RUSSIAN ADVENTURE
The European under 22 championships conclude in Vladikavkaz
THE European under 22 championships took place in Vladikavkaz, Russia from March 8 to 17. The host nation dominated. The Russian team topped the medal table, winning 12 gold medals across the men’s and women’s events and 15 medals in total.
However Amy Broadhurst did star for Ireland. Boxing at lightweight in this competition, Broadhurst took four victories in Vladikavkaz to win the gold medal, beating Italy’s Rebecca Nicoli on a split decision. “Great win for Amy who has been outstanding throughout these championships,” said Irish team manager Stephen Molloy.
In the semi-final Nicoli had consigned England’s Shona Whitwell to a bronze medal, beating her by split decision.
British boxers won six silver medals. Welterweight Harris Akbar can consider himself unlucky to have lost his final on a split decision. He took the fight to Russia’s Vakhid Abbasov. Akbar used long jabs to get on to front foot and unleashed his right cross, hurling it down at the Russian southpaw. They began at a fast pace and maintained the tempo. Harris occasionally leapt on to a lead right but still drove through firm crosses. In the second round Abbasov fought his way back into contention but by the third Akbar disrupted Abbasov with a left hook and dropped his own hands, sliding forwards and backwards easily on his feet. He hammered the Russian with a one-two combination and belted him with another left hook. But a split decision went to Abbasov.
At flyweight GB’S Kiaran Macdonald beat Russia’s Islam Abumuslimov in his first bout in the tournament. Racking up two more wins he met Bulgaria’s Daniel Asenov in the final. The Bulgarian started busily, reaching for Macdonald’s body with right crosses. He kept on pressing forward, swinging punches with reckless intensity. But it forced the Sunderland southpaw to spring back and he stayed on the retreat, getting caught on the ropes at times. Kiaran lined up long, accurate one-twos, popping in his jab as he found his range. Asenov launched big swings while Macdonald fired straight shots down the middle. But the rough, hectic activity from Asenov was eye-catching. He worked hard to take a unanimous decision.
England’s Ellie Scotney reached the 57kgs final but lost a unanimous decision to Italy’s Irma Testa. That forced Scotney to settle for silver. She had met Victoria Glover in the semi-final, outpointing her unanimously. But Glover’s bronze makes her Scotland’s first female boxer to medal at this event.
Her team mate Sean Lazzerini, boxing at middleweight, went all the way to the final. There he met dangerous Russian Aleksei Semykin. The latter landed his left hook well. His fast right cross shot over and Semykin backed up his attack with a hefty uppercut. Lazzerini jabbed in but the Russian waited and fired his cross through. Semykin throws his punches with bad intentions, crisp, fast and punishing shots. Lazzerini caught him coming forward but he would lose a unanimous decision. Semykin had dropped and stopped Irish talent Gabriel Dossen as he
progressed to take the title. In the 81kgs final Wales’ Sammy Lee performed well. The southpaw closed in on tall Ukrainian
Oleksandr Pokhrebnyak. Their bout was marred by holding and both ultimately would be deducted points. Lee drove him into ropes with a big left. He cleaved his right hook into Pokhrebnyak’s attack. The Ukrainian came out aggressively to start the third but he also made more mistakes. Sammy popped his left through Pokhrebnyak’s guard. He finished rightly pleased with his work but a split decision went to the Ukrainian. In the 91kgs final GB’S Lewis
Williams towered over Vladislav Ivanov. Although the Russian was smaller and less defined, he moved naturally. Ivanov generated power seemingly without effort. In the first round a quality left hook to Williams’ chin hurt him. Ivanov pressed in and handed him a standing count. Williams’ corner did not let him out for the second.
Wales’ Michael Mcdonagh also won a bronze medal at 64kgs.
RESULTS
51: Earley (England) Abumuslimov split, (Ukraine) Hession Giovanna Rostyslav (Ireland) (Ireland) outpd outpd Machese (Russia) Bilostotskyi split. Adam Islam unan, 52: (Italy) Kiaran outpd Macdonald Niamh Macdonald Janjic Macdonald Darbaidze (Serbia) (Georgia) outpd outpd unan, Dusan Nodari unan, Daniel outpd Macdonald Asenov (Bulgaria) unan. 57: outpd Ellie Anastasiia Scotney (England) Kovalchuk (Ukraine) split, Victoria Glover (Scotland) outpd Mary Geraghty (Ireland) unan, Scotney outpd Cristina Cravcenco (Moldova) split, Glover outpd Amanda Millere (Latvia) unan, Scotney outpd Glover unan, Irma Testa (Italy) outpd Scotney unan. 60: Amy Broadhurst (Ireland) outpd En Gizem (Turkey) unan, Davey Oliver Joyce (Ireland) outpd Oleg Chulyacheyev (Ukraine) unan, Robert Jitaru (Romania) outpd Callum Thompson (England) split, Beslan Khamzaev (Russia) outpd Joyce split, Shona Whitwell (England) outpd Aslahan Mahmedova (Bulgaria) unan, Broadhurst outpd Kiga Mezovari (Hungary) unan, Rebecca Nicoli (Italy) outpd Whitwell split, Broadhurst outpd Fatia Benmessahel (France) unan, Broadhurst outpd Nicoli split. 64: Chelsey Heijnen (Netherlands) stpd Shauna O’callaghan (Ireland) 2nd, Michael Mcdonagh (Wales) outpd Pierce O’leary (Ireland) unan, Mcdonagh outpd Damian Durkacz (Poland) split, Tugrul Erdemir (Turkey) outpd Mcdonagh split. 69: Tyler Jolly (Scotland) stpd Filip Wachala (Poland) 1st, Patrick Donovan (Ireland) outpd Pieter Samuel Wagensveld (Netherlands) split, Harris Akbar (England) outpd Necat Ekinci (Turkey) unan, Lazlo Kozak (Hungary) outpd Jolly split, Vakhid Abbasov (Russia) outpd Donovan unan, Akbar outpd Miroslav Kapuler (Israel) unan, Akbar outpd Richard Meinecke (Germany) split, Abbasov outpd Akbar split. 75: Lewis Ricardson (England) outpd Yusuf Gokcek (Turkey) unan, Gabriel Dossen (Ireland) outpd Andrei Vreme (Moldova) unan, Sean Lazzerini (Scotland) outpd Vyatautas Balsys (Lithuania) unan, Richardson outpd Anton Stselmakhau (Belarus) unan, Dossen outpd Alberto Simion (Romania) unan, Anastasiya Shamonova (Russia) outpd Aoife O’rourke (Ireland) unan, Lazzerini outpd Rami Kiwan (Bulgaria) split, Vakhtang Harutyunyan (Armenia) outpd Richardson unan, Aleksei Semykin (Russia) stpd Dossen 3rd, Lazzerini outpd Harutyunyan unan, Semykin outpd Lazzerini unan. 81: Sammy Lee (Wales) outpd Federico Antonaci (Italy) unan, Lee outpd Andrey Kosenkov (Russia) unan, Lee outpd Bayram Malkan (Turkey) unan, Oleksandr Pokhrebnyak (Ukraine) outpd Lee split. 91: Lewis Williams (England) outpd Robert Marton (Ukraine) split, Williams outpd David Michalek (Slovakia) unan, Williams outpd Nikolos Begadze (Georgia) unan, Vladislav Ivanov (Russia) stpd Williams 2nd.
BROADHURST HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THIS TOURNAMENT