Spain’s Cristina Peinado, Netherlands’ Zoe Vogels and the Ukrainian U19 team were the heroes of the final day at the Boxam U15-U17-U19 at the Camilo Cano Sports Hall in La Nucia, Spain today.
Altogether 246 female and male boxers from 21 nations from four continents are competing in the new edition of the Boxam Tournament.
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Denmark, France, Iceland, Kuwait, Latvia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Serbia, host Spain, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Venezuela are participating in the Boxam U15-U17-U19 Tournament.
The bout of the day
Spain’s Manuel Bueno and Ukraine’s Serhii Artemenko both won international tournaments in the past therefore their final at the 55kg was an anticipated title bout today. The 17-year-old Spaniard was patient in the first round, he was waited for the best moments to land his punches and he had a tight advantage on the scorecards. Bueno was punctual in the second round but Artemenko did not give up the fight and the duo made a spectacular final bout and the Ukrainian turned it back.
The surprise of the day
France’s multiple international tournament winner Shanon Cabane and Spain’s European U19 bronze medallist Cristina Peinado met in the final of the women’s 57kg weight class which was one of the most anticipated female U19 title contest. The French boxer tried to use her longer distance from the first round while the 17-year-old Peinado used her aggressive style of boxing. Peinado’s pressure was effective in the second round therefore Cabane also had to increase her tempo in the decisive third. Peinado made fantastic efforts in the third round and she caused the main sensation of the day winning this final by 3:2 split decision.
The Round-Up
Two of the top Mexicans as Yessenia Rodriguez and Atena Juarez advanced to the finals of the women’s 48kg weight class in the U19 age group. They knew each other’s weaknesses and strengths from the National Olympiad and National Championships and Rodriguez started this final better. Rodriguez had the technician game play but Juarez caught her with heavy combinations in the end of the second round. The final verdict was depended on their performance in the last period when Rodriguez found her best distance once again and she won the battle of the southpaw boxers.
Andrea Buelga Garcia has just earned a silver medal at the recent European U19 Boxing Championships in Loznica and she competes at the 54kg in La Nucia this time. Buelga won two contests during her road to the finals where she had an opponent from Spain, a teammate, Paula Garcia. The 17-year-old Buelga was in different level in the first and second rounds but Garcia had several brave attempts against a more experienced athlete. Buelga made a strong finish in the last three minutes and she won the second female final by large margin of difference.
France’s Maelys Panizzutti, the European U19 silver medallist, did not underestimate Mexico’s Joselyn Lopez and she used her best combinations to take the lead on the judges’ scorecards after the first round. The French 60kg boxer repeated her performance in the second period and she had the massive advantage after six minutes of fight. The 18-year-old French had the full concentration in the entire contest and she won the title of the Boxam Tournament in La Nucia.
Netherlands’ Zoe Vogels, the European U17 Champion dominated her semi-final and she faced in the final of the women’s 65kg with another Mexican boxer. The 17-year-old Dutch overcame Sofia Arana in the attacks and she underlined in the first round that she is the better boxer. Vogels, who came from a boxing family, followed the strict instructions of her coaches, Mr. Patrick Mesters and Mr. Max Van der Pas therefore she claimed a gold medal for the Netherlands with a full dominance.
Ukraine’s Mykhailo Sydorenko eliminated a Mexican boxer in the semi-finals of the men’s 50kg weight class and he had to meet another athlete from the Central American country, Gael Rivas. The 17-year-old Ukrainian felt the fighting distance well in the first round and he could still increase his tempo in the second against the technician Mexican. Sydorenko landed his punches from all ranges and he claimed the first gold medal for Ukraine in the Boxam Tournament.
The European U19 Championships competitor Rodrigo Sanchez and his teammate, Luis Francisco Hedo advanced to the finals of the men’s 60kg weight class. The 17-year-old Sanchez had the better footwork in the first round and that was the difference between them in the opening three minutes. Sanchez was faster in the exchanges and he could control all of the three rounds in the third U19 male final of the Boxam Tournament.
Ukraine’s Rostyslav Horodynskyi was too experienced for Spain’s Bastiaan Lorenzo De Gea in the final of the 65kg weight class and he earned his nation’s third gold medal in the Boxam Tournament with a referee stoppage victory. Ukraine’s next finalist, Oleksandr Kravchenko and Spain’s Aaron Santurio made a spectacular bout at the 70kg and the first won their meeting by split decision.
France’s Yanis Tavares and Mexico’s Saedh Bueno were aiming for the title of the men’s 75kg weight category and the first was better in the opening minutes. The French 75kg boxer had some difficult moments in the second and third rounds but he could adopt the higher tempo in time to build up a strong advantage and to win the final.
Ukraine’s Tymur Karaivan had a significant height advantage against Netherlands’ Marciano Pikero and he could control the first round. The Dutch began boxing 10 years ago but he had only 28 contests before the Boxam Tournament and he is experience could not match with the Ukrainian’s one. Pikero could not reach the taller opponent in the first and second rounds and Karaivan looked untouchable today and the Ukrainian won their final by RSC in the third.
Spain’s new sensation, Samuel Antezana bagged a silver medal in the European U19 Boxing Championships in Loznica and he started the final of the Boxam Tournament with great performance today. His opponent, Ukraine’s Hlieb Kvach moved forward more in the second round but Antezana’s footwork was world-class in this 85kg final bout. Antezana landed multiple combinations in the third round and he earned a well-deserved gold medal for Spain with impressive performance.
Ukraine’s Vladyslav Naumenko shocked his Mexican opponent, Gael Nitsch in the first minute with a knockdown which determined the next exchanges and the result of the bout. Naumenko felt that he can finish their final bout quickly and following his superb attacks, the Mexican ringside abandoned the 90kg title contest.