Turkmenistan delivered a fantastic session in the second competition day at the Boxam U15-U17-U19 in the Camilo Cano Sports Hall in La Nucia, Spain.
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
Turkmenistan’s Asian U15 Champion Atabek Hojyyev recovered from his previous injury and he is one of the top names in the U17 age group in the Boxam. The 15-year-old Turkmen demonstrated his power in the first round against Puerto Rico’s Jesuann Melendez and his jabs were always dangerous for the Central American. Melendez was able to adopt the rhythm of the bout but Hojyyev was too strong for him in most of the exchanges.
The surprise of the day
Romania’s Thomas Vharan used his jabs and longer hands to keep his opponent, Turkmenistan’s Yunus Masharipov on long in the first round. The boxer from Central Asia was better in the second and his performance in the third became one of the most remarkable moments of the session. Masharipov landed strong and high number of punches in the third round to turn back their contest at the U17 66kg weight category.
The Round-Up
Spain’s Elijah Immanuel Sanchez is one of the most experienced boxers in the host country’s U17 team who had a busy year with several tournaments. Sanchez dictated the tempo against Mexico’s Salvador Limas in their 54kg contest and he was a hard target for the Central American. The world-class Sanchez had brilliant footwork once again and his counter-attacking style paid off in their quarter-final bout in La Nucia.
Romania’s U15 talent, Fabian Jipeanu started his campaign well in the first competition day of the Boxam Tournament and he continued his winning path in on Day2. The Constanta-based boxer was dominant against Spain’s Mouad Azlaf Zouzou and the referee confirmed his RSC success in the second round.
Serbia’s new U15 hope in the quad, Ostoja Drulovic won the first and second rounds against Mexico’s Luis Cabrera and he had the massive advantage on the judges’ scorecards after three minutes of fight. The Mexican switched his tempo in the third round and he tried everything in the last 90 seconds but Drulovic won their meeting by unanimous decision at the 40kg weight class.
Turkmenistan had an unlucky session on Day1 and their first hope on Day2, Rustam Bahramov expected a hard battle against Spain’s top U15 talent, Unai Lopez. The Madrid-based boxer competed in the last European U15 Boxing Championships as well but Bahramov had stormy attacks in the first round and the referee counted Lopez twice therefore Turkmenistan’s pride won their meeting by RSC.
Palestine’s Abdalrahman Al-Shareef faced Spain’s Abel Ucles in the U17 age group and their 57kg fight was a real highlight in the session. The Palestinian used his excellent right-handed jabs in the first round and he made a fantastic final period to beat his local opponent and he joined the last four in La Nucia. His teammate, Atef Al-Shareef also made a superb third round to beat Spain’s Djibirirou Khalidou Ba Diop at the 60kg.
France’s Nancy-based Emma Zambeau used her longer reach in the first round to take the lead on the scorecards against Spain’s Abril Cerro in their 52kg meeting. The French, who had only 21 bouts prior the Boxam Tournament, controlled the exchanges in the second round as well and her footwork in the third was enough to secure the victory, the next for her homeland.
Puerto Rico’s U17 hope, Kirriat Portalatin had a great opening round against Spain’s Ana Valeria Lozano and the judges favoured her after two minutes of fight. The Puerto Rican had the stamina and the nice technical skills to beat her opponent and she made a strong impression at the 54kg. Spain’s European U15 bronze medallist Zoe Montero controlled the next U17 female bout against Denmark’s Ronja Eriksen and she won their meeting by unanimous decision.
Turkmenistan’s Ezbermuhammet Myratdurdyyev had longer reach than Puerto Rico’s Etdiel Mendez but he was confident also in closer distance. The referee counted the Puerto Rican after Myratdurdyyev’s heavy jab and the boxer from Turkmenistan made the show in the first and second rounds. The 16-year-old Central Asian, who has the 57-3 record during his career, was dominant in their 63kg quarter-final bout and he had the full control on this fight in La Nucia.
Portugal’s 15-year-old Alexy Brule is a Portimao Box Cup winner but he is still newcomer among the U17 boxers and Spain’s Joel Gutierrez was slightly better than his promising neighbour at the 46kg. Turkmenistan’s Ismayyl Mollayev jumped into the best fighting range in the first round and he was effective against Spain’s Victor Lopez in this strong weight class. Mollayev dominated the second round and despite of Lopez’s performance in the third, the boxer from Turkmenistan
Spain’s Manuel Bueno won the Akaki Kakauridze U19 Tournament in Georgia this May and he competed at the European U19 Boxing Championships in Loznica as well. The 17-year-old Spaniard did not spend any time with rest after the continental event and he made a lot of sparring sessions before the Boxam. Bueno was confident in all of the three rounds against Rafael Contreras and he enjoyed his opener at the 55kg in La Nucia.
Mexico’s U19 hope, Atena Juarez is not a tall boxer at the women’s 48kg but her first opponent from Puerto Rico, Dixie Delgado was even smaller. The Mexicans have strong traditions in this weight class as their Valeria Amparan claimed the gold medal in the 2024 Youth World Championships. Juarez continued the traditions of the country and after the standing counts, the Spanish referee confirmed her RSC triumph.
Spain’s new European U19 silver medallist Andrea Buelga boxed in the 54kg this time after her career highlight in Loznica and she looked very agile again in the first round. She caught Mexico’s Regina Vargas in the first minute and her pressure guaranteed the advantage on the scorecards. The 17-year-old local star had a competitive opponent today but the Spaniard worked well in the first and second rounds to win their semi-final.
Puerto Rico’s Hector Mulero had a strong start in the competition on Day1 and he tried to repeat that performance in his next appearance in La Nucia. The Puerto Rican performed strongly in the first round against Belgium’s Bello Yaro and the referee counted his opponent after his strong jabs. The Puerto Rican was able to keep his top level and the full control of this 60kg quarter-final and he joined the last four, the medal phase of the event.
Ukraine’s Rostyslav Horodynskyi had some difficulties in the first round against Portugal’s David Haceatrean in the first round but he was able to turn back their quarter-final at the 65kg. Another tight U19 bout in this weight class was held between two Spanish boxers, the European U19 competitor Pablo Souto and Alex Cebolla. The second surprisingly defeated his teammate who is also his close friend in the Spanish U19 national team.