The men’s finals delivered excellent level of boxing on the fifth and last competition day at the 52nd Golden Belt Tournament in Braila today evening.
The 52nd edition of the Golden Belt Tournament was the next elite female and male competition on the road for the preparations to the European Elite Boxing Championships, Asian Games and the Panamerican Boxing Championships.
The Golden Belt Tournament was fully transparent with live scoring at the Boxerbase website www.boxerbase.com and all of the fans could follow the event in all of the competition days.
The bout of the day
Uzbekistan’s Sanjarbek Vakhobov and Haiti’s Seide Geronimo Saint-Louis both won two bouts in the earlier stages of the Golden Belt Tournament in Braila. The young Uzbek made a strong impression in the event and he tried to rule the first exchanges of their 60kg final bout. Geronimo had one tough punch in the middle of the first round therefore Vakhobov had to increase the level of his concentration. The Uzbek dictated the tempo against such a good opponent and he played with the Haitian boxer in the third round therefore Vakhobov earned the third male title in Braila.
The surprise of the day
Ukraine’s Dnypro-based Dmytro Rudia had difficulties in the first round against Romania’s small Alex Mihai Zaharia in the semi-finals but he turned back that contest. His final opponent, Moldova’s Valeriu Razmerita gained the control in the first round and he ruled the middle of the ring against the taller opponent. The Moldovan caught the 10cm taller Ukrainian with heavy combinations but Rudia’s great finish guaranteed his gold medal at the men’s 80kg weight class.
The Round-Up
Romania’s Bence Laszlo Szőcs surprised Moldova’s Catalin Turcu in the first round of the men’s 50kg final bout and he had the advantage in all of the scorecards after three minutes. The more experienced Moldovan received the right instructions in the break and he equalized the scores in the second round. Turcu, who claimed a gold medal in the recent Moldovan National Championships, turned up the heat in the third round and he bagged the first male title of the 52ndGolden Belt Tournament.
Algeria’s Mohamed Abbas won two tough contests during his road to the final of the men’s 55kg weight category but he had such a strong opponent for the gold medal as India’s Priyanshu Dabas. The Indian was able to increase his speed in the second round and he performed better in the exchanges to build up a strong advantage before the final period. The Algerian, who has been preparing for the Mediterranean Games, worked hard in the third round but his efforts were not enough to turn back this final bout.
Following Ilia Hnatiuk’s tight success over India’s Rohit at the men’s 65kg, a top Romanian bout was held at the 70kg. Stefan Stavri eliminated his favourite teammate, Arun Nicu Tudoroiu in the semi-finals and he faced Daniel Adrian Grigorie in another key Romanian final contest. Grigorie had great defensive skills in the first round and his right-handed punches were dangerous for Stavri. Grigorie knocked down his opponent in the second round and he had the comfortable victory in a remarkable battle.
Romania’s Marian Alexandru Buleu and Moldova’s Vasile Cebotari both had great victories in the semi-finals of the men’s 75kg weight class. The Moldovan moved forward while the local favourite waited for the best counter-attacking angles and due to their great defensive skills, there were not so much clear punches in the first round. Cebotari made a great finish in the third round and he earned the next gold medal of the traditional Golden Belt Tournament.
Romania’s Jorge Mayeta is only 19-year-old but the ex-Cuban impressed already in the first round of the 85kg final against Moldova’s experienced Andrei Chireacov. The Romanian dominated the first round and he had the full control in the second to take the massive advantage on the scorecards. The Uzbek referee counted his opponent once again in the third round therefore Mayeta won the final bout by large margin of difference today.
Romania’s veteran Paul Andrei Aradoaie eliminated Uzbekistan’s Shakhzod Polvonov in the semi-finals of the 90kg weight class and he faced India’s Bobin Chauhan for the gold medal. The Romanian claimed a European U22 title still back in 2017 but he is in top shape once again in this Golden Belt Tournament. The 30-year-old Romanian was too experienced for the Indian and his smarter boxing style delivered for him a gold medal in Braila.
Uzbekistan’s Khalimjon Mamasoliyev earned a gold medal at the 2024 edition of the Youth World Boxing Championships and the 20-year-old boxer was dominant against Romania’s Florin Ionita in the first round. Mamasoliyev moved up to the super heavyweight this year but he had the tough performance to control all of the three rounds against the European Youth medallist. Ionita received a warning in the second round and he was not able to follow the rhythm of the last bout of the Golden Belt Tournament.