Following the Grand Opening Ceremony, the EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships began in Budva, Montenegro. Medallists and champions from the last edition of the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships lost their first contests in Budva which showed a glorious session for several young boxers.
Altogether 154 elite female boxers from 30 countries are participating in the EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships in Budva. Mrs. Susanne Karrlander of Sweden is the Technical Delegate of the EUBC European Women’s Boxing Championships and she followed all of the contests on Day1.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales are the participating nations in Budva.
The bout of the day
Greece’ future hope, Antonia Filippa Giannakopoulou claimed gold medal at the 2021 EUBC European Youth Boxing Championships and the 19-year-old talent joined the elite age group this January. She spent the recent more than half year to increase her speed and technical skills which she showed in the first bout of the entire championships. She faced England’s favourite, the returning Charley-Sian Davison who reached the quarter-final at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships five months ago. The English bantamweight (54kg) boxer was smart but she was not able to beat the Greek teenager today in one of the best fights of the session.
The surprises of the day
Romania’s Lacramioara Perijoc bagged a silver medal at the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships and she is the defending EUBC European Women’s Champion at the bantamweight (54kg). She arrived to win her next continental title in Budva but Poland’s promising Wiktoria Rogalinska surprised the Romanian boxer with her development. The 21-year-old Polish boxer won some top contests in 2022 but Perijoc is her biggest scalp in 2022 following her impressive finish.
Turkey’s 21-year-old Hatice Akbas not only won the title at the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships in Porec but she earned the gold medal in the IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul a few months ago. The Turkish bantamweight (54kg) No.1 is still young but she is one of the biggest names in this championships therefore her today’s defeat was highly unexpected. Akbas could not find the best fighting distance against Ukraine’s Anastasia Kovalchuk therefore her opponent’s hand was raised after the last gong.
The Round-up
Ireland’s Niamh Fay and Italy’s Sirine Charaabi won the gold medals at the bantamweight (54kg) in the recent two editions of the EUBC U22 European Boxing Championships but they have to meet each other already in the Round of 32 on Day1. The 20-year-old Irish girl opened the contest in different rhythm and her energetic attacks choked the Italian boxer in the next amazing bout out the first session. Charaabi tried to change her tactics but Fay was quicker and much stronger than the Italian therefore the Irish advanced to the next round.
Another exciting preliminary bout in the first day of boxing was held between England’s Shona Whitwell and Italy’s former World Champion Alessia Mesiano. Whitwell used her height advantage well enough in the opening three minutes and took the lead on the judges’ scorecards. Mesiano switched to a more aggressive style in the beginning of the second round but Whitwell was quicker than her Italian opponent was and her counter-shots controlled the middle part of the bout as well. Mesiano, who earned a bronze medal in the recent IBA Women’s World Boxing Championships in Istanbul, suffered a loss to the tall English boxer.
Sweden’s Agnes Alexiusson won several titles and medals in the recent eight years but she had a few unexpected defeats in 2021 and in 2022. The Swedish No.1 prepared even harder than ever and she showed her extraordinary technical skills against Serbia’s ex-Russian Natalia Shadrina on Day1. The 26-year-old Swedish boxer was patient and waited for the best attacking positions to get the triumph of this final-level contest at the lightweight (60kg) joining to the Round of 16.