Forty quarter-final bouts took place at the new edition of the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships in Montesilvano, Italy on Day5. Altogether 249 bouts are already concluded and the only the medallists of the championships remained in actions in Montesilvano. Among the developing boxing nations Albania, Israel and Latvia also bagged medals in the championships.
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine are the participating nations in the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships.
The number of the female boxers is 119 and their most crowded category is the featherweight (57kg) with the participation of 15 boxers. The 234 male boxers is near to the record in the history of the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships.
The girls and boys both are able to participate in 13-13 weight categories from the pinweight (46kg) up to the heavyweight (+80kg) in the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships. The female and the male boxers who were born in 2006 and in 2007 are eligible to participate in the EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships.
The bout of the day
Azerbaijan’s multiple tournament winner Mahammadali Ashiraliyev remained unbeaten this year in his national and international competitions and he was named as of the favourites at the bantamweight (54kg). The Azeri talent felt from the first seconds than he is quicker than Armenia’s Artur Avetikyan and his tactics were worked from the opening round. Ashiraliyev, who claimed a silver medal already at the 2019 EUBC Schoolboys European Boxing Championships at the age of 13, brought the best decisions in the ring and eliminated his neighbour with superb performance.
The surprise of the day
Georgia’s Mamuka Sartania achieved a bronze medal at the Tbilisi 2021 EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships and won the annual Bornemissza Junior Memorial Tournament. The 16-year-old Georgian arrived to Montesilvano as one of the gold medal contenders of the light welterweight (63kg) but he was not enough shape against Romania’s Alexandru Gabriel Carare. Sartania looked nervous in the contest and the Romanian surprised him in this important quarter-final challenge.
The Round-Up
The Bulgarians hosted the EUBC Youth European Boxing Championships which was a great success for their 17 and 18-year-old female and male boxers. Their younger age group is shining in Montesilvano and Silyan Aleksandar Popov proved his amazing development in the day of the quarter-finals. The Bulgarian pinweight (46kg) boxer faced Italy’s Sasha Mencaroni who joined the junior age group this year following his schoolboys career. Popov was faster than his local opponent was and secured his nation’s first guaranteed medal in the championship.
The Armenians impressed in all of the age groups this year and their best junior boxers are important factors in Montesilvano. Following Vagharshak Keyan’s success at the pinweight (46kg), their next hope, Davit Safaryan continued the winning path of the country despite his technician rival in the quarter-finals of the flyweight (50kg). Italy’s Giuseppe Dell’Aquila was a highly competitive rival for Safaryan but he was not enough fresh in the last round to beat the Armenian. Next to Safaryan, Germany’s Daniel Balko also won his quarter-final bout by split decision over Bulgaria’s Georgi Karakolev.
Georgia’s Gori-based Levan Demurovi bagged only a silver medal in their Junior National Championships one and half year ago and he moved up to the bantamweight (54kg) in 2022. The 16-year-old Georgian has strong physical conditions and opened the first round with better shots than Greece’s Thomas Boditsopoulos. Demurovi took the lead in all of the fives judges’ scorecards and he was able to handle all of the Greek attacks which means, he is now medallist in Montesilvano.
Italy’s Giuseppe Cirillo has boxers among his family relatives and he had the clear objective to take a medal in this EUBC Junior European Boxing Championships. Cirillo felt that his day has come and gave in everything against Romania’s Stefan Mario Teodosescu at the middleweight (75kg). The Italian boxer had the right tactics to beat the more experienced Romanian and will now meet for the final bout Albania’s new flag bearer in the junior age group, Amar Koci who eliminated Armenia’s Albert Harutyunyan.
Latvia’s Emmanuils Sidorenko earned several medals in the junior preparation tournaments before Montesilvano and he was near to reach the semi-finals but Italy’s Francesco Crucilla stopped him at the bantamweight (54kg). Sidorenko’s teammate, the Olympic Hopes Junior Tournament winner Nikolajs Zamjatins was not failed in the quarter-finals of the featherweight (57kg) and took a medal for Latvia in Montesilvano. Zamjatins was too experienced for Scotland’s Taylor James Gough and celebrated his medal in the championship.