TIE-BREAK TRIUMPH
Kazakhstan pip Cuba to win the World Series of Boxing
THE Astana Arlans Kazakhstan edged out the Cuba Domadores to win the final of the World Series of Boxing in Astana on Saturday ( July 15).
The two teams were level 5-5 after 10 contests and so the season seven title was decided for the home side on the tiebreak bout when flyweight Olzhas Bainiyazov eventually overcame Frank Zaldivar to win the contest and the series.
Kazakh light-flyweight Temirtas Zhussupov got his team off to the start they needed, beating Cuba’s
Johanys Argilagos. It was a close contest, but Zhussupov took it 48-47 on two cards and 49-46 once.
Javier Ibanez, the Cuban bantamweight, posed Ilyas Suleimanov problems but the Kazakh forced the issue, left the Cuban chasing the bout and won on points, scraping past 48-47 for all three judges.
The Domadores then took the lead in the match, winning the next three bouts. At light-welterweight
Andy Cruz held off the challenge of
Dilmurat Mizhitov, taking a split decision, winning 50-45 and 48-47 on two cards. The third judge saw it 48-47 to the Kazakh.
Young middleweight Abilkan Amankul went in deep with reigning Olympic and World champion Arlen Lopez. The Kazakh got off to a good start in the opening rounds. The two were level on the cards going into the last round but the quality of Lopez came through. He made sure of a unanimous victory, taking the win 48-47 for all three judges.
Excellent Cuban heavyweight
Erislandy Savon is a dangerous man over five rounds. He controlled
Anton Pinchuk, dominating on the cards, winning 50-45 and 49-46 twice.
With his team ahead at the halfway stage brilliant lightheavyweight Julio La Cruz extended the Cubans’ lead further. Strong Kazakh Armen Rysbek managed to catch La Cruz off guard in the first round but soon the Cuban settled into his rhythm, sweeping the remaining rounds as he counter-punched and outboxed Rysbek, winning 49-46 on two cards and 50-45 for the third judge.
Yosbany Veitia brought the Domadores close to winning their third title, fending off Kazakh flyweight Olzhas Sattibayev to score freely and take the victory by unanimous decision, 50-45, 49-46 and 48-47.
But Cuban super-heavyweight
Yoandry Toirac couldn’t serve up victory. Kazakhstan’s Olzhas Bukayev pulled a win out the bag, taking a unanimous decision, 49-45 and 48-46 twice, as the Toirac suffered a points deduction.
Some of Cuba’s star boxers then suffered defeats. Zakir Safiullin
overturned World lightweight champion Lazaro Alvarez.
The Cuban put his speed and accuracy to work but Safiullin persisted, finishing well to take the last two rounds and win a split decision victory.
To take the match to a tie-break Aslanbek Shymberganov toppled Olympic gold medallist Roniel Iglesias.
The Kazakh had defeated the Cuban to seal the team victory last time Kazakhstan won the World Series. Again he denied Cuba glory. Shymberganov banked the early rounds and forced Iglesias to chase the bout, winning a surprisingly wide decision, 50-45 and 49-46 on two cards.
That left it up to Olzhas Bainiyazov to seal the team and series win with points decision over Frank Zaldivar, the Kazakh franchise’s third triumph in the World Series of Boxing.
President of AIBA Dr. Ching-kuo Wu said, “The addition of the team dynamic to what has always been one of the world’s great individual sports has captured the imagination of spectators and franchises alike, its popularity underlining our belief that it is innovations like the WSB that will keep entertaining the fans and breaking new audiences and markets around the world.”