Lausanne, Switzerland, Feb 04, 2012 – Benchabla, In the stand-out fixture of this World Series of Boxing (WSB) weekend, Astana Arlans delight their home supporters with a hard-fought win against Group A leaders the Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder.
The Venky’s Mumbai Fighters move into quarter-final contention with quality victory over Bangkok Elephants as Dynamo Moscow beat the Los Angeles Matadors in Russia. Istanbul Bosphorus outclass the visiting Leipzig Leopards and Baku Fires power past Paris United as Germakhanov books his place for the WSB Individual Championships in May.
Match of the week
It was a real test of character for the Astana Arlans at the packed Almaty Sports Palace on Friday evening as the top ranked team in Group A the Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder came to town for a clash of epic proportions. 20-year-old Khabibulla Ismail-Akhunov worked hard but was ultimately undone by the experienced Ukrainian southpaw Vitaliy Volkov as Milano drew first blood to go ahead in the tie.
Merey Akshalov who started off slowly quickly found his range in the Lightweight contest to outbox Miklos Varga and draw the match level. Sergiy Derevyanchenko once again proved he is almost in a class of his own with the valiant Astana’s Kanat Slam quickly running out of ideas to break him down in their Middleweight match-up as the Italian outfit went ahead for the second time in the match.
Benchabla‘s tactical master class then frustrated Frenchman Ludovic Groguhé as the scores were once again level with all eyes then turned to the Heavyweight contest that would decide the outcome of this nail-biter. Debutant Milano Cameroonian Romarick Ngoula Tangoum started off on the front foot and his exuberant style seemed to be leaving him vulnerable to Ruslan Myrsatayev’s counter-attacks.
With both fighters throwing lots of punches, this was anyone’s fight and the crowd was sensing the drama as they cheered each fist that landed. In the fourth round, Myrsatayev connected with a solid overhead right that landed hard on Ngoula temple and form there, there was no way back. The TKO handed Astana Arlans a well earned 3:2 victory, moving them level on points with the Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder team in Group A. Watch this match again LIVE on WSB TV
Fight of the week
Billed as Chapter III in this enthralling saga, Astana’s Benchabla vs. Milano’s Groguhé did not disappoint, with this fight on a real knife edge throughout five excellent rounds of boxing action. The intelligent Algerian Benchabla was tactically spot-on in this contest, moving well and ensuring he kept Frenchman Groguhé at arm’s length with some clever jabs.
With Benchabla comfortable in the knowledge he had won the first three rounds, Groguhé went on the rampage to try and claw his way back into the fight. Although the Milano Light Heavyweight orthodox fighter had his opponent in quite some trouble late on, Benchabla combination punching was too good as he stuck to his clever game plan to triumph.
Rest of the action
Baku Fires remain simply unstoppable as Paris United’s resistance was overcome in this Group B match. The Azeri pace-setters’ 3:2 victory ensured they remain unbeaten this season.
This was a bad-tempered affair with seemingly a lot of bad blood left in between the two teams, ever since Pairs United triumphed in last season’s semi-finals.
The contest looked like boiling over several times with both sets of boxers going at it hard from the off. Baku Fires Gairbek Germakhanov consolidated his place as the top ranked Bantamweight, to look almost certain to fight at the WSB Individual Championships in May, after defeating Samir Brahimi in the evening’s opening contest. 25-year-old Abdelkader Chadi then drew Paris United level at 1-1 with a quality display versus Madadi Nagzibekov.
Michel Tavares saw his hopes of reaching the Individual Finals dented after succumbing to defeat against Heybulla Mursalov as Baku Fires went 2-1 up in on the night. Ramazan Magomedau made it four wins out of four this season for himself as he out-boxed Paris United’s Croatian Hrvoje Sep to give the home team the overall victory. Filip Hrgovic then reduced the deficit as he dominated his Heavyweight rival Abdulkadir Abdullayev, but the night belonged to the Baku Fires once again. Watch this match again
LIVE on WSB TV
Dynamo Moscow were ruthless in the Russian capital as Bantamweight Anvar Yunusov and rising Middleweight star Aleksandr Ivanov set the tone to overawe the visiting Los Angeles Matadors.
This comprehensive victory for the home team sees them draw level on points with Dolce & Gabbana Milano Thunder and Astana Arlans in Group A, who they will each now face in the remaining two fixtures of the regular season. The next fortnight will be a defining one in the race to top this tightly contested Group. Watch this match again LIVE on WSB TV
The Venky’s Mumbai Fighters moved up to fourth place in Group B with a convincing 4:1 victory over the Bangkok Elephants. Middleweight Israeli Konstantin Snigour looked class as he gave the Mumbai team an early lead at the T-Box Mobile Arena at the Inorbit Mall. Leanid Charnabayeu came out on top in the Light Heavyweight contest to earn himself a first victory this season and give the Indian Franchise a 2-0 lead in the tie. Bantamweight Satjapron Jumroensan then clawed one back for the visiting Bangkok Elephants as he convincingly outpointed Mirbek Sherov.
Charly Suarez made sure of the win as he triumphed in the Lightweight contest and Uaine Fa confirmed his growing reputation with a sensational demonstration of power against Anatolii Antoniuk in the Heavyweight contest. Watch this match again LIVE on WSB TV
Leipzig Leopards continue to struggle away from home as they taste defeat once again, this time to the well-organised Istanbul Bosphorus. The unpredictability of these two teams made it a very intriguing contest; however no one could have predicted that the Turkish team would have been so dominant on the night.
Veteran Huseyin Dundar was too good for Edgar Walth in the opening Bantamweight fight before Bunyamin Aydin rocked Rashid Kassem in the fourth round on his way to make it 2-0 for the Istanbul Bosphorus. Jaba Khositashvili then showcased his skills to win against Patrick Thomas Wojcicki and give the home team an unassailable lead for the overall victory. Bahram Muzaffer surprisingly lost to Enrico Kölling in the Light Heavyweight fight before Belarusian southpaw Viktar Zuyev overwhelmed Alexander Overnov to give the Istanbul Bosphorus a comprehensive 4:1 victory in Group B. Watch this match again LIVE on WSB TV
Boxer of the week
Filipino newcomer Charly Suarez announced his arrival to the WSB competition in explosive style as the 23-year-old orthodox Venky’s Mumbai Fighters’ Lightweight spectacularly knocked-out his opponent.
Suarez had looked hungry from the first bell, hounding down his taller rival throughout and when he unleashed a combination straight left to the chin and a hard right hook to the face midway through round two, Egkachai Prommaka hit the canvas and never recovered. Suarez was punching the air in delight and that performance had the crowds in raptures.
He will be one to watch. The Mexico City Guerreros vs. Beijing Dragons tie was postponed due to problems with the issuing of visas for the visiting team. A new date for the match will be announced shortly.
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