is located in the heart of the city. At 57,600 square meters, it is one of the largest city squares in the world and has been a gathering place for Mexicans since the Aztec times. The Arlans won on the night but the real victor was the sport of boxing itself. Cuba joins the WSB for Season IV Cuba, one of the boxing world’s powerhouse nations announced in April that it will join the WSB for Season IV. As the most successful boxing nation in the history of the Olympic Games with 32 gold medals and talent available in depth, the new Cuban Franchise should take the WSB to a whole new level. All in all the season was a huge success for the WSB, which is going from strength to strength, but more importantly, it was a success for the athletes, fans and the sport of boxing as a whole. We can look forward to Season IV and the arrival of Cuba with almost giddy anticipation.
Team Finals go the distance The high-drama WSB Team Finals contained the most explosive line up of fighters to date with the likes of Olympic gold medallists Lomachenko and Usyk going head to head with the Arlans’ deep ranks of international stars. Eleven bouts were fought across two days with the Ukraine leading 5-4 coming into the final exchange. In a make or break Heavyweight (91+kg) bout, the experienced Kazakh boxer Ruslan Myrsatayev struggled to contain his Otamans opponent, Rostyslav Arkhypenko, with both boxers winning two rounds each. Thus the whole season hung on one final round. It was phenomenally closely fought, but neither athlete was able to gain a clear advantage, so it went to a judge’s decision. The victory was awarded to the Arlans boxer, which tied the scores at 5-5 triggering a sudden death bout to determine who would be the 2013 WSB Champion. Here Arlans’ tactics proved golden as WSB number three ranked Bantamweight (50-54kg) Bagdad Alimbekov, who had been held back from the main bouts, specifically to deal with the risk of a sudden death scenario, outclassed his inexperienced opponent, Alexandr Riscan. This was the third straight defeat the Otamans had suffered in the hands of the Arlans team this season. That will leave the Ukrainian coaches looking for ways to achieve more clear cut and decisive victories in the future.
WSB YEARBOOK: KEY MOMENTS - 113
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS - 115
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS BANTAMWEIGHT 50-54KG #
TEAM
BOXER
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL BOUTS
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TD
PTS
!
1
SELBY Andrew
6
6
6
0
0
0
0
0
889
0
2
ALIMBEKOV Bagdad
6
6
5
1
0
0
0
0
821
0
3
EMIGDIO Elias
7
6
6
0
1
1
0
0
1028
0
4
GOJAN Veaceslav
5
4
3
1
1
0
1
0
735
0
4
ZHAKUPOV Miras
5
4
3
1
1
1
0
0
735
0
6
KURBANOV Magomed
3
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
450
0
7
PICARDI Vincenzo
4
3
2
1
1
1
0
0
580
0
8
GERMAKHANOV Gairbek
4
3
3
0
1
0
1
0
580
0
9
MAZIK Mateusz
4
3
3
0
1
1
0
0
572
0
10
MELIAN Alberto Ezequiel
4
3
3
0
1
0
1
0
556
0
ANDREW SELBY
BAGDAD ALIMBEKOV
The British Lionhearts boxer went 6-0 in his debut WSB season. Born in Barry Wales, the 2011 European Champion and World Silver medallist now boxes out of the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield.
Astana Arlans Kazakhstan’s Finals winning boxer also amassed six wins this season, rising from the 22nd ranked boxer last season. His season winning performance and the coolness with which he delivered it has made him a hero to his teammates and countrymen.
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS LIGHTWEIGHT 57-63KG #
TEAM
BOXER
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL BOUTS
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TD
PTS
!
1
LOMACHENKO Vasyl
6
6
3
3
0
0
0
0
889
0
2
STANKOVIC Branimir
6
5
2
3
1
0
1
0
867
0
3
BASHENOV Samat
6
5
3
2
1
1
0
0
868
0
4
SELIMOV Albert
5
4
4
0
1
1
0
0
742
0
5
CHADI Abdelkader
3
3
3
0
0
0
0
1
439
0
6
CARRASCO Juan Javier
3
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
434
0
7
ROMERO Juan
4
3
3
0
1
0
1
0
584
0
8
ALVAREZ Fernando
5
3
3
0
2
0
2
0
699
0
9
VALENTINO Domenico
5
3
3
0
2
0
2
0
685
0
10
MUSSAFIROV Yerzhan
6
2
3
0
3
0
3
0
849
0
VASYL LOMACHENKO
BRANIMIR STANKOVIC
“One of the best boxers to ever grace the canvas” according to Eric Donavan (Arlans/Ireland). Two time Olympic gold Lomachenko’s transition to the WSB has been seamless. Beating everyone put in front of and clocking up an impressive six fight winning streak, Lomachenko has been outstanding.
The Italia Thunder star went 5-1 this season (8-2 across two seasons). His only loss came to Arlans athlete Eric Donovan in week four. The Sebian national champion also has a silver at the 2011 Mediterranean Games under his belt.
WSB YEARBOOK: INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS - 117
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS MIDDLEWEIGHT 68-73KG #
TEAM
BOXER
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL BOUTS
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TD
PTS
!
1
CABRERA Marvin
7
7
7
0
0
0
0
0
1013
0
2
MYTROFANOV Dmytro
7
6
3
3
1
1
0
0
1028
0
3
DEREVYANCHENKO Sergiy
6
5
3
2
1
0
1
0
882
0
4
GOLUB Ivan
4
4
2
2
0
0
0
0
584
0
5
VESIALOU Mikalai
4
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
598
0
6
SNIGUR Konstantin
6
4
3
1
2
2
0
0
874
0
7
MANGIACAPRE Vincenzo
3
3
2
1
0
0
0
0
449
0
8
ABBADI Ilyas
4
3
3
0
1
0
1
0
578
0
9
EVANS Freddie
4
3
3
0
1
1
0
0
538
1
10
JABLONSKI Tomasz
4
3
3
0
1
1
0
0
572
0
MARVIN CABRERA
DMYTRO MYTROFANOV
The Mexico Guerreros fighter clocked up an impressive seven wins this season with no defeats. The 2011 Mexican National Champion has jumped up 30 ranks since last season, where he made a single ill-fated outing against Dongxu Shang from China.
The 23 year old Ukraine Otamans star, jumped twenty places after winning six bouts out of seven, including a crucial fight in the 2013 WSB Team Finals in Astana. His only loss this season came to fellow countryman and last season’s number one ranked Middleweight Sergiy Derevyanchenko (Arlans).
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 80-85KG #
TEAM
BOXER
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL BOUTS
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TD
PTS
!
1
PERALTA Yamil
7
7
5
2
0
0
0
0
1021
0
2
GVOZDYK Oleksandr
5
5
4
1
0
0
0
0
741
0
3
SEP Hrvoje
6
5
2
3
1
0
1
0
884
0
4
WARD Joseph
6
5
5
0
1
0
1
0
890
0
5
MUÑOS Isaac
7
5
4
1
2
2
0
0
1013
0
6
ROUZBAHANI Ehsan
7
5
4
1
2
1
1
0
976
0
7
MAGOMEDAU Ramazan
4
4
3
1
0
0
0
0
593
0
8
SZELLO Imre
5
4
3
1
1
0
1
0
714
0
9
BENCHABLA Abdelhafid
6
4
2
2
2
1
1
0
869
0
10
CHELES Vladimir
4
3
1
2
1
0
1
0
544
0
YAMIL PERALTA
OLEKSANDR GVOZDYK
A surprising entry for many, the 21 year old Olympic Quarterfinalist had an incredibly busy debut season, appearing for six out of ten matches in the Regular season and in Argentina’s Quarterfinal as well. He has won all seven bouts including beating the very dangerous Hrvoje Sep in the Quarterfinals.
Unbeaten across nine WSB bouts in two years, Gvozdyk moved from the Russian franchise for this season. This season he won a crunch match against 2011 WSB individual champion Abdelhafid Benchabla (Italia Thunder) in the semis and scoring a stunning knock out of Vladimir Cheles (Azerbaijan Baku Fires) in the quarter-finals.
WSB YEARBOOK: INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS - 119
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS HEAVYWEIGHT 91+KG #
TEAM
BOXER
WINS
LOSSES
TOTAL BOUTS
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TOTAL
HOME
AWAY
TD
PTS
!
1
USYK Oleksandr
6
6
3
3
0
0
0
0
897
0
2
MYRSATAYEV Ruslan
5
5
5
0
0
0
0
0
741
1
3
JOYCE Joseph
6
5
5
0
1
1
0
0
874
0
4
BISBAL Gerardo Miguel
7
5
3
2
2
2
0
0
1011
0
5
HRGOVIC Filip
5
4
1
3
1
0
1
0
763
0
6
BOULOUDINATS Chouaib
5
4
3
1
1
0
1
0
721
0
7
MODUGNO Matteo
6
4
2
2
2
1
1
0
729
0
8
MURTUZALIYEV Haji
3
3
2
1
0
0
0
0
445
0
9
PFEIFER Erik
3
3
3
0
0
0
0
0
445
0
10
ABDULLAYEV Abdulkadir
3
3
2
1
0
0
0
0
435
0
OLEKSANDRY USYK
RUSLAN MYRSATAYEV
As the World and Olympic Champion Usyk was always expected to have a big debut season. His 6-0 record remains impressive however. Having taken on the best in the division and helped steer his team to the WSB Finals, Usyk didn’t just bring outstanding boxing class to the season, but also his larger than life personality.
A WSB veteran with three seasons under his belt with the Astana Arlans Kazakhstan, Myrsatayev went unbeaten across five bouts this year including grinding out an important Finals equaliser in Astana to keep the Arlans in the running and send the event to a sudden death bout.
WSB YEARBOOK: INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS - 121
WSB OFFICIALS YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: WSB OFFICIALS - 123
WSB OFFICIALS SUPERVISORS
BESSALEM Abdellah (ALG)
FIACCO Pat (CAN)
MOUSTAHSANE M. (MAR)
FALCINELLI Franco (ITA)
KUSIOR Adam (POL)
VILLARREAL A. (USA)
McCRORY Pat (IRL)
NARSI Kishen (IND)
BOSELLI Luiz (BRA)
FRANCIS David (GBR)
RANZE Helmut (GER)
JUNG Jae Kyu (KOR)
SILVAS Ray (USA)
SMITH Terry (WAL)
YUE Yan (CHN)
One Supervisor is assigned to each match of the season and is responsible for the technical governance and compliance from the Weigh-In to the end of the match.
WSB OFFICIALS RINGSIDE DOCTORS MEDICAL STATISTICS
AHUJA Ashok (IND)
BIANCO Massimiliano (ITA)
KOLOSOVSKY S. (UKR)
ORNELAS C. R. (MEX)
SINGH Nirmolak (IND)
DINCER Mehmet D. (TUR)
MATIAS V. M (MEX)
MAZAUD Alain (FRA)
NEVERKOVICH A.(RUS)
FISCHER Angelika (GER)
VIVACQUA NETO I. (BRA) VOSSCHULTE G. (GER)
DOLLA Thorsten (GER)
KHADRI Abdelhamid (MAR)
HICKS Tony (USA)
This year WSB moved to using professional style hand wraps. These are made from a gauze and surgical tape base. • Heavyweights were the least likely weight category to pick up an injury in the ring this year, with just seven reported injuries across the season. • 29 bouts or just over 7% of all bouts this season, ended in TKO. That is down from just over 11 % last season. • There were five knockouts this season over 3,290 rounds and 360 bouts boxed leaving a knockout percentage of 1.27%
WSB YEARBOOK: RINGSIDE DOCTORS - 125
WSB OFFICIALS REFEREES & JUDGES
ASANAU Siarhei (BLR)
BOUGIOUKAS E. (GRE)
CAULFIELD Andrew (GBR)
GERMAIN Tony (CAN)
KAIGORODOV A. (MDA)
BASI Mik (GBR)
AYDIN Emre (TUR)
CINAR Yasar (TUR)
GORNY Mariusz (POL)
KARAKULOV M. (UKR)
BEDEMANN Claus (DEN)
BROVIL Lars (DEN)
FOTI Albino (ITA)
BAGDANAVICIUS K. (LIT)
KELLY Seamus (IRL)
BONET ORTIZ Jose (PUR)
CARBONELL Armando (COL)
GALLAGHER Michael (IRL)
JUST Rene (SVK)
SILVA DO ROSARIO J.K. (BRA)
DE CASTRO Dante (PHI)
MADFOUA Fathi (FRA)
POGGI Gerardo (ARG)
SIDI YAKOUB Kheira (ALG)
SERVIDE Roberto (ARG)
LAINE J.-Robert (FRA)
MALYSHEV V. (RUS)
RYSBAYEV R. (KAZ)
TADIC Martin (CRO)
SZALMA Zoltan (HUN)
LICINI Enrico (ITA)
LAZIZI Athmen (ALG)
McFARLANE D. (ENG)
ZOUBID Hassan (MAR)
SZUCS Veronika (HUN)
ROOS Allan (FIN) JUHASZ R. (HUN)
MORLEY R. (ENG) NORDIN Stefan (SWE)
WSB YEARBOOK: REFEREES & JUDGES - 127
WSB OFFICIALS
WSB YEARBOOK: WSB OFFICIALS - 129
OFFICIAL GLOVE SUPPLIER YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: OFFICIAL GLOVE SUPPLIER - 131
OFFICIAL GLOVE SUPPLIER SPONSOR
Following the success shown in the WSB Seasons I and II, the German manufacturer Budoland Sportartikel Vertriebs GmbH renewed its contract with WSB SA for Season III. The company’s TOP TEN brand, was once more the official WSB glove supplier. “We are very proud to be part of the AIBA Licensees and to support all its projects. After a successful first three seasons, it has been a pleasure to work with such an exciting competition as the World Series of Boxing”, stated Peter Kruckenhauser, Chief Executive Officer of Budoland Sportartikel Vertriebs GmbH.
WSB YEARBOOK: OFFICIAL GLOVE SUPPLIER - 133
WSB IN THE MEDIA YEARBOOK - SEASON 2012-2013
WSB YEARBOOK: WSB IN THE MEDIA - 135
WSB IN THE MEDIA TV COVERAGE During its third season, WSB had a total of 19 broadcasters which televised the competition in more than 98 countries worldwide. There were 12 broadcasters from the Franchise markets, covering 12 Franchise home matches with most broadcasting the WSB Finals.
AMERICAS
EUROPE
ASIA
AFRICA
There were a further 7 broadcasters from non-Franchise markets, covering more than 80 countries around with several also broadcasting the WSB Finals.
WSB YEARBOOK: TV COVERAGE - 137
WSB IN THE MEDIA TV AUDIENCE BY REGION AMERICA ASIA EUROPE
CUMULATIVE AVERAGE AUDIENCE 1’413’500 268’600 4’118’200
Luxemburg
600
Macedonia
8’600
Malaysia Mexico
31’500 272’000
Middle East
50’900
AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST
128’400
Montenegro
1’300
INDIA
224’700
Mozambique
1’200
Myanmar
8’500
Pan Africa
41’200
GRAND TOTAL
BY TERRITORY Africa
6’153’400
CUMULATIVE AVERAGE AUDIENCE
Philippines Poland
55’100 1’267’400
30’300
Portugal
103’300
Albania
7’500
Romania
90’700
Algeria
3’800
Russia
11’200
Angola
1’000
Serbia
31’600
Argentina
52’400
Serbia
31’100
Azerbaijan
10’500
Belgium
6’500
Bosnia & Herzegovina
23’700
Bulgaria
32’400
Cambodia
19’300
Canada
60’200
Croatia
37’100
Denmark
24’000
France
314’000
Germany
322’800
Hungary India
41’400 224’700
Singapore
6’400
Slovakia
8’700
Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland
8’300 197’300 40’700 3’800
Taiwan
35’500
Thailand
97’500
Turkey
211’800
Ukraine
47’300
United Kingdom
333’100
72’300
United States
Israel
12’100
Czech Republic
44’200
Italy
731’000
Norway
20’600
23’500
Slovenia
8’700
Ireland
Kazakhstan Kosovo
3’600
GRAND TOTAL
1’029’000
6’153’400
BY BROADCASTER 2plus2 AZTV (IDMAN SPORT TV) (AZE)
CUMULATIVE AVERAGE AUDIENCE
Fight BOX (HUN)
41’400
Fight BOX (IND)
224’700
47’300
Fight BOX (MAL)
31’500
10’500
Fight Media (MOZ)
55’100
1’200
11’200
Fight BOX (PHI)
ENTV (ALG)
2’800
Fight BOX (POL)
160’300
ENTV (TBC) (ALG)
1’000
Fight BOX (POR)
42’400
148’400
Fight Media (POR)
38’800
Fight BOX (AFR)
30’300
Fight BOX (ROM)
90’700
Fight BOX (ALB)
7’500
Fight BOX (DEN)
24’000
463’500
Fight BOX (NOR)
20’600
23’500
Fight BOX (SWE)
40’700
Sky Sport 1 (ITA)
24’300
Fight BOX (SIN)
6’400
Sky Sport 2 (ITA)
411’600
Fight BOX (SLO)
17’500
Sky Sport 3 (ITA)
223’300
Fight BOX (SPA)
197’300
71’800
Fight BOX (TAI)
35’500
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (BEL)
5’200
Fight BOX (THA)
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (FRA)
51’300
Fight Media (TUR)
211’800
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (ISR)
12’100
Fight BOX (UK)
257’000
Boets
ESPN UK
Fight Sport Network (USA) Khabar TV (KAZ)
Sky Sport Extra (ITA)
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (LUX)
600
97’500
Fight BOX (BOSHER)
11’900
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (PAN AFR)
15’700
Fight BOX (CRO)
18’700
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (POR)
22’000
Fight BOX (KOS)
3’600
SPORTV/Kombat Sport (SWI)
3’800
Fight BOX (MAC)
8’600
272’000
Fight BOX (MON)
700
TVC Deportes (MEX)
Fight BOX (SER)
31’600
TYC Sports (ARG)
52’400
Setanta Action (PANAFR)
10’300
Fight BOX (USA)
565’400
Setanta Sports (PANAFR)
13’100
1’000
Setanta Africa (PANAFR)
2’000 8’500
TVP
Fight Media (ANG)
1’107’100
Fight BOX (BUL)
32’400
SkyNet (MYA)
HangMeas (CAM)
19’300
Prime Telenet (BEL)
Fight BOX (CAN)
32’800
The Fight Channel (BOSHER)
11’800
Fight Media (CAN)
27’400
The Fight Channel (CRO)
18’400
Fight BOX (CZE)
44’200
The Fight Channel (MON)
Fight BOX (MID)
50’900
The Fight Channel (SER)
31’100
Fight BOX (FRA)
262’700
The Fight Channel (SLO)
8’300
Fight BOX (GER)
322’800
GRAND TOTAL
1’300
0’600
6’153’400
WSB YEARBOOK: TV AUDIENCE - 139
WSB IN THE MEDIA INTERNET & SOCIAL MEDIA The World Series of Boxing website brought fans indepth coverage and analysis on every talking point of this enthralling season. With detailed previews and reviews of every match along with profiles of the stars in this ground-breaking project, there was only one place to follow the action. Backed up by a comprehensive database, statistics and athlete bios, the website intrigued visitors for hours at a time. There was live coverage of WSB’s matches on WSB’s Youtube channel and live twitter reporting, facebook coverage and image albums available on Flikr.
WSB YEARBOOK: INTERNET & SOCIAL MEDIA - 141
WSB IN THE MEDIA WSB PR IN NUMBERS & PRESS CLIPPINGS Website Statistics • • • •
400 articles published since Nov.1 Unique visitors: 293,996 Total season page views: 2,479,977 10% of our fans spend more than an hour on the WSB website
YouTube Statistics • 8,432 subscribers (+ 4,420 over the season) • 2,506,194 video views (+ 1,574,016) • Most popular bout: Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Sam Maxwell (65,349 views) • Top demographic regions for Season III: Ukraine Kazakhstan Social Media Statistics • Facebook - 16,400 fans (8,000 joined WSB this season) • Twitter - 4,000 followers including key journalists and media (+ 2,000 new followers this season) Press Releases • 140 press releases sent out since November 1st
WSB YEARBOOK: PRESS CLIPPINGS - 143
WSB IN THE MEDIA PRESS CLIPPINGS
WSB YEARBOOK: PRESS CLIPPINGS - 145
SEASON’S BEST QUOTES
“It turned out that Philip Hrgovich sings really well. But the most memorable effort was from the Iranian Ehsan Ruzbahani. He first sang and then danced and then so did the Irishman Donovan But the guys did not just make fun of each other and they also helped pitch in with everything. We are really a close-knit team.” Bolat Mankenov, General Director of the Astana Arlans (on Arlans’ Christmas party) “WSB is a fantastic competition highly regarded in Ireland; I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. The pro format is a great experience, many boxers have told me that they would have liked to have been a part of it had it been around during their time. I am pleased with my performances in the competition, there is still more to come from me.” Joe Ward, British Lionhearts “I like the manly rivalry. I like the challenge of stepping into the ring and knowing it is between me and my opponent, nobody else. Each opponent is different and you must adapt very quickly mentally and physically.” Tomasz Jablonski, Hussars Poland “Personally I enjoyed my performance against Medzhidov. It was a challenging fight and I think I did well. He was my toughest opponent but I have to say that Joyce of the Lionhearts proved a tough nut to crack as well.” Oleksandr Usyk, Ukraine Otamans
“All the boxers I faced this season where tough. It is hard to pick just one out as being more difficult than the rest”. The Derevyanchenko [Astana Arlans] fight was the one I consider the best all year, although it’s the only one I’ve lost this season.” Dmytro Mytrofanov, Ukraine Otamans “I did not plan to showboat; it is just something that seems to happen when I am in the ring. I do like to entertain the crowd and they seemed to enjoy it so if the mood takes me then I may do it again.” Andrew Selby, British Lionhearts “It is great to be back in London. It is my first time at a WSB event and the atmosphere has been great. I was here to support the two Croatian boxers. They are both very good guys. I think they can look forward to having really good careers and I hope they go on to become World Champions.” Davor Suker, former Arsenal, West Ham and Real Madrid striker “The concept for me is what makes the competition. The team format is fantastic, I get to train with all my friends and represent my country once again. There is no better feeling than that. I really enjoyed it. It was a new experience and I think I did quite well considering it was my first time out without a vest or head guard. Once you get a taste for the pro style, I do not think you want to go back. It has opened up my eyes to future opportunities and how my career could develop. I was delighted to make my pro debut in WSB.“ Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukraine Otamans
“I think it was a very evenly matched, epic finals and it was fun to be a part of it. In terms of outstanding boxers though I don’t think you can look past Lomachenko. He is in a league of his own; possibly the best Olympic boxer we have ever seen. Watch how he makes it look so effortless when he is working and how when he is in the corner he is barely breathing hard. He has put in so much hard work that he is relaxed when he is boxing whilst being alert to everything. We can confidently say that he is one of the best boxers to ever grace the canvas.” Eric Donovan, Astana Arlans (on Ukraine Otamans’ Vasyl Lomachenko)
“I am convinced that this is just the beginning of a fruitful working relationship and friendship. We are thrilled to enter this great competition and we are already preparing ourselves with a lot of enthusiasm.” Alberto Puig de la Barca, President of the Cuban Boxing Federation
“The WSB is a great competition and you also retain your Olympic eligibility. I got a taste of the Olympics in London this summer and I was so proud of being able to represent my country on the biggest stage of all, I want to do it again. I want to be at Rio 2016 and this time I want to bring home a medal. I want the glory. The WSB is fantastic because it will allow me to compete against the best, raise my level and still represent my country. It is the place to be, I want to prove myself in this tough competition. The other boxers are real monsters and have real pedigree. I know I can quickly adapt to the pro style.“ Alberto Melián, Argentina Condors “There is a great bond between the boxers, coaches and staff, which is fantastic in terms of preparing for fights. There is a winning mentality here and the set-up is the best I have ever seen.“ William McLaughlin, Dolce & Gabbana Italia Thunder
WSB YEARBOOK: SEASON’S BEST QUOTES - 147
World Series of Boxing S.A. would like to thank the following people and organizations, without whom this successful third season would not have been possible Our official glove supplier Top Ten Our 12 teams and their hard work in the third season All 195 AIBA National Federations and their support All WSB Supervisors, Referees & Judges and Ringside Doctors Swiss Timing Mediasprint And last but not least, all the staff at AIBA and WSB
WORLD SERIES OF BOXING Avenue de Rhodanie 54 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland www.worldseriesboxing.com
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