AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth Winners Announced

Taipei, May 23, 2015: The Youth finals of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships Taipei 2015 was held this afternoon at the Xinzhuang Stadium, where the talented boxers finished the tournament in style.

Bout of the day
China’s Chang Yuan defeated Chinese Taipei’s Huang Hsiao Wen on the way to claiming a gold medal at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, and their rematch in Taipei was one of the greatest contents of the entire tournament.

Both boxers came into this match on top form, but it was the Chinese southpaw who began strongly as her fast punches from range stood out.
Huang was undeterred, and supported passionately by the local crowd soaked up the early pressure by countering Yuan’s output with accurate shots.

Signifying her Champion status, Yuan came out in the second round with renewed vigour, and began to include vicious uppercuts in her repertoire
After the closing bell rang at the end of their breathtaking battle, Yuan claimed the Youth Flyweight class (51 kg) gold medal via a split decision verdict.

Team of the day
Five Russian Youth boxers were involved in finals on the last day of competition, and four walked away with gold medals in the event.

Nations Women’s Youth Cup winner Yuliya Chumgalakova arrived to the Championships as the main favourite of the Youth Light Flyweight class (48 kg), and the 17-year-old lived up to the hype after defeating DPR Korea’s Youth National Champion Kim Un Jong.

Two-time Russian National Champion Daria Semashko moved down one weight class before the start of the tournament, and her decision paid off as she outpointed Kazakhstan’s Bayan Akbayeva to secure the second Russian Youth gold.

AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion Vlada Kalacheva then beat China’s Nations Women’s Junior Cup silver medallist Zhang Jie at the Youth Light Heavyweight class (81 kg), while Poland’s Agata Kaczmarska was unfit to box in the final of the Youth Heavyweight class (+81 kg) due a shoulder injury, so AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion Maria Shishmareva took Russia’s fourth Youth gold medal in Taipei.

Surprise of the day
Italy’s Concetta Marchese eliminated Ukraine’s Valeriya Manchak in the quarter-finals of the Youth Bantamweight class (54 kg) in a huge shock, but the EUBC European Women’s Junior Continental Champion could not win her final against Kazakhstan’s AIBA Women’s Junior World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Balaussa Muzdiman.

Marchese began the fight with excellent footwork which frustrated her opponent, but after the Italian began to tire, Muzdiman turned up the pressure and the split decision win was awarded to her.

Ones to watch
Italy’s AIBA Women’s Junior World Champion and Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games silver medallist Irma Testa won an entertaining final over Ukraine’s Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympian Anhelina Bondarenko to signify her undoubted dominance of the Featherweight class (57 kg).

Testa is tall for the weight, and uses her height advantage very well as she boxes with a smart counter-attacking style which is very enjoyable to watch.
American star Jajaira Gonzalez began this tournament undefeated, and the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medalist continues her winning streak at its close as well.

The Lightweight class (60 kg) boxer put Sweden’s Stephanie Thour under incredible pressure from the opening seconds, and Gonzalez continued to attack until the very end as well.

Facts of the day
Russia’s four Youth golds enabled them to top the medal standings at the Junior level, while they also finished top of the Junior section of the tournament.

Elsewhere, two Italian boxers won gold, while host nation Chinese Taipei claimed one silver and three bronze medals on home soil.

Dominican Republic and Greece both secured their first ever medal in the history of the AIBA Women’s Junior/Youth World Boxing Championships.

Medalists of the AIBA Women’s Youth World Boxing Championships