Algeria’s Fatiha Mansouri won one of the toughest bouts at the Great Silk Way Tournament in Baku on Day4 and several of the final line-ups are decided.
Altogether 29 female and 97 male boxers are participating in the annual Great Silk Way Tournament in the heart of Azerbaijan.
Baku hosted several big events in the recent 20 years, including the Men’s Elite World Boxing Championships in 2011, the Youth World Boxing Championships and the Cadet World Boxing Championships.
The bout of the day
The Algerian girls progressed a lot and their new national team has great future potential in the upcoming major events as the Mediterranean Games. Their Fatiha Mansouri had the technical skills to keep the same level as Turkey’s Gamze Soguksu and she had the chance to make a surprise after two rounds. The Algerian had the stamina in the last round to win the semi-final of the women’s 51kg and she will be meeting Kazakhstan’s Zhansaya Rakhymberdi for the title.
The surprise of the day
Australia’s Eve Bryson is a very talented boxer with strong development but she expected a hard bout against Azerbaijan’s European Junior Champion Emili Rzayeva. The local boxer had the support from the crowd but Bryson not only adopted the level of the contest but her control in the second and third rounds were decisive. The Australian will be facing for the gold medal with Turkey’s Berfin Kabak who defeated her third rival in Baku today.
The Round-Up
Kazakhstan’s Anel Kudaybergen, the former Youth World bronze medallist, had a difficult semi-final at the women’s 48kg when she met Australia’s Alana Selak but she was able to keep the full focus. The 25-year-old Kazakh had a good finish to beat the Aussie boxer today and she will be boxing for the title of the Great Silk Way Tournament with Akbota Bolat, an Asian U22 Champion.
Kazakhstan’s Anel Sakysh achieved her first top result, a silver at the 2019 Asian Youth Boxing Championships and she had the strong start against Gaukhar Zarden, another boxer from her nation. The 24-year-old Sakysh finished the job in the second round when the referee confirmed her RSC success therefore she has the chance to take the title of the 54kg against her teammate, Anzha Sadvakassova.
Azerbaijan’s Subhan Mamedov achieved a gold medal at the European U23 Boxing Championships in Budapest a few months ago and he came back to the international events in Baku. Mamedov used his long hands to keep the best distance against Australia’s Bocskai Memorial Tournament silver medallist Lachlan Shipsey and he secured his place in the semi-finals of the men’s 50kg.
Azerbaijan’s next ace in the smallest men’s category, Bilalkhabashi Nazarov dominated the first and second rounds against Yusif Soltanov and his strength made the difference today. Another star in this 50kg weight category, Georgia’s Sakhil Alakhverdovi had punctual attacks from his safest distance to beat Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nuridenov.
Azerbaijan’s Tayfur Aliyev earned his first ever elite result, a bronze at the 2015 European Games when he was only 18-year-old. The experienced boxer felt the rhythm in most of the exchanges against Algeria’s most promising male pugilist, Mouatez Bechagra today. His younger teammates, such as Mahammadali Ashiraliyev and Mahammadali Gasimzadeh both eliminated their opponents at the 60kg.