Mohamed Alwahedi and Loris Vona made the show in the first day of boxing at the Hakija Turajlic Memorial Tournament 

Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Alwahedi and Switzerlands Loris Vona were the bests in the opening session of the 33rd edition of the Hakija Turajlic Memorial Tournament in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Bosnia & Herzegovina is a very active country in the international boxing map, they hosted the Mustafa Hajrulahovic Talijan Memorial Tournament earlier this year and they have strong plans also for 2027. The Hakija Turajlic Memorial Tournament is taking place for the U17, U19 and elite age groups as in the last edition. 

Switzerland’s Loris Vona is not only their U19 national team member but one of the most experienced athletes in his country. The Swiss boxer, who competed at the recent European U19 Boxing Championships in Loznica as well, invested a lot of efforts in his opener against Norway’s Rene Alejandro Myhre. Vona is not only strong but he has the technical skills to beat top rivals as well but he had to do his very best to win this U19 bout at the 65kg division in Sarajevo. 

Slovakia’s Tibor Katona spent the recent years to develop himself in the international competitions and he arrived to Sarajevo to continue his preparation for the next major championships. The Slovakian was the favourite against Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Alwahedi but his Western Asian opponent proved a massive progress since his last appearance in the international stage. The Saudi boxer not only started the first round better than Katona but he could keep the same level until the last gong in their elite 55kg bout. 

The Round-Up

Slovenia’s Ajnor Memic had to miss the European U17 Boxing Championships but he travelled to Sarajevo to increase his international routine in a strong event. The Slovenian boxer had brave attacks in his opener at the 60kg and he defeated Saudi Arabia’s Anas Almadani in their U17 meeting. 

Saudi Arabia’s Shaban Alodani is another strong future hope in his homeland who proved his development as his teammate, Mohamed Alwahedi. The Saudi 60kg boxer found the best fighting distance in the first round against Switzerland’s Tiago Fernandes and he took the lead on the judges’ scorecards. Alwahedi followed the right instructions from his coaching corner and he defeated the Swiss boxer in Bosnia & Herzegovina’s capital.

Croatia’s Tomislav Siprak is one of the U23 hopes in his country and following his last silver medal in the National Championships, he made his international debut in Sarajevo. The Croatian had a Saudi Arabian opponent on Day1, Omar El-Sayed but he was not able to keep the rhythm of the Asian athlete.  

Switzerland’s next boxer Imbert Aiden Cosma won two out of the three rounds against Saudi Arabia’s Esmail Alqassimi and he secured his first success in Sarajevo in a big battle at the elite 65kg weight class. His teammate, Abu Abdo Magdy continued the Swiss winning series in Sarajevo and he had a strong start against Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Dawoud. The Saudi Arabian ringside abandoned the contest in the second round and Magdy joined the next stage at the 65kg.