Greece’s Alexandros Tsaptzis and Latvia’s Timurs Gulbis eliminated experienced rivals in the eighth session of the European U19 Boxing Championships Loznica, Serbia.
Altogether 354 boxers from 36 nations are participating for the 20 titles and the 80 available medals in the European U19 Boxing Championships.
Boxers who were born in 2008 and in 2009 are eligible to participate in the European U19 Boxing Championships in Loznica.
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine are the participating nations in Loznica.
The bout of the session
Scotland’s Liam Boyd faced Lithuania’s Simonas Puniskis in the next Round of 16 bout at the men’s 60kg weight class. The Lithuanian had a tight loss in the preliminary round of the Brandenburg U19 Cup to the eventual winner Ukrainian and he looked also well-prepared to this contest in Loznica. The taller Scottish tried to keep the best distance and he found the rhythm in the end of the first round against the Baltic boxer but he got a warning in the second. Boyd, who started boxing still back in 2014, used up his routine to eliminate Lithuanian and he needs only one further step to achieve a medal in Loznica.
The surprise of the session
Latvia’s Timurs Gulbis faced a technician rival, Romania’s Robert Buzas, who was a quarter-finalist in the last European U19 Boxing Championships in Ostrava. The Latvian made strong pressure in the first round and he surprised the 18-year-old Romanian with his powerful combinations. Gulbis was never stopped attacking and after the third standing count the Serbian referee stopped their 70kg bout.
Italy’s Matteo De Micco was the favourite against Greece’s Alexandros Tsaptzis and he took the lead on the scorecards after three minutes. The Greek boxer did not give up the contest and he landed more punches from the second round which was the turning point of their preliminary bout. Tsaptzis had the stamina in the final period to beat the more experienced Italian and he celebrated an emotional victory in Loznica today.
The Round-Up
Italy’s Daniele Fabi, the European U17 Champion had a hard tactical contest against Spain’s Rodrigo Sanchez Herranz in the Round of 16 at the men’s 60kg. Their bout was the first in the evening session and that delivered excellent level of boxing between the two Mediterranean athletes. The 17-year-old Fabi was slightly better in the exchanges and his long-distance tactics paid off in this nice technical contest.
Moldova’s Nichita Negruta had a massive height advantage against Turkey’s Furkan Avar in the next preliminary bout at the 60kg. The Moldovan southpaw tried to be quick in the first round but the Turkish boy caught him with heavy punches and he took the lead after three minutes. The Moldovan had nice technical skills but he was not enough speedy to avoid Avar’s attacks therefore the Turkish joined the quarter-finals.
Slovakia’s Kristian Harasnik had several impressive international results in the past and he had the routine and the skills to handle the tactical issues against Belarus’ Mikita Kasatski. The Slovakian dictated the tempo in the first round and all of the five judges favoured him after three minutes of fight. The Slovakian had the best rhythm in all of the three rounds against the young Belarusian and he deserved to win their bout in the Round of 16.
Georgia’s southpaw, Akaki Basaria moved a lot on feet to find the best attacking positions against Lithuania’s Lukas Petraska and he won the first round 4:1. The 18-year-old Georgian is a titleholder in the European U19 Boxing Championships and after the first break, he showed more from his boxing skills. The Georgian felt that he can finish the bout in the second round and he made that happen securing his place in the last eight at the 70kg.
Germany’s Yanis Heger defeated Hungary’s Levente Turos in the Brandenburg U19 Cup in Frankfurt an der Oder and they two talents met once again in the European U19 Championships. The German and the Hungarian both made it clear in the first seconds that they want to fight today and landed dozens of punches in the opening three minutes. The referee counted the German twice, the Hungarian once during the battle which ended with the same result as one month ago, Heger won their manly battle.
Armenia’s European Champion Samvel Siramargyan demonstrated his power once again in Loznica, he smashed Romania’s George Sebastian Balan and he became the first quarter-finalist at the men’s 80kg weight category. Russia’s Prokhor Startsev demonstrated his power against Latvia’s Kirils Salkovskis and his dominance turned into a stoppage in the third round in this weight class.
Germany’s 18-year-old Dietrich Hermann used his longer hands to keep Belarus’ Prudnikau on long and he accomplished his goal in this contest. The German, who earned gold medals at the Danas Pozniakas and the Brandenburg U19 Cup, controlled all of the three rounds against the smaller Belarusian athlete and he deserved to win this Round of 16 bout at the men’s 80kg division. Hermann advanced to the quarter-finals of the European U19 Boxing Championships for the second time after the Ostrava edition.
Moldova’s Timofei Magduc had a tight victory over Lithuania’s Donat Bartosevic and he reached his career highlight with a spot in the quarter-finals at the European U19s. Serbia’s Djordje Djoric finished his bout quickly against Estonia’s Daniil Panin and he also advanced to the last eight at the 80kg division. Italy’s Tiberio Nocadello had a difficult fight against Spain’s Efosa Wisdom Igbinovia but his speed decided their meeting in this weight class.